Pregnancy over 40 - Not in the plan

SHE had waved goodbye to nappies and sleepless nights. She thought the menopause would be next. But she’s in her 40s and pregnant. It’s unplanned.

It happens. A recent survey of more than 3,000 mothers, by Netmums, found women over 40 have the same chance of conceiving within six months as younger women. Twice as many women over 40 have surprise pregnancies as women in their teens and 20s.

There are no Irish figures for how many women in their 40s, and older, become unexpectedly pregnancy, but, across all ages, half of all pregnancies are unplanned, says spokesperson for the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Professor Fionnuala McAuliffe. She recalls a 50-year-old woman, whose youngest child was 22, getting pregnant unexpectedly.