I want to get pregnant at age 42
From the medical viewpoint, an ideal age to conceive the first child is 22-35. However, the first pregnancy and childbirth after 35 is no longer uncommon. Long gone are stereotypes alleging impossibility to carry and bear a healthy child at this age.
Yet special medical care and support are often required in such cases. Modern medicine has the needed techniques to help a woman have a child after the age of 40.
How can I find out if I can still conceive naturally?
This can be determined using ultrasonic imaging performed on certain days of the menstrual cycle. There are also hormonal tests that help the doctor understand whether a pregnancy can occur naturally. These are the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH, a hormone responsible for ovulation), and estradiol (female sex hormone) tests.
What are my options if natural conception is no longer possible?
Do not despair! If pregnancy does not occur naturally due to disorders affecting oocytes, we have an egg donation program that gives women the joys of carrying and bearing a healthy child.
How can one avoid risks for the mother and child in pregnancies past the age of 40?
If pregnancy occurs naturally or after IVF, special tests can be performed: special mother and foetus blood tests, placental biopsy, or amniocentesis (amniotic fluid test) that help minimize risks for the mother and child. A consultation with a genetics specialist and genetic tests can detect any developmental disorders in the foetus.