Can I have a baby after 40?

For women in their 40s, there is still a chance to have children, but there is an increasing risk.

A woman’s fertility depends on the function of her ovaries. As long as the ovaries are still working and ovulating, the woman can have children. However, when getting older, the egg cells will deteriorate with age. It is also known as “Programmed Cell Death”. The egg cells will gradually deteriorate, resulting in no ovulation or a decrease in the quality of the ovum.  The ovum will have no ability to fertilize, or the embryo becomes abnormal and unhealthy. The embryo has a genetic disease causing the embryo to not implant or abortion. When the age increases, the chances of miscarriage and the chance of complications during pregnancy are also higher. It may cause the pregnancy to be abnormal, such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, premature birth, etc. When the rate of complications is high, it can result in a baby being born with abnormalities, including genetic abnormalities.

Women at age of 30 start to have problems with having a baby. Obviously, at the age of 35, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant, known as being infertile. When they reach their 40s, the fertility rate will decrease. There is information saying that at the age of 40-43, the chance of getting pregnant naturally per month is only 5%. Then, women begin to enter the menopause. The average age is 49-50 years old; the ovaries will stop functioning, causing anovulation and no period. There will be no chance of pregnancy.

For those who want to have children in old age, they must know that the chance of pregnancy and the chance of having a baby are not the same. That is, they can be pregnant, but there might be an abnormality that can cause abortion, including the risk of complications that can cause miscarriages easily. Even if women are pregnant, they may not be able to have children. In addition, there is a chance of 1 in 30 that the child is born with Down’s syndrome. While if women are pregnant before the age of 30, there is only a chance of 1 in 1000-2000.

Although women in their 40s can be pregnant, the chance of becoming pregnant naturally is quite low. They may need to use assisted reproductive technology. The first thing is to solve the problem of infertility. If you are over 40 years old, just wait 3-6 months. If you are not pregnant, hurry up to consult a doctor. Because the time of having a baby is counting down. The more time passes, the more difficult it becomes. At this age, there may be various congenital diseases that need to be taken care of. As well as the male side, if they are at the same age, there may be congenital diseases that result in unhealthy sperm. The chance of getting pregnant will decrease. Therefore, if you want to have children, we recommend you consult a doctor first. If there is a problem, it can be solved quickly. Do not let nature be for too long. Although, if your infertility is treated, it’s not that you can have children right away. The average success of all ages is 30-40%. If over 43 years old, the percentage of success is greatly reduced, less than 10% left, but it is still considered a chance.

Suggestions for 40-year-old women who want to have children

• Get a health check. If there are any congenital diseases or abnormalities, better have treatment and control before pregnancy.

• If you have sex regularly, 3-4 times a week for 3-6 months, and still not pregnant. You should consult a doctor who specializes in infertility treatment for serious treatment. Don’t ignore it and do what your doctor recommends to increase your chance of success.

• Maintain good health for both women and men. Reduce behaviors that obstruct pregnancy, such as drinking alcohol, smoking, being overweight, not having enough sleep, and being stressed.

• Take 1 tablet of folate per day for both women and men.