Whether you are a first time mother to be, or perhaps you have already experienced the miracle of childbirth before, getting pregnant over 40 can be the most daunting challenge you may ever have to face. Now without trying to scare you, there are some important things you must consider.

Your age is against you.

Now lets not get over dramatic and emotional now, I know that this is a controversial statement. Just consider some facts. A wise saying I once read says "I'm giving you an orange, how you eat it is up to you." Your age is definitely against you, from a number of standpoints. Without creating stereotypes there are a few things that standout from the beginning. Women over 40 are generally overweight. They are also generally suffering from blood pressure problems, thyroid problems, cholesterol problems or a combination of the aforementioned and possible others. Any one of these problems on their own have been suspected of affecting fertility and the ability to have a successful pregnancy. There are many success stories from women over 40 but there are many more unlucky stories as well. The good news is that tackling the problems sensibly usually yields good results.

What about menopause?

You have to realise that at 40 or over 40 you are much closer to the "Change" as you would like. Having a child at this age would probably put the the childs' age at about pre-teen or teenager when the "Change" occurs. In effect you would both be going through some hormonal changes in your bodies at the same time. Again I am not being negative here, just being practical. You have to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. At that point in time you will both be going through some emotional times and act completely irrationally at times. The good news here is that you can plan for it and be somewhat prepared for when it happens.

Lets talk about the pregnancy risks of getting pregnant over 40.

The risk of birth defects and abnormalities increases significantly after every year past the age of 35 years old. This is regardless of being childless or if you have had children before. It is a medical fact supported by solid data. The 2 main birth defects or abnormalities are Spina Bifida and more commonly Downs Syndrome. The reasons are not all that clear, except for the age factor which is common throughout the majority of cases. The odds of birth defects are 1 in thousands in late 30's, 1 in hundreds in very early 40's and 1 in tens in mid to late 40's. Again these are facts that you should be aware of, because trust me, they will be laid before you by your doctor or gynecologist when you go and see them. In fact the older you are they will recommend or perhaps insist that you go for genetic counselling in an attempt to make you aware of all the dangers and risks. The good news is that the "odds are the odds" and that the odds are that you have a better chance of having a successful pregnancy and healthy baby than having one that is not. Just be aware of the facts and have faith for the best.

I have written this article for you so that you may consider the human aspect of things and not only the medical facts about getting pregnant over 40. We have done it twice, at 40 and at 42 years of age and understand that it is a challenge. However if you approach it sensibly and with a human perspective there is no challenge that you cannot overcome. Remember that you can get pregnant over 40 and have a successful pregnancy and have a wonderful baby. We did, twice.