Just to let all you hopefuls out there that this does happen!

Women can frequently become pregnant after their 40s and 50s but can struggle to sustain their pregnancy due to lack of hormones and health-related complications, such as blood pressure problems, etc.

When there is a problem with menses, often their OB/GYN gives progesterone to promote sloughing of the lining of the uterus; this may also slough off an early embryo.

Being a nurse, I never assume anymore a woman over 50 years old isn't pregnant, as the last call I received was from a 56-year-old woman who sustained a pregnancy unassisted in any way.

She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, with no complications at all.

She even had a natural birth, with no medical assistance!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Take Charge of Your Fertility (Teach Yourself)
by Heather Welford

-- Explains everything the prospective parent may need to know as they face the physical, emotional and practical challenges of trying for a baby.

It covers health issues in full, from basic biology and an explanation of fertility and cycles to outlining what supplements are useful and what isn't, and how you can maximize your chances by following a healthy diet and cutting alcohol or nicotine intake.

There are plenty of resources and guidelines for parents facing difficulties, including a guide to the medical options, and advice on how to seek further help.

It will help couples to deal with the emotional issues faced when trying for a baby, and will also give practical information on who you should tell and who you must tell, and when.

With coverage of all aspects of very early pregnancy, from do-it-yourself tests to the very first scan, it will be a useful resource that will help all prospective parents, whether looking to start or to expand their family.

📚 Paperback: 192 pages
Click to order/for more info: Take Charge of Your Fertility

📚 Start reading Take Charge of Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

📚 Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

I know someone who got pregnant at 52 years old.

She wasn't trying to get pregnant, it was a total surprise!

She said her husband nearly fainted when she told him!

She had a great pregnancy, an easy birth, and a very healthy baby boy.

Since it happened so easily for her, she has decided to try for another baby now, and she is 54 years old.

I would not be surprised if it works for her again!

Good luck and best wishes to you!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Managing The Stress Of Infertility:
How To Balance Your Emotions, Get The Support You Need, And Deal With Painful Social Situations When You're Trying To Become Pregnant
by Carol Fulwiler Jones MA

-- Are You In Treatment For Infertility?
Do you get upset when you attend baby showers or go to malls full of baby strollers and pregnant women?
Do you feel like crying when friends or family ask a question like, Are you still trying to get pregnant?
Do you wish your husband would be more supportive and take a more active role in your fertility and conception treatments?
Are you spending too much time worrying about becoming pregnant?
Do you feel like your body has betrayed you every time you start your period?
Do you feel helpless, powerless, and out of control?

This Book Will Help You:
• Manage Your Emotions
• Get Your Husband To Be More Supportive And Involved
• Deal With Painful Social Situations
• Ease Your Frustrations
• Regain A Sense Of Control

📚 Paperback: 174 pages
Click to order/for more info: Managing The Stress Of Infertility

📚 Start reading Managing The Stress Of Infertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

📚 Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

I can't relate to being an over 50 years old mom, but I'm the daughter of an over 50 mom.

I'm child number seven, arriving when my mom was 55 years old, and her second menopause baby!

Most of our nieces and nephews were older than us, except two were born within eight months of me!

My sisters said what was weird was being pregnant when Mom was, and she didn't go crazy over the grand-kids as much as their in-laws did.

I was so lucky to have my mom for 40 years after my birth.

My older kids loved her sooo much.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility
by Sally Lewis and Nim Barnes

-- Practical advice and a holistic approach to help you conceive, including simple dietary and lifestyle changes and do it yourself complementary therapies.

In this accessible and informative guide, Sally Lewis explains how age, sexual infections, diet, excess weight, stress, and anxiety affect fertility.

Teaching how to discover the best time for conception; understand the link between body, mind, and fertility; and manage stress and relax to prevent anxiety, this is the ultimate guide to increasing the likelihood of conception at any age.

📚 Paperback: 128 pages
Click to order/for more info: 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility

📚 Start reading 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

📚 Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Kaiya posted: Recently at my list Over40Mommies a woman joined who is 50 or 51 years old, and also has older children.

She now is with a new husband who is in his 30s.

There is a history of several mature pregnancies in her family.

Most notably her maternal grandmother who gave birth to her uncle at 54 years old.

Her grandmother had many births at home, but she decided to go to the hospital for the birth of the uncle who was perfectly healthy.

So she doesn't feel she is too old.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evie posted: I have done a lot of genealogy research along with my girlfriend (on her family).

We found there were SO MANY natural oops babies in their late forties and early 50s.

Keep up the hope ladies!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Louise posted: A woman who has had children at 40, 42 and 44 years old herself was talking to a nurse in her doctor's office.

The nurse told a story of a woman who, at 56 years old, came in complaining of weight gain and abdominal discomfort.

She had not had a cycle in years so they didn't think pregnancy at first.

They did a number of tests for other things, only to discover she was actually pregnant and nearly 6 months along!!

She had a healthy baby girl three months later.

Her husband was in his 60s.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
45 and Pregnant: How I Conceived and Delivered Naturally
by Liz Angeles

-- A three-part journey that begins with a 44-year-old single woman with no prospects, leading quickly to a middle-aged pregnancy.

Her fears and worries about childbirth with her historically low pain threshold were later transformed by her decision to have a home water birth with no drugs and her success story that involved no complications.

Beginning with a serendipitous love story that led to the sudden pregnancy and concluding with the family events that transpired beyond the delivery, Liz Angeles provides a plethora of information for anyone considering a natural birth.

Her comical memoir spanning a 5-year period includes many healthy pregnancy tips and natural parenting options.

Her revealing details and personal choices promise to educate, entertain and inspire.

Paperback: 223 pages
Click to order/for more info: 45 and Pregnant

Start reading 45 and Pregnant on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Check out the Lifetime movie, Love Lessons...

The story is based on a true story, about a woman who is 54 years old, about to retire, and then got pregnant by accident.

She decided to keep the child, in spite of her husband's objections.

The doctor told her all the problems she could have.

But in the end, the doctor said most older women usually do okay...

Love Lessons - Watch Online

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Art of Pregnancy After 40: A Personal Journey
by Katka Konecna-Rivera

-- Whether you never considered having children; or time passed while you were having too much fun or working on your career; or you haven't had luck getting pregnant for years; or had children earlier in life and then you decided to have more... you can definitely identify with this book in more ways than one.

The book shall serve as an informal guide to lifestyle, diet, exercise, partnership and pregnancy at this age, offering motivation, inspiration as well as strength.

Filled with practical advice, an inspiring journey, and a wealth of resources, The Art of Pregnancy After 40 will support, nurture, and guide you toward becoming pregnant after 40.

📚 Paperback: 234 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Art of Pregnancy After 40

📚 Start reading The Art of Pregnancy After 40: A Personal Journey on your Kindle in under a minute!

📚 Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

I became pregnant and had my first baby when I was just 19 years old. It would be several years to come before I felt ready to have another and finally, at the age of 34, I birthed a healthy baby son.

My husband and I were happy as was our 14-year-old daughter. If you do the math, our daughter has a late birthday...

I had not decided to become pregnant again, but found myself just that - only to end up miscarrying.

To my surprise, at the age of 42, found myself in an unplanned pregnancy. My doctor said it was menopause and I thought, eh, come again?

My husband and I were delighted and welcomed our surprise without hesitation in spite of the children's age differences. I delivered a healthy baby at the age of 43.

I have always had a consistently regular cycle, every 28 - 29 days apart, I know because I always mark the calendar. I did not get my period this month, so this time actually wondered if menopause had come, just like that?

I waited a few weeks and began feeling symptoms of what I thought might be pregnancy, but at my age? So, I took the test and yes, I am very much pregnant. Again, my husband is thrilled and immediately supportive.

We were not trying and I, if anyone, was completely surprised. In fact, due to my age, felt embarrassed; automatically assuming that people will make fun of, ridicule and laugh at me.

But overnight, I did a complete turnaround... I am not a religious person, so do not believe there is any god who willed this for me, helped me or even that it was my fate. Mind all, that I have many deeply religious friends; just not what I believe. So, to borrow from Brittany Spears... Oops, I did it again!

I don't care what comes at me, I cherish life too much to abort and have set my goals, resigning myself to my own personal bliss. I will hold my aging face up high and walk with my pregnant belly and that will just be that! We already have a 9-year-old, an 18-year-old in college and a soon to be 34 years old. We're different than other families, perhaps in that respect, but not in any other way.

This is my life and I will deal with it. I am so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive hubby and we will get through this! I can turn this into positive happiness, and if I am happy, then so will be my family! :D

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Is Your Body Baby-Friendly?:
Unexplained Infertility, Miscarriage and IVF Failure - Explained
by Alan E. Beer, Julia Kantecki, Jane Reed

-- A unique book—the first of its kind. No longer do patients have to accept that their infertility is just bad luck and they just have to keep on trying.

No longer should women with recurrent miscarriages have to listen to their doctor telling them that their loss was God's will or that they ought to be thankful because their baby was probably chromosomally abnormal.

The statistics simply do not support such claims—in fact, they show that repeated reproductive failure can be a symptom of wider health problems in the mother.

Furthermore, the root cause can be treated—not only to promote the chances of a successful pregnancy but to improve the mother's health long-term.

Paperback: 500 pages
Click to order/for more info: Is Your Body Baby-Friendly?

In 2005, there were more than 104,000 births in the United States to women ages 40 through 44, and over 6,500 to women 45 years old and older.

The birth rate for women in the 40-44 age group has risen steadily since 2000, by 2% annually! It rose 4% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women 45-49 years old remained unchanged from 2008 till 2012. It rose 0.8% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women aged 50 and over has remained unchanged since 2006.

Let's check the latest birth stats over 40!




Women in their 40s
—The birth rate for women aged 40–44 was 11.4 births per 1,000 women in 2016, up 4% from 2015 (11.0) (Table 2) to the highest rate for this group since 1966 (11). The number of births to women in their early 40s increased by 1% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women aged 45–49 (which includes births to women aged 50 and over) was 0.9 births per 1,000 women in 2016, up from 0.8 in 2015. The number of births to women aged 45 and over was essentially unchanged from 2015 to 2016.

Women aged 50 and over
— A total of 786 births in 2016 were to women aged 50 and over, essentially unchanged from 2015 (754) (Table 3) (10). The number of births to women in this age group has generally increased since 1997 (144) when data for women aged 50 and over became available again. The birth rate for women aged 50–54 was 0.7 births per 10,000 women in 2016, unchanged from 2015. Because of the small number of births to women in this age group, the birth rate for women aged 50–54 is expressed per 10,000 women. For rates shown elsewhere in this report, births to women aged 50 and over are included with births to women aged 45–49 when computing birth rates by age of mother (the denominator for the rate is women aged 45–49).

Source: National Vital Statistics Reports | CDC.gov

Photo credit: Births and Natality,
Births: Final Data for 2016 by CDC - All rights reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies
by Randine Lewis

-- Infertility affects one out of six couples today.

Dr. Lewis presents a groundbreaking alternative approach to infertility, explaining how she used traditional Chinese medicine to treat her own infertility, successfully conceiving and giving birth to two children.

In Lewis's experience, women who have undergone three to six months of the dietary changes, herbs and acupuncture treatments become pregnant with no further effort.

Lewis intersperses her somewhat technical examination of the program with anecdotes about her patients, weaving in discussions on diet, herbal supplements, acupuncture, older women and problems related to infertility.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Infertility Cure

A woman's fertility falls after the age of 35, but many an older woman has been surprised when she has fallen pregnant with an unplanned baby in her late 40s or even early 50s.

Cherie Blair, the Prime Minister's wife, was certainly not alone in assuming her fertility was negligible only to be surprised and delighted to be proved wrong.

The Prime Minister's wife gave birth to her fourth child two years ago, at the age of 45. Their first child, Euan, was born in 1984.

Sadly, Cherie suffered a miscarriage following another unplanned pregnancy at the age of 47.

Late pregnancy can and does happen, and for this reason, it is important to get correct advice about contraception even beyond the menopause.

Read more: Pregnancy Question - 54 year old wife

Photo credit: Former prime minister Tony Blair and Cherie Booth with their fourth child, Leo, in May 2000. Photograph: Mary Mccartney/PA | TheGuardian.com

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility
by Sally Lewis and Nim Barnes

-- Practical advice and a holistic approach to help you conceive, including simple dietary and lifestyle changes and do it yourself complementary therapies.

In this accessible and informative guide, Sally Lewis explains how age, sexual infections, diet, excess weight, stress, and anxiety affect fertility.

Teaching how to discover the best time for conception; understand the link between body, mind, and fertility; and manage stress and relax to prevent anxiety, this is the ultimate guide to increasing the likelihood of conception at any age.

Paperback: 128 pages
Click to order/for more info: 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility

Start reading 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Gail asks: "Is pregnancy possible during perimenopause?"

In response to your question, you have no doubt heard of change of life babies?

Where unplanned pregnancies occurred when women thought their childbearing years were over.

While statistically there is less likelihood of becoming pregnant at this time, there are many exceptions. Women at midlife are still able to conceive — whether they want to or not.

In fact, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 743 births to women 50 years and over in 2014. In addition, the birth rate for women aged 45 to 49 was 0.8 births per 1,000 women. While these are small numbers, it indicates that pregnancy can happen in midlife (when many erroneously assume naturally conceived pregnancy is no longer possible.)

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies
by Randine Lewis

-- Infertility affects one out of six couples today.

Dr. Lewis presents a groundbreaking alternative approach to infertility, explaining how she used traditional Chinese medicine to treat her own infertility, successfully conceiving and giving birth to two children.

In Lewis's experience, women who have undergone three to six months of the dietary changes, herbs and acupuncture treatments become pregnant with no further effort.

Lewis intersperses her somewhat technical examination of the program with anecdotes about her patients, weaving in discussions on diet, herbal supplements, acupuncture, older women and problems related to infertility.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Infertility Cure

Do you honestly feel it is possible for you to get pregnant, or do you feel you are too old?

Remember, in the last 50 years, births to women over the age of 40 have increased 50 percent.

In cultures where women have not been told their eggs are too old, they are often able to conceive in their fifties and even in their sixties.

The Huichol Indians of Mexico are such a culture.

Photo credit: Huichol woman wear their own jewelry to beautify their selves
by Jupagame

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
by Jorge Chavarro, Walter Willett, Patrick Skerrett

-- Reveals startling new research from the landmark Nurses' Health Study, which shows the food you eat can boost your fertility.

The book prescribes ten simple changes in diet and activity can increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Groundbreaking findings into changes you can put into practice today, setting the stage for a healthy pregnancy, and forming the foundation for an eating strategy that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

The Fertility Diet also offers a week's worth of meal plans and delicious recipes making following the guidelines easy and tasty.

Paperback: 288 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Fertility Diet

Start reading The Fertility Diet on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

My sister's husband's parents were older when they had him...

The doctors said she was barren because she had tried since they got married at 16 years old.

By the time she hit 40 years old, they gave up.

When she turned 50 years old, they were looking into adoption.

They adopted when she was 52 years old.

But at 53 years old, she got pregnant naturally (she didn't know until she was 6-7 months along - thought it was menopause), and she had him when she was 54 years old.

He is 37, almost 38 years old, and she is now 93 years old!

Both parents are still alive and living well and healthy and enjoy all their grandchildren now.

So they have had a really good outcome for having a child at a later age.....

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
45 and Pregnant: How I Conceived and Delivered Naturally
by Liz Angeles

-- A three-part journey that begins with a 44-year-old single woman with no prospects, leading quickly to a middle-aged pregnancy.

Her fears and worries about childbirth with her historically low pain threshold were later transformed by her decision to have a home water birth with no drugs and her success story that involved no complications.

Beginning with a serendipitous love story that led to the sudden pregnancy and concluding with the family events that transpired beyond the delivery, Liz Angeles provides a plethora of information for anyone considering a natural birth.

Her comical memoir spanning a 5-year period includes many healthy pregnancy tips and natural parenting options.

Her revealing details and personal choices promise to educate, entertain and inspire.

Paperback: 223 pages
Click to order/for more info: 45 and Pregnant

Start reading 45 and Pregnant on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Is it possible this woman had no idea she could conceive?

I have a friend who continued with her regular monthly cycle until she was 72 years old!

She had no idea she could still conceive until her doctor began to question her about it.

She ended up having a hysterectomy, so as not to risk pregnancy at her age.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Enhancing Fertility: A Couple's Guide to Natural Approaches
by Chris D. Meletis and Liz Brown

-- This book is dedicated to the millions of couples who are trying to get pregnant without success.

Rather than assuming that you are infertile, you can try the many reliable natural remedies and resources in this book.

Barring physical problems beyond your control, you have the power to take charge of your health and boost your fertility.

The authors' goal is simple: to provide a clear guide to conception based on natural, safe, well-researched therapeutic approaches.

Nutritional, environmental, botanical, and physical medicines, as well as traditional Chinese medical practices and homeopathy, all offer ways to promote fertility.

Both men and women will find a wealth of helpful information on what to do -- individually and together -- to fully realize their fertility potential.

Even if infertility isn't a problem, and you are simply planning to get pregnant and want to deliver a healthy baby, this book will help improve your chances.

Anyone seeking to become a parent will benefit from this book's practical, time-tested wisdom.

The healthier a woman is, the greater the likelihood the seed of life will find fertile soil and grow into a healthy baby.

Paperback: 202 pages
Click to order/for more info: Enhancing Fertility

Start reading Enhancing Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

You're not such an old lady at 45 years old.

As I have told another list subscriber here, I grew up with a girl who was born when her mother was much older.

In fact, her mother's age was 54 years old.

Even though her mom had not been cycling for a couple years or so.

That must have been quite a surprise!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Fully Fertile: A 12-Week Holistic Plan for Optimal Fertility
by Elisabeth Heller, Tami Quinn, Jeanie Lee Bussell

-- The healing powers of traditional yoga, Oriental medicine, nutrition, and other mind/body techniques are accessible with this do-it-yourself manual for women who are struggling with infertility or just looking to improve their odds of conception.

Natural methods based on Integrative Care for Fertility™ use a holistic approach to demonstrate how a home-based holistic fertility program can improve mind, body, and spirit, and in turn maximize chances for conceiving.

Photographs are provided to illustrate the proper yoga postures and interspersed stories from yoga practitioners and experts present real-life struggles of infertility patients and victories that will inspire all women who are trying for a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Paperback: 248 pages
Click to order/for more info: Fully Fertile

Start reading Fully Fertile on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Most births to women over 40 are without using DE [donor egg], contrary to what the media is telling us.

Of all live births in the United States during 2001-2003 (average),
-- 10.8% were to women under the age of 20,
-- 51.7% were to women ages 20-29,
-- 35.0% were to women ages 30-39,
-- 2.5% were to women ages 40 and older.

Source: MarchOfDimes.com

So if in 2003 there were 4,089,950 live births in the US, then 2.5% makes 102,249 babies born to women over 40 years old.

With just 5,769 DE births in 2003, of any age, that leaves at least 96,480 of those births who were conceived without a donor egg.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
It Starts with the Egg:
How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF
by Rebecca Fett

-- Whether you are trying to conceive naturally or through IVF, the quality of your eggs will have a powerful impact on how long it takes you to get pregnant and whether you face an increased risk of miscarriage.

Poor egg quality is emerging as the single most important cause of age-related infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and failed IVF cycles. It is also a major contributor to infertility in PCOS.

Based on a comprehensive investigation of a vast array of scientific research, It Starts with the Egg reveals a groundbreaking new approach for improving egg quality and fertility.

With a concrete strategy including minimizing exposure to toxins such as BPA and phthalates, choosing the right vitamins and supplements to safeguard developing eggs, and harnessing nutritional advice shown to boost IVF success rates, this book offers practical solutions to will help you get pregnant faster and deliver a healthy baby.

Paperback: 304 pages
Click to order/for more info: It Starts with the Egg

Start reading It Starts with the Egg on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Photo Credit: At the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)

I can speak from experience.

My husband is the youngest of seven children, and his closest sibling is 19 years older than him.

He was always mistaken for their child, and his mother was taken as his grandmother.

And he has nieces and nephews much older than him.

He said it was a joke when growing up - he would be about 7 or 8 years old, and tell them to respect their Uncle Rob.

Everyone would laugh.

But he is the one in the family who has been the most responsible and done the best for himself.

Maybe it is because he had so many parents, and just grew up more mature.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Way of the Fertile Soul:
Ten Ancient Chinese Secrets to Tap into a Woman's Creative Potential
by Randine Lewis

Being fertile and fruitful can mean giving birth to a child -- but to have a fertile soul means to give birth to the true self a woman wants to be: to live a life filled with passion, strength, joy, and adventure.

In The Way of the Fertile Soul, Dr. Randine Lewis outlines ten ancient Chinese medical and Taoist secrets holding the little-known key to successfully conceiving babies, new dreams, and a fulfilling life for women at any phase in their lives.

The Way of the Fertile Soul encourages women to strive toward health, abundance, and a fruitful, joyous approach to life.

By using diagnostic questionnaires, qigong exercises, and guided meditations to help the reader understand how the elements of nature express themselves in her body, mind, and spirit, The Way of the Fertile Soul provides the tools to greatly increase a woman's chance of conceiving, identify imbalances, reduce stress, increase energy, and uncover her intrinsic creativity and express it fully.

Paperback: 240 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Way of the Fertile Soul

Start reading The Way of the Fertile Soul on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

Photo credit: Newborn holding mom's finger, by MVictoron

Child-bearing beyond age 50: pregnancy outcome in 59 cases a concern?.

OBJECTIVE: To study maternal and perinatal outcomes in healthy women aged 50 years and older.

METHOD: This study was of 59 clinical pregnancies, of which 10 ended in first trimester spontaneous miscarriage (and were excluded from further studies) and 58 live births. This retrospective review of 58 live births in 49 essentially healthy women (mean [SE] age, [52+/-2.5] years; range 50-55 years), with no chronic medical conditions (of which 28 were primigravids). Pregnancy outcomes were ascertained by chart review and telephone follow-up.

RESULTS: Of the 58 live births, 41 were singletons, and 7 were twins, and 1 triplet, for which the mean+/-SE gestational age at delivery were 38.1 weeks +/-0.4, 36.2 weeks +/-0.1 and 34.1 weeks respectively. Birth weights (mean +/- SE) were 3,201 g+/-10, 2,252 g+/-4 and 1,998+/-95 g respectively. Mean Apgar score +/- SE at 1 and 5 min were 9.2+/-0.8 and 8.8+/-0.6 respectively.

Total cesarean deliveries were 73% (36/49). Of singletons, 68% (28) were delivered by cesarean section as were all multiples. The incidence of pre-eclampsia was 30.6%: mild pre-eclampsia 20.4% (10/49), severe pre-eclampsia 10.2% (5/49). Gestational diabetes required insulin in all 19.5% of women. Anemia was noted in 6.5%.

CONCLUSIONS: Appropriately screened women, aged 50 years or older, can deliver successfully. During pregnancy, they appear to be at increased risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. A significant majority can expect to deliver via cesarean.

PMID: 14716494 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Infertility Survival Handbook
by Elizabeth Swire-Falker
-- After seven years of tests and more tests, treatments and more treatments, Elizabeth Swire-Falker understands what it means to struggle with infertility.

In this frank, reassuring, and thoroughly researched handbook, she shares her own personal experience and offers insight into what challenges to expect along the way-from getting support to finding the right doctor to dealing with insurance.

She gave up her career in the process when she found she couldn't struggle with infertility and maintain a high-powered job at the same time.

The years were filled with injections and blood tests and hormones and in vitro fertilization, implantations, and miscarriages, and return trips to the assisted reproductive technology lab.

Paperback: 142 pages
Click to order/for more info: Infertility Survival Handbook

Start reading Infertility Survival Handbook on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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