Age and fertility

[jac1976]

It was true for my mom. My mom got pregnant very easily until she was 39ish. Then she and my step-dad tried and tried for another. She would get pregnant, but kept having miscarriages. After some testing, it turns out she entered the pre-menopause phase and her hormone levels meant her body couldn't support a pregnancy without help. So she was put on some meds and eventually had my brother shortly before turning 42.

[l_Kimmie_l]

The Depo shot I was on in my 20s killed my fertility. It gave me PCOS and caused several losses for me. It took me 3 years and meds to get my now 4 year old at 33. Then I got my 3 yr old at 34 (2 months shy of my 35th b-day). I waited 2 years and then had my last baby 9 months ago at 37. My first baby was a pill baby at 21 and was 22 when I delivered. I also had several pregnancies and losses on birth control during my early 20s.

So I was super fertile before Depo in my 20s, struggled with infertility due to Depo in my late 20s and early 30s, and became fertile again in my mid and late 30s.

[ssand23]

I didn't have trouble getting pg but my body could not handle being pg at 34 like it could in my 20's. Not that any of my pregnancies were enjoyable and problem free but being pg at 34 was significantly worse with more complications than in my 20's.

But that is true, after having a baby, there can be a period of increased fertility. It is common for a woman who tried years to get pg to suddenly end up with a surprise baby shortly after the first was born.

[GEMQEMCABOOSE]

Newly expecting with #4 at 38. All of mine have been 29years +. DS2 took 10 cycles and I was 33. The other guys all took 1 or 2 cycles. I have friends still having unplanned babies in their 40s.

[nonipie]

No not really. Had my first at 28. Got pregnant on first try, had a miscarriage, waited a cycle then got pregnant very next cycle. 2nd child I was 31 and not trying but not preventing and conceived very shortly that time as well. 3rd was conceived at 33 and on our 2nd real try. Pregnancy wise like PP they have gotten increasingly more difficult though. I'm sure I could easily get pregnant again but not sure that either myself of the baby would come out of it unscathed.

[bees04]

I was an oops baby (the one time she didn't use protection I guess). :P My mom was 44 when she had me.

[CaliRoll]

DS1 was born 4 days after my 28th birthday, conceived within 6 weeks of deciding to try. DH asked me to get my IUD removed a few weeks after my 30th birthday. We sat out the first cycle and conceived DD the next. We used NFP/pull-n-pray for 18 months after that. Then DH got "lazy" (his words) several times over the course of 7 days. I was 32 at the time and his laziness resulted in DS2, born 8 days after my 33rd birthday. DH had a vasectomy (already planned and scheduled) the same day I got the BFP for DS2. I have no doubt that I'd conceive again very easily if his V didn't take.

As a PP noted though, my pregnancies have gotten harder the older I get. My last two pregnancies were painful and then involved cholestasis of pregnancy. Deliveries got progressively earlier and shorter. I always wanted to do surrogacy after our family was complete but you literally could not pay me to be pregnant again.

[bluedaisyma]

No. I had 4 kids from age 23-27 and then stopped trying. When I was 2 wks shy of 39, we tried and I conceived immediately. When he was 15 mo, I got pregnant at age 41. I think it took 15 mo bc of nursing, not my age.

Sent from Future Dwight

[Nerissa]

I was 27 when we got pregnant with #1, it took 3 cycles of just winging it. --no charting/no nothing, I had no idea when I ovulated

#2 I was 29 and missed a few birth control pills

#3 I was 32 and it took 1 cycle. I knew exactly when I ovulated and we DTD once

[SaraElise]

Not 30 yet, but I already feel like I've seen a slight decrease in fertility. I was pregnant at 22, 23 and 25 pretty much by thinking about having a baby, no trying required.

I'm 28 and pregnant now, we had to try for 5 months (one very early miscarriage in there) before I got pregnant and stayed pregnant.

I'm still obviously pretty fertile, but we never had to do more than just stop charting (we use NFP to avoid) to get pregnant, and this time required several months of trying.