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Old 05-04-2018, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Denver CO
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I happened to come across this interesting article about pregnancy after 40.

https://www.vogue.com/projects/13541...-bella-newman/

As for Tammy Duckworth, I would assume that her second child was conceived with embryos made during the IVF process she used for her first child. So they are likely from when she was 45 or 46. Not a huge difference but some difference statistically in terms of the risks. As far as I know, both of her daughters are healthy, so that's of course a good thing!
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Old 05-04-2018, 02:00 PM
 
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I had my child when I was very young. Deliberately. But at the same rate, I have no issue with older parents. For every possible con of being older, there is a pro and ultimately it comes down to individuals anyway. Biologically, we are living longer, healthier, and it is to be expected that fertility will change as well.
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Old 05-04-2018, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
I don't think it's a "thing". It's something women have been doing for a long time, frankly. But unless they're celebrities or other public figures, no one's noticed. Back in the 80's/early 90's, I knew a couple of women who had a child at 50/51. It was a second or third marriage for them, they married younger guys who wanted a child, and these happened to be women who thrived on pregnancy. Some women get high off the hormonal cocktail their body's rushed with during pregnancy. They each had a healthy kid at 51. The moms both looked really young for their age. So, they're almost 70 when their kids go to college, so what? Men have been fathering kids deep into middle age and beyond since forever, nobody makes a fuss, much. These women both had young, energetic husbands who could keep up with the kids as they grew, and offer plenty of help, as the women moved through their 60's.

It's not a choice most women would make, nor would have the option to do. But for those exceptional cases, whose life circumstances put them in the position to have a child late in life, and who can pull it off, who are we do judge?
The average age for mothers having their first child is going up.
CDC data says women in their thirties are having more babies than women in their twenties.
"Now, for the first time, women in their 30s are having more children than those in their 20s, according to preliminary 2016 data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. . . The CDC data shows that the birth rate among women aged 30 to 34 last year just barely surpassed that of women aged 25 to 29, the demographic with the highest birth rate for more than three decades."

Of course, that doesn't explain your anecdotes. And I had a great-grandmother who had a baby at 45 (#13 so she probably started in her early 20s) and a stillborn several years later, still getting pregnant after all those years. I dated a guy whose mother was 48 when he was born, back in 1950, not her first. It happened then, but I really don't think as often. I do agree that no one makes much of a fuss about older guys becoming dads.
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Old 05-04-2018, 07:58 PM
 
Location: Saint John, IN
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Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
This is going to sound harsh, but you don't get it. Ms. Duckworth didn't have kids in her 30s or early 40s. She was having different experiences at those ages, some not so good. She's been wounded in battle. She's doing now what you did in your mid-30s.

As far as risks, I'm sure her doctors were well aware of her high-risk pregnancy status. There are tests that can be done for Down Syndrome. And she didn't miscarry, did she?
Thanks for giving me the history lesson as if I don't know who Tammy Duckworth is or the risks of pregnancy

I get it, some women want their careers first, then kids. I was one of them btw. However, there are risks involved by waiting till you're in your 40's or 50's! That's fact. I personally don't care what age a woman decides to have a child, that's their decision to make, but I personally wouldn't have a child in my late 40's or 50's as I want to be around for them while they grow up. Not to mention statistics show the older the mother is, the more chances one has to miscarry or have a child with birth defects.

I'd like to also add that more woman are going through menopause at an earlier age than they once did. I started the change when I was 38. Had I waited a few more years to have kids I would not have been able to have any children. I know many women who started menopause in their late 30's and early 40's. Yet I also know many who had kids in their 40's. There's no perfect age, but the earlier one starts having children the less likely they will have problems.

Last edited by CGab; 05-04-2018 at 08:18 PM..
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Old 05-04-2018, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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The age of menopause has not changed in the past century.
https://biology.stackexchange.com/qu...ughout-history
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Old 05-04-2018, 09:31 PM
 
Location: Saint John, IN
11,583 posts, read 6,666,986 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt View Post
The age of menopause has not changed in the past century.
https://biology.stackexchange.com/qu...ughout-history





"One in 100 women will start to experience the frustrating symptoms of early menopause before they turn 40."


5 Reasons Why Some Women Go Through Early Menopause - Health



In my opinion 1 and 100 is a lot of women! If you wait to have kids till you're in your 40's it might not be possible.
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Old 05-04-2018, 10:38 PM
 
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There's something about it that leaves a selfish taste in my mouth. It's possible to have a good career and still have a baby in your 30's. It seems like the new mentality for some people is they cant be bothered by a child until they can't conceive one naturally anymore. Maybe not everyone is meant to have children particularly if this is their thought process.
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Old 05-05-2018, 10:26 AM
 
10,787 posts, read 8,664,920 times
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Tammy Duckworth, imo, has been doing exceptional things for a long time. Just look at her wiki page!

This woman is fearless and unafraid. And she is no stranger to challenges!

So it should surprise no one that she would do this.
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Old 05-05-2018, 10:47 AM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,167,257 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lologal321 View Post
There's something about it that leaves a selfish taste in my mouth. It's possible to have a good career and still have a baby in your 30's. It seems like the new mentality for some people is they cant be bothered by a child until they can't conceive one naturally anymore. Maybe not everyone is meant to have children particularly if this is their thought process.
What kyb01 said. And there's something about your post that leaves a judgmental taste in my mouth. Duckworth got married in 1993. https://hellogiggles.com/news/tammy-duckworths-husband/ Their first child was born in 2014, when Duckworth, b. 1968, was 46. She started trying to conceive when she was 42. https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/25/polit...ntv/index.html
Here is some more information about her: https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/25/polit...ntv/index.html

The bold is the same garbage people said 50 years ago about women who couldn't get/keep pregnant.
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Old 05-05-2018, 11:21 AM
 
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Mother Nature tells us to stop having babies for a reason. It's her attempt to see that we are there to nurture those babies to adulthood, It may not be readily apparent to some yet, but there will be consequences for artificially extending our ability to have children. It may well be the business of the public when we have to provide for these children later on in life
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