Can older people (after 40) have children?

Can older people bear children at late ages? (Such as after 40?)

Fertility naturally declines as we age. The ideal time to have kids from a biological point of view is young. In our society it is advantageous to wait until we are older to have kids after we settle into careers and are more financially secure. Women's fertility starts measurably declining in their late 20's. Every egg that a woman has in her lifetime is made before she is born. The number and quality of eggs that a woman has is called her ovarian reserve and declines with age but varries a great deal between women. Some 45 year old women still have plenty of viable eggs while some 25 year old women can only get pregnant with a donor egg. Of course after menopause using a donor egg is the only option for women to get pregnant. Men do not have a point in time when they run out of sperm since they continue to produce them their whole life but it naturally declines with age. Men start with as many as hundreds of million sperm but as they age the number declines and the percentage of viable sperm declines as well. When the number of motile viable sperm drops below 1 million it becomes very difficult to sire children without medical assistance.

Because of the conflicting biological need to have kids early and the societal need to have kids latter in life infertility has become an important and growing medical field. Some women do spontaneously get pregnant at 50 but it is rare enough to make the evening news; most couples over 40 who want to have kids need infertility treatments in order to get pregnant.

My wife and I married late in life but we wanted to have at least one child together. At 40 my wife had good ovarian reserve but a few issues that made pregnancy less likely than average and at 38 my sperm count was barely adequate. Even with infertility treatments our odds of successfully carrying a baby to term were in the 10-15% range and without treatment were more like 1 in a 1000.

It took 2 years but eventually we brought home our bundle of joy. In our case a round of in vitro fertilization was our last ditch effort to have our own child.

If women want to have kids without going to heroic means they should aim to have their kids before 35.

I have no idea but I dont think so

of course parents can I mean come on get real I know 50 year old paret and their childre are 4 years old of age a and my mom was 45 when she had me

As long as they have not reached menopause ( which is around 50-ish). However, it is not reccommended that anyone over 35 have children, because there is an increased risk of birth defects ( especially if she's a smoker).

yess I know some people that had a kid at 63 ( I know gross) but still yes they can my moms 41 and she just had a kid but some of my other friends there parents are 48 49 and yes they cn have kids so yes unless there like weak..... so yeah my moms 41 and just had a kid

I dont see the point and having at kid when your like over 25 and 30

Im 15 soon to be 16 my dad is 70(yes hes my real dad) and my moms 51 (yea shes my real mom) and I have a brother thats 17.......

its so hard having parents thats older everyone thinks my dad is my grandpa and my mom and some people even think my mom is my grandma, theres a lot of tuff times your friends ask you how old your parents are and you tell them and they are like omg woah and stuff

n theres a girl I know and her moms 25 and shes 15

I wish I had younger parents

Dear navinshan,
Yes of course. Woman can be fertile into their 60s. When they have children late in life we call them menopause babies because some women think they are in menopause and can't have children when in reality they can still be fertile. After the the age 28 the risks increase with pregnancies but many couples are waiting longer because of careers and life choices. Having older parents can be beneficial for some meaning that their needs are better met financially. Others feel that older parents aren't energetic enough to be involved in their children's life. Culture is also a determination when one gets pregnant.
Sue...good luck

If you fell like it is a good idea go ahead but if not then dont, you shouldn't compare, it is your desison

yea its ok 2 have kids at that age my anut had a child at 40

Yes. My mother had me when she was 41. But their are complications. She also had my brother at 39. When my brother was born, he had his foot wrapped around his ankle. My birth was more serious. I was 5 weeks premature because they found out the cord was wrapped around my neck. It can be very dangerous, but if sucessful, very much worth it =)

Well, unless a woman has not gone through metopause she is most likley able to have a child. Though often a baby can result with medical problems or the mother can have difficulty during child birth. This tends to have a greater chance to happen when the mother is in her late 40's and above. So even though it may be possible, the child and the mother alike may be in risk.

It depends on him.Whether he can has that much response for his growth.Whether he can feed him till he is major.

I am hoping to have a child, I am not 39, and for the first time I met someone who will be a good father. I will be working with doctor for this.. But it seems strange, but I actually feel like I am old enough now to be a mom.