“Women have a narrow fertility window of around 15 to 40”
Great Grandmother had her last baby at 49. Grandmother had her last at 50. Mom had her last at 42. Maybe I just come from REALLY fertile stock?
Awesome family tree there!!!
:^)
That’s because in each case, it was their last baby. Women can get pregnant up to age 45 or even 50 if they’ve already had babies. But there are women trying to have their very first babies at advanced ages, and that’s different.
Another problem, as I see it, is all the Hollywood celebrities having babies in their 40s, without mentioning that they used egg donors to do it. This gives ordinary women the impression that they have plenty of time and they, too, can wait till their 40s to be moms.
Doubtless you do, but I've heard that women who start early tend to be able to keep going later. I believe there are physiological obstacles, such as endometriosis, and maybe hormone effects, that start to get in the way if you wait.
Then again, there are women like the 30-year-old Catholic spinster who went to Australia in the 19th century when the government put out the call for women—and I think offered free passage. She found her man, got married, and had 5 kids. She was the great-grandmother of one of my friends.
Statistically yes.
The number given of less than five percent of women over forty is accurate.
It Iisn’t a toss of the dice as to finding out which five percent will be able to concieve though. It is a combination of genetics and general health.
If a woman begins to have children during her fertile years, she can usually continue to have children well into her 40's. (As long as she's otherwise healthy.)
If she waits until later to *begin* having children, fertility is dramatically reduced.
Personally, I think that it's a the hormonal contraception that's required to postpone childbirth for decades that screws us up.
The fertility they are talking about is the most fertile period. Many women are still fertile into their early 50’s, there is just less likelihood of conception happening and a pregnancy taking hold.
I know someone who conceived at 55 (total shock and surprise) and was 9 months pregnant at her 29 year old son’s wedding! Her husband was 65 and had just retired when they found out she was pregnant. He went back to work.
It does happens, but statistically not often enough to sway the main fertility period cited.