Pregnant Over 45? It Is Possible, Even During Menopause

Just seeing this hourglass makes you feel anguish because you are sure that it is impossible to get pregnant over 45. Well, you can calm down. I have had nightmares imagining that I would never get pregnant if I went into early menopause, as I already said here. But, believe me, if you can, NOT even MENOPAUSE stops you from getting pregnant.

To understand the subject, I searched the internet for a case that caught my attention a few years ago: the pregnancy of actress Solange Couto, at 54 (yes, fifty-four!) years old. I also came across an interview with Dr. Silvana Chedid, a gynecologist specializing in human reproduction and director of the Chedid Grieco Reproductive Medicine Clinic.

Of course, I wanted to find out the real thing with her. Check out some excerpts from our exclusive interview here:

Where’s My Baby? Are the eggs running out when we hit the door of 40 and 45 years old?

Silvana Chedid: Age is not the only factor in evaluating ovarian reserve. Young women who smoke or are obese, for example, may have worse reserves than a 40-year-old woman. There are several factors to analyze.

CMN: Do those who have few eggs necessarily have rotten eggs?

Silvana: No. Quantity and quality are two different things. The ovarian reserve speaks of the quantity of eggs: the woman will ovulate until this supply is exhausted and then enter menopause. However, it is true that quality also declines exponentially over time.

CMN: How old, more specifically?

Silvana: The quality starts to worsen after the ages of 28 and 30, but this becomes more pronounced after the age of 35. After the age of 40, the chances of getting pregnant are lower—both naturally and after treatment—but they are not zero.

CMN: If a woman becomes pregnant naturally after the age of 40, does she need to worry about a risky pregnancy?

Silvana: Not necessarily. There is a window between 40 and 44 years old for successful pregnancies. If the woman has an average weight, is not hypertensive or diabetic, and practices physical activities, the fact that she is over 40 does not mean that it will be a high-risk pregnancy. It’s more a question of lifestyle than age.

CMN: What was the case with Solange Couto, who was pregnant at 54?