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• November 4, 2008 7:23 p.m.

  I was 17 when I found out that I had only 1 felopian tube. Between the ages of 21-22 I fell pregnant 3 times only to miscarry 3 times.At 23 I gave birth to a healthy boy & at 24 I had a healthy girl. I was told that I only had half a womb & that I was lucky to have my babies.I'm now 38 and am trying for another child, I didn't let 1 felopian tube than half a womb and 3 miscarriages stop me before so I won't let being 38 stop me now, all anyone can do is be postitive and keep a healthy body & if it is meant to be it will.

  - ruby

• October 27, 2008 7:05 p.m.

  I am 45 and call me a dreamer but I really want to get pregnant again. I have an adorable 4 year old, so my first pregnancy was at 41. I have had two miscarriages (one before and after him). I want to have hope, but my OB/GYN said my "eggs were fried", which I find really negative. Is there any hope?

  - dakotagirl

• October 22, 2008 9:04 p.m.

  I suffered an ectopic pregnancy 3 years ago and I am seeking information regarding the likelihood of natural concenption when one felopian tube has been removed. I've been told by 2 specialists that the remaining tube is very healty and I have very regular cycles but being 38 is a concern for me. I'd like to know how soon I can seek fertility assistance. I'd like to be pregnant within the next year or so. Please help!!

  - anonymous

• October 16, 2008 11:54 p.m.

  One of the few regrets in life I have is not having children. I am in my 40's but still think about it sometimes.

  - Paul

• October 12, 2008 9:20 p.m.

  I am 37 and TTC for the first time in my life. My doctor told me he thought it would take me 2 months to get pregnant. When I asked him why he said because my cycles are regurlar. Within 2 months I was pregnant. We miscarried, waited a cycle, got pregnant again. Hopefully this one sticks. There is so much scary and negative information online about being over 35 and trying to conceive. The Mayo Clinic is my favorite source for information on pregnancy. Lots or relavent information and not so much discouraging stuff. Just remember, that even if your in your 40s you're still likly to conceive and have a HEALTHY baby.

  - Wendy

• September 23, 2008 2:22 p.m.

  I have six wonderful children (same husband) all born after my 30th birthday. Happy, healthy beautiful children. My youngest is now 17 months old. I just suffered a miscarriage at age 43. My heart is broken but am a willing vessel if God chooses to bless us again. Every time I look at one of these amazing creatures I can't imagine doing anything to prevent pregnancy. I have read all the statistics and I know the risks, I also know it's God who is in control. If your doctor laughs or makes fun of you wanting a child at "advanced maternal age" - find another doctor or midwife who respects life and the Creator of Life. Best wishes.

  - sillysally

• September 5, 2008 1:23 a.m.

  im 37 years old and had a miscarriage this past may. my husband and i are now trying again to conceive. we've been trying for 3 months now, and nothing yet. i'm hearing all these things about how i may not be ovulating as often as i was when i was in my 20's and im starting to give up hope. i will be seeing my doctor this month so hopefully i can get some encouragement. it is nice though to hear that women my age and older are having babies. hopefully it will be me soon as well. good luck to you all.

  - kimberly

• August 24, 2008 5:01 a.m.

  I have just suffered my first miscarriage at 36 which I have found very hard and I was beginning to think I had left it too late to have a child, however thanks to your articule and other comments I feel so much better knowing so many other women continue to have healthy babies over 35. This has giving me renewed hope and I will start to try again once my body and mind is ready!.

  - nicky

• August 4, 2008 5:42 p.m.

  Wonderful article and wonderful comments. I am 45 - not pregnant yet- but wont hesitate for a second should it happen. I waited for the right man who entered my life when I was 42- didnt get pregnant yet- but also I am not running after it and dont take hormones. It is either god given or not

  - Mona

• June 18, 2008 8:35 a.m.

  I turned 39 yesterday. The day before my birthday, a health care provider strongly warned me against conceiving. He gave me the black cloud speach about increased risks involved with older women having a children. He also expressed his concerns about my husband not being a good father, becasue he had had a vasectomy and then a reversal. I was very irritated with both of his opinions, because having children when you are older is not all doom and gloom, and men who choose not to have children in one part of their life doesn't mean they can't change their mind and be wonderfull fathers. These are all choices that we should be allowed to make without the unfair judgement of others. As long as we are fully educated and have the forsight to make reasonable and safe decisions, then that is our prerogative!

  - Paula - NNY

• June 16, 2008 12:25 p.m.

  I'm almost 31 and still have not been married or kids. I want to have a kid within the next couple years but it is so hard to find the right man. I want to make sure my unborn kids have a good father who loves me and them. I'm crying thinking about this because I don't know where the good decent men went to...oh yeah, they are already married. So what is a girl to do? If I don't find someone I'm going to adopt. But I would really like the experience of giving birth.

  - Sara

• June 9, 2008 12:13 p.m.

  I was just told that my ex mother-in-law, who just turned 69 today, has tested positive for pregnancy! She has been on bio-indentical hormones for the past year and began menstruating over 6 monthes ago. Has anyone heard of this before from the use of these replacement hormones.

  - Brian C.

• June 3, 2008 7:50 p.m.

  The most important thing is being able to provide a loving and stable life for your baby. I'm 32 years old and don't have a family yet because I haven't found the right man. I know what it's like to grow up without the presence of a loving, protective father who is able and willing to provide for his children. I want my child to have what I didn't and I haven't found the man that is ready to provide those things. I hope that when this happens that I will still be able to conceive a child but if not I won't regret having waited for the right person. Adoption is always an option for me. I would love to be a parent and if it turns out that I can't have my own biological child it would still be an amazing blessing to bring a child into my life through adoption. It's great if you find a man ready and wiling to be a wonderful father when you are both in your 20s but that is a rare thing these days.

  - Amy

• April 28, 2008 11:08 p.m.

  Great comments!

  - lara

• April 22, 2008 11:24 p.m.

  I had my daughter at 38 yrs and was very happy to do so! I'm so happy to be a mother. At 41 I had a miscarriage. I was scared to try again, but later on I regretted not trying again.

  - Carol

• April 7, 2008 1:46 p.m.

  thank you all for some possitive word's of Hope!! I am 47 almost 48 and have felt very embarrased about having a child at my age.(sitting at obgyn with pregant young girls) I've had 5 doctor's say i have 0 to 1% of getting pregant at my age even tho every test has said my chances are better than they thought.. i left one doctor's office in tear's after him laughing at me because of my age.....I had a tubal reversal even tho all told me about the negetive thing's in having a baby that can happen even death... i belive that God is the one who forms us in our womb and every child is his gift to us....after long prayer's and no possitive word's from anyone, we decided to put my tubes back the way God had them and let him do the work from there!! as i read everyone's posting's i began to cry as i finally heard that it's not as uncomon as all the doctor's said it was and im not alone!! I Just want to thank every one that has spoke out to us older women and gave possitive encouragement to our dream of having children. i know of lot's of people who have raised there grandchildren in there old age and many people who care for foster children and adopt...so i really could'nt understand why i was being persecuted for wanting to have my own child at 47?? God Bless...what is impossible with man..is possible with God!!

  - Darlene

• April 7, 2008 11:24 a.m.

  I had my daughter at 39, and my son when I was 41. Both pregnancies took a bit of a toll on my body (don’t they all?), but I didn’t enter into them in the best possible shape. Now, seven months after the birth of my son, I have lost all of the baby weight plus another 20 pounds – while nursing!! I’m still a little sleep deprived, but I feel better than I have in years. Despite my fears regarding the potential challenge of becoming and staying pregnant at my advanced age, I conceived both of my children within two months of trying. I feel so very fortunate. I had no idea how much joy, love, laughter, and just plain fun my children would bring. Had I known, I might have tried sooner. But had I done so, then the different egg/sperm combo would have brought different kids, and I wouldn’t have known my little loves. They were most definitely worth waiting for! On another note, my mom was 27 when she had my sisters, and 38 when she had me. She was my best friend for the 30 years we had each other. I would never have traded my “old” mom for a “newer” one. For there never was a person with a younger, more loving heart.

  - No name given

• April 4, 2008 6:15 p.m.

  I just turned 44 and have an 8 year old and a 3 year old. I feel I am a more relaxed, patient, and happy person in my 40's than I was in my 20's. Being an older mom has fantastic advantages and I wouldn't change a thing. However, it's good to keep a sense of humor when you're changing diapers and having a hot flash at the same time!

  - Erin

• April 3, 2008 5:30 p.m.

  I had my one and only child 3 months before I turned 40. His father was 62. Our child is almost 13, His father is 75 and I'm almost 53. Poor child has old parents, BUT he always has someone to come home to and parents who love him very much. We are both active in his life. His dad coached his football and basketball teams at age 74 and has taught him to play golf. We homeschooled for 6 years. He is the delight of our life. However, adolescense, senility and menopause make for an interesting combination. Not too many dull moments! It's the best thing that ever happened to me - didn't expect or plan it - but welcomed it as truly a "Gift from God". My background pre-child was politics and law - post-child I'm a childbirth educator and Board Certified Lactation Consultant. My life changed in so many ways - for the better.

  - Kathy

• April 2, 2008 7:46 p.m.

  Wow, finally some hope! I read this article thinking I was just going to have another person tell me to give up. When I was 17, I became pregnant. Due to many factors, I gave my daughter up for adoption. It wasn't something I really wanted to do even though I , myself, am adopted. I struggled every day with that decision and it has actually become harder. I thought someday I could have children of my own but it hasn't happened. The reality that I may have given up the only child I will ever have is suffocating to say the least. I am now 37 and have literally been going through a grieving process the last few years. Believe it or not, it was brought on by my birthdaughter finding me. Seeing what I missed out on and then watching her have a child of her own has been overwhelming. I have been trying desperately to accept the fact that I will never have children. Everything I have read until now tells me all the reasons I shouldn't have a baby at my age. It's not like I wanted to be an "older mom" but it would be better for me than facing a life without children. Thank you so much for posting a positive article. Thank you so much for all that posted. Finally, I have hope and inspiration!

  - Laurann

• April 2, 2008 11:20 a.m.

  As long as an infant is born healthy – with no genetic defects, any age is OK to have a child. The comment posted by HB (a few line up) is totally outmoded in this day and age with so many ‘Baby Boomers’ hitting 60 years of age, and thousands of centenarians – even ‘super-centenarians’ (those over 106 years of age) alive in the U.S. These people are not all mentally incapacitated and bound to wheelchairs – many are physically very active, and some are still running businesses. Theoretically, if a woman were physically fit to have a ‘medically assisted’ pregnancy at age 80, it is very very possible that she would have at least 20 more years to enjoy that new person. We in the 21st Century need to re-shape our concept of what is ‘Too Old’ for a person to do.

  - WLJ -

• April 2, 2008 10:09 a.m.

  I had 3 children within four years , the last when I was 26. In the next 13 years I had several miscarriages. I became pregnant at 39 (with the smae husband) but thought I would again miscarry. I didn't! Another surprise arrived 15 months later-a very healthy baby. I brought my last child home on my 45th birthday. Another very healthy baby. All 6 are thriving, healthy as am I at a ripe old age.

  - Joanne

• April 2, 2008 8:33 a.m.

  Please do your research and keep this in perspective! There are exceptions to most rules. My mother had my brother at 37 and gave birth to me at 45 and that was 47 years ago. Just think of the advances in medicine since then. I also have a friend who had a baby in her early 30s. The baby had genetic concerns and died a few years later. Even so, the mother had two children after 35 and they are healthy and rambunctious. Some women in their 20s are less healthy than some older women. Factor in diet, environment, stress--there are just too many variables to make a blanket statement. Do what works for you, the father and the baby.

  - No name given

• April 2, 2008 8:32 a.m.

  I had both of my children when I was over the age of 40. I had my son at 40 and my daughter 15 months later at age 41. They are both perfect, wonderful kids that keep me young. I think that being an older Mom has many advantages. I think younger and feel younger! They are a true blessing.

  - Susan D

• April 1, 2008 11:25 p.m.

  Thank you so much for the information you have started in this blog. I would be interested to hear your comments on the use of Prometrium to boost the sometimes low progesterone levels in the older expectant mom. Also, in the future, could you talk about how to avoid hypoglycemic-like episodes in early pregnancy in a non-diabetic. Our 37-year-old daughter is trying to control her weight, but gets terribly hungry during the day with a job that she cannot leave at will. Today, she had a terrible, almost fainting, episode.

  - Paula-AR