Is It Possible To Get Pregnant Naturally At The Age Of 45?

In most Western countries, the following new phenomenon has emerged: becoming pregnant at the age of 45. There are many economic, academic, social, and other factors that cause a woman to postpone becoming pregnant until the last possible years of reproduction.

There are women who have become pregnant at the age of 45 or older. However, many do not know whether these pregnancies are natural or not. In this article, we naturally examine the likelihood of becoming pregnant at this age.

Female fertility and the possibility of becoming pregnant at the age of 45

Fertility changes with age. The female reproductive phase begins with ovulation and menstruation. This stage begins in adolescence at the age of about 14 years, although each woman’s body develops at a different pace.

But the female reproductive phase is also over. There are, of course, very few chances of getting pregnant at the age of 45. To understand the reasons for this, we need to know what happens during the menstrual cycle.

What happens during the menstrual cycle?

There are blisters in the ovaries, small balls filled with liquid. The eggs are inside these blisters. However, at the beginning of each menstrual cycle, the brain produces a hormone that stimulates the follicles, causing the bladder to grow.

As the blister develops, it releases the egg  and that egg is ready for sperm to fertilize. If that happens, the woman will get pregnant. The cells attach to the lining of the uterus and begin to develop into a baby.

However, if the egg is not fertilized, the uterus sheds its gut and the body pushes it out as a menstrual bleed, from which the menstrual cycle begins. From the age of 16, the typical length of the menstrual cycle is 26-35 days.

7 years after that, women are at their most fertile, meaning their bodies are more prone to get pregnant. This fertile period lasts until the late thirties and early forties. 

However, fertility begins to decline gradually after that. Menstrual bleeding is less frequent due to age-related changes. Why is this happening?

Limited ovarian storage

Unlike men,  women have a certain number of oocytes or follicles. It is known as ovarian storage and is one of the most important elements in a woman’s fertility.

Girls have about a million oocytes at birth. But when a girl reaches puberty, this stock drops to about 400,000 ovocytes. Of these oocytes, a  woman has only 300-400 possible ovulations  to become pregnant throughout her reproductive phase.

Best reproductive age

A woman’s best reproductive age is in her twenties. A woman’s ovarian stock decreases as time goes on and a woman gets older. That way, fertilization becomes complicated and the chances of getting pregnant decrease.

A healthy 30-year-old woman has only a 20% chance of getting pregnant. However, according to experts, the oocyte count begins to decline dramatically at the age of 35-37. A 40-year-old woman has only a 5% chance of getting pregnant.

In other words, only 5 out of 100 women become fertile and others have to try again. Therefore, the  biological chances of getting pregnant at the age of 45 are quite small. Everything also becomes more complicated due to the onset of menopause.

Likelihood of becoming naturally pregnant at age 45

Many may think that fertility does not end until a woman’s menopause begins. However, the possibility of a natural pregnancy ends many years earlier, at about the age of 45. It also reduces the chance of other fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization.

However, researchers are trying to increase the chances of getting pregnant at an older age through  fertility treatment. For example, research shows that today the probability of getting pregnant at age 40 is 27.6%; At age 41, the probability is about 20%; and  at age 43 there is only a 10% chance of getting pregnant.

It is important to note that 43 years is the new age limit for fertilization through fertility treatment. However, these treatments are much more expensive for older women. This means that the chances of getting pregnant at the age of 45 are very low.

Conclusions

As a woman gets older, the chances of getting  pregnant decrease, especially at the age of 35. It also includes women who want to get pregnant at the age of 45. That’s why it’s important for women who are planning to become pregnant or are currently trying to keep it in mind.

It is also important for them to  keep themselves aware, consider different options and keep in mind a realistic picture of the possibility of success. It helps them make the best decision in family planning.