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Is it really possible to conceive over age 40? Well, you never know until you try. Women are generally discouraged from getting pregnant as they approach their 40s, not only because of fertility problems, but because the risk of chromosomal abnormalities is far higher. But don’t let these statistics discourage you from trying. Women very often successfully given birth to healthy babies in their 40s despite having diminished ovarian reserves and other fertility problems! TTC is just another way of saying “trying to conceive” that we use often in our blogs and fertility forums. These TTC success stories show how three women finally conceived at an age where many moms send their kids off to college.

Sheila’s story of victory through IVF

Sheila’s son was born shortly after she turned 40. Her baby was the miracle of IVF, which she finally decided to try after three years of fertility tests and treatments, which included 8 IUI cycles. Sheila’s story is a rather interesting one – her baby is her only other family member besides her elderly mother. She never married and did not want to wait for the right man to come along before starting her own family. So with her mother’s support, Sheila took matters into her own hands. She obtained sperm from a sperm bank and did a few IUI cycles, none of which worked. Frustrated, Sheila agreed to do a full battery of fertility tests, but the doctors found nothing wrong. So she agreed to do more IUI cycles until she made the big decision to get an IVF. While Sheila feels truly blessed to have a child of her own, her greatest desire is to give her son a sister or brother to play with. She’s not sure if the next attempt will be as successful as the last, but she’s willing to give IVF one more try.

Bernice’s tale of success through a natural conception

Bernice never thought she’d become a mother; she had a fast-paced career and was perfectly satisfied spending her days traveling with her husband and friends. She experienced her first pregnancy at 39, quite by accident, but miscarried on the 8th week – she found out about the pregnancy at 7 weeks and went scuba diving just the week before. The miscarriage made Bernice and her husband realize that they wanted a child in their lives. They decided to try conceiving naturally and bought a basal thermometer to track her ovulation and have sex on her most fertile days. Shortly after that, Bernice got pregnant! Her daughter was born after 36 hours of labor but was otherwise healthy. Now she is two years old, and Bernice and her husband have thought about having another child. However, the couple decided to adopt instead of trying to conceive. Bernice feels that another pregnancy might make her age prematurely, and she’d like to maintain her physical condition so she can keep up with her growing daughter.

Gladys’ amazing story of TTC achievement

Gladys finally had her first child at age 43. Like Bernice, she never wanted children, but after 20 years of marriage she finally decided to give her husband the baby he always wanted. She got pregnant after just two months of trying to conceive but on the 30th week, she woke up and realized her baby stopped moving. Gladys rushed to the hospital and was told that the baby no longer had a heartbeat. The delivery was very heartbreaking. Until now, Gladys feels a profound sense of loss when she thinks of giving birth to her stillborn baby, who got the umbilical cord tangled around his neck. Afterwards, Gladys became obsessed about having another baby. It took 7 months of trying to conceive, but she lost the baby at 9 weeks. This time, she discovered she has a clotting disorder, which cut off the baby’s oxygen. Two weeks after the miscarriage, Gladys got pregnant for the third time. She was very scared and careful throughout the pregnancy, but her baby girl was born without any complications.