Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer! Thank you for your question.
It's a little hard to answer because it changes all the time!! The advances in medical science have made it possible for women to get pregnant even after menopause, by taking hormones and using IVF (in-vitro fertilization). So it's a technical possiblity for a woman to get pregnant even into her 60s. In fact, the world's oldest mother -- who was 66 when she gave birth -- just died, recently, at age 69 (leaving behind toddlers who are twins).
But while it's possible to accomplish those things, it's not ideal, by any means. I think most doctors would still say that the "best" age range for a mother to give birth would be in her 20s and 30s. Her eggs are healthier and fertility is less of a problem. Many women get pregnant in their 40s, however, and have healthy pregnancies and babies. Actress Geena Davis had twins at 48!
So it depends on whether you are trying to conceive naturally (in which case, younger is always easier) or whether you also can use a fertility doctor, who could help you with medicines, surgery, artificial insemination or IVF.
Abortions only affect the chances of you getting pregnant again if they left scar tissue behind. Otherwise, according to Planned Parenthood, they shouldn't have an effect on whether you can get pregnant again or carry a healthy baby to term.
In terms of diet, there is no magical food that helps you be more fertile! The best thing to do is to eat a well-rounded healthy diet full of lean protein (chicken or fish) and plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can take prenatal vitamins while you are trying to conceive, which will make sure you're getting what you need if you should become pregnant.
The most important things? Have a healthy body weight, and don't smoke.
Here is a link to an article in U.S. News and World Report about a book called "The Fertility Diet." It does tell about good foods to eat (and those to avoid) to regulate your ovulation and help you become pregnant. It is part of the Harvard Nurses Health Study:
Those videos are talking about something called Basal Body Temperature Charting. You do it over several months and it helps you learn your body's individual cycle. The longer you do it, the easier it is to predict.
A basal thermometer is different from a regular thermometer in that it is broken down to far smaller increments. It's easy to tell the difference between 2/10 of a degree and 3/10 of a degree, for instance.
There are ovulation kits in the stores that predict when a woman is close to ovulating and is actually ovulating by measuring hormonal levels. Perhaps using one of these during the first month while charting will make it easier for your friend to learn how to anticipate her own ovulation. The basal body thermometer is just one of the cheapest and most consistent ways of learning your individual body's tendencies.
If you have a 30-day cycle, for instance, you may find that you thought you were usually ovulating on day 13 or 14, but instead you typically ovulate on day 16. Just that amount of information can make a difference in conception.
You are correct in saying that once the temperature rises, you have ovulated. However, by charting your cycles you may learn that the day before your temperature rises, your temperature typically falls 3/10 of a degree on the thermometer. Looking for that indication in the following months would let you know ovulation is imminent.
Since your friend has successfully conceived before, it may just be a matter of being slightly older and taking slightly longer to get pregnant.
Here are some tips from about.com on how to correctly take a basal body temperature:
And here's a page from the American Pregnancy Association that talks about signs of ovulation, including basal body temperature charting and monthly changes in the cervix and cervical fluid:
Comment Reply
Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer! Thank you for your question.
It's a little hard to answer because it changes all the time!! The advances in medical science have made it possible for women to get pregnant even after menopause, by taking hormones and using IVF (in-vitro fertilization). So it's a technical possiblity for a woman to get pregnant even into her 60s. In fact, the world's oldest mother -- who was 66 when she gave birth -- just died, recently, at age 69 (leaving behind toddlers who are twins).
But while it's possible to accomplish those things, it's not ideal, by any means. I think most doctors would still say that the "best" age range for a mother to give birth would be in her 20s and 30s. Her eggs are healthier and fertility is less of a problem. Many women get pregnant in their 40s, however, and have healthy pregnancies and babies. Actress Geena Davis had twins at 48!
So it depends on whether you are trying to conceive naturally (in which case, younger is always easier) or whether you also can use a fertility doctor, who could help you with medicines, surgery, artificial insemination or IVF.
Abortions only affect the chances of you getting pregnant again if they left scar tissue behind. Otherwise, according to Planned Parenthood, they shouldn't have an effect on whether you can get pregnant again or carry a healthy baby to term.
In terms of diet, there is no magical food that helps you be more fertile! The best thing to do is to eat a well-rounded healthy diet full of lean protein (chicken or fish) and plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can take prenatal vitamins while you are trying to conceive, which will make sure you're getting what you need if you should become pregnant.
The most important things? Have a healthy body weight, and don't smoke.
Here is a link to an article in U.S. News and World Report about a book called "The Fertility Diet." It does tell about good foods to eat (and those to avoid) to regulate your ovulation and help you become pregnant. It is part of the Harvard Nurses Health Study:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2007/11/30/the-fertility-diet-eat-right-to-get-pregnant.html
and here's a link to the book on Amazon.com. There are also reader reviews of it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Fertility-Diet-Groundbreaking-Research-Ovulation/dp/0071494790
Here are two EmpowHer videos by Dr. Donielle Wilson on how to know when you're ovulating and on the proper thermometers to use:
https://www.empowher.com/media/video/video-dr-wilson-how-can-woman-tell-if-she-ovulating
https://www.empowher.com/media/video/video-dr-wilson-digital-or-traditional-thermometer-better-indicator-if-woman-ovulating
Those videos are talking about something called Basal Body Temperature Charting. You do it over several months and it helps you learn your body's individual cycle. The longer you do it, the easier it is to predict.
A basal thermometer is different from a regular thermometer in that it is broken down to far smaller increments. It's easy to tell the difference between 2/10 of a degree and 3/10 of a degree, for instance.
There are ovulation kits in the stores that predict when a woman is close to ovulating and is actually ovulating by measuring hormonal levels. Perhaps using one of these during the first month while charting will make it easier for your friend to learn how to anticipate her own ovulation. The basal body thermometer is just one of the cheapest and most consistent ways of learning your individual body's tendencies.
If you have a 30-day cycle, for instance, you may find that you thought you were usually ovulating on day 13 or 14, but instead you typically ovulate on day 16. Just that amount of information can make a difference in conception.
You are correct in saying that once the temperature rises, you have ovulated. However, by charting your cycles you may learn that the day before your temperature rises, your temperature typically falls 3/10 of a degree on the thermometer. Looking for that indication in the following months would let you know ovulation is imminent.
Since your friend has successfully conceived before, it may just be a matter of being slightly older and taking slightly longer to get pregnant.
Here are some tips from about.com on how to correctly take a basal body temperature:
http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ht/howtotakeBBT.htm
And here's a page from the American Pregnancy Association that talks about signs of ovulation, including basal body temperature charting and monthly changes in the cervix and cervical fluid:
http://americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/signsovulation.html
Whew! I know that's a lot of information, but I hope it helps!! Please write back and update us!
October 15, 2009 - 9:41amThis Comment
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