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Although the probability of becoming pregnant after the age of 40 is lower, this is possible and can be safe if the woman follows all the care that the doctor recommends doing prenatal care with all the necessary tests.
At this age, the woman who becomes pregnant needs to be seen by the doctor more frequently and consultations can happen 2 to 3 times a month and still need to do more specific tests to assess both her health and that of the baby.
1. Is getting pregnant at age 40 dangerous?
Getting pregnant at age 40 can be more dangerous than getting pregnant in early adulthood. The risks of becoming pregnant at the age of 40 include:
- Increased chances of developing gestational diabetes
- Increased chances of having eclampsia, which consists of high blood pressure typical of pregnancy;
- Higher chances of having an abortion;
- Higher risk of the baby having a disability;
- Higher risk of the baby being born before 38 weeks of gestation.
Find out more details about the risks of becoming pregnant after 40.
2. What is the probability of becoming pregnant at 40?
Although the woman's chaps manage to get pregnant at 40 years of age are smaller than those who manage to get pregnant at 20, they are not nonexistent. If the woman has not yet entered menopause and has no disease affecting the reproductive system, she still has a chance of getting pregnant.
What can make pregnancy difficult at 40 is the fact that eggs no longer respond as well to the hormones responsible for ovulation, due to age. With the aging of the eggs, there is a greater chance of having a miscarriage and the baby suffering from some genetic disease, such as Down syndrome, for example.
3. When to do treatments to get pregnant after 40?
If after a few attempts the woman is unable to conceive, she can opt for assisted fertilization techniques or adopt a child. Some techniques that can be used when natural pregnancy does not happen are:
- Ovulation induction;
- In vitro fertilization;
- Artificial insemination.
These treatments are indicated when the couple is unable to conceive alone after 1 year of trying. They are a good alternative for those who have difficulty getting pregnant but they can also be quite exhausting because with each passing year the chances of the woman getting pregnant or maintaining a pregnancy are being reduced and each of these treatments should only be performed once a year.
Tips for getting pregnant faster
To get pregnant more quickly it is important to have sex during the fertile period, because it is the time when the chances of getting pregnant are greatest. To find out when your next fertile period is, enter your details:
In addition, other tips that can help are:
- Perform a check-up before attempts to conceive begin;
- Check the fertility rate with a blood test to check the levels of FSH and / or estradiol at the beginning of the menstrual cycle. The levels of these hormones may suggest that the ovaries no longer respond to the hormones that induce ovulation;
- Start taking folic acid about 3 months before attempts to get pregnant begin;
- Avoid stress and anxiety;
- Practice physical exercises regularly and eat well.
Find out which foods contribute to increased fertility in the following video: