Husband in Mid-Late 40s

[LadyVictoria]

I don't know if this is exactly the right place to post this since I assume it's just for mom's over 35, but I am going on 27 and my husband will be 47 when we start TTC this summer. Neither of us have ever tried before so we don't have any prior attempts to go off. I have no reason to believe that we'll have difficulties (no health issues and we eat well, exercise) but my husband's age does worry me. I know that there's an increased risk of disorders like schizophrenia and autism with an older father, and also that it may take us longer to conceive in the first place. I addressed my concerns with both my GP and GYN and both said that the risks were such a small percentage that I really shouldn't be worried. Yet here I am, still being a worrier.

Since I'm assuming that some of you have partners closer to your age or older (in their 40s), what was your experience like TTC? I'm not sure if my being under 30 helps our odds any. We're taking a vacation to Europe in May so I'm staying on my pill until we get back, then I'll begin tracking my cycles to learn my fertile window, then actively start to try in July. I did go off my pill in the past and my cycle came back like clockwork and in full force, so I'm not too concerned about it but I have considered that it may not come back right away. I'm considering the Ava bracelet to help making temping easier, but it's pretty pricey at $250 so I might just stick with a thermometer and Fertility Friend (the app).

I'm currently taking a hair, skin, and nail vitamin and will start prenatals when I finish them. I've had my check ups and hubby is going to the doctor next month. Basically, I'm trying to do anything and everything in my power to help us have the best odds of conceiving quickly, and hopefully a healthy, happy baby! My mom says that our child will be the most "researched" baby in the world with all of the reading up that I've been doing. Any positive stories or advice that you can share is greatly appreciated!

 

[jessmke]

My husband was 42 and 43 years old when we had our kids (I was 33 and 34). We had absolutely no problems conceiving, got pregnant 4 times all on our first month trying (first two were early miscarriages). Our two kids are perfectly healthy. Our youngest is only 8 months so might be too soon to tell for some disorders, but we have absolutely no reason to believe he isn't developing normally.

 

[LadyVictoria]

My husband was 42 and 43 years old when we had our kids (I was 33 and 34). We had absolutely no problems conceiving, got pregnant 4 times all on our first month trying (first two were early miscarriages). Our two kids are perfectly healthy. Our youngest is only 8 months so might be too soon to tell for some disorders, but we have absolutely no reason to believe he isn't developing normally.

Thanks so much for sharing! That is very helpful and reassuring to hear 😊 So sorry that you experienced miscarriages! I never knew how common they were until I started reading up on all things baby/conception related. It’s something that definitely worries me - getting excited about a pregnancy only for things to not work out. But I’m going in optimistically!

 

[iBeach]

I am 32 and my boyfriend is 46. We got pregnant first month when we decided to let the nature take its course

I am hoping for perfectly healthy baby. There are health conditions at any age.
I wouldn't worry so much about the age.

 

[LadyVictoria]

I am 32 and my boyfriend is 46. We got pregnant first month when we decided to let the nature take its course

I am hoping for perfectly healthy baby. There are health conditions at any age.
I wouldn't worry so much about the age.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I know that we’re all at risk for complications; I’m a realist and approach things considering all possible outcomes. It’s nice to see that men my husbands age aren’t all doomed. I belong to another forum with a TTC board and some people over there are really insensitive when it comes to age, so I guess that has had an impact on me.

 

[iBeach]

I am 32 and my boyfriend is 46. We got pregnant first month when we decided to let the nature take its course

I am hoping for perfectly healthy baby. There are health conditions at any age.
I wouldn't worry so much about the age.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I know that we’re all at risk for complications; I’m a realist and approach things considering all possible outcomes. It’s nice to see that men my husbands age aren’t all doomed. I belong to another forum with a TTC board and some people over there are really insensitive when it comes to age, so I guess that has had an impact on me.

Yeah, some people are totally insensitive and rude. I had a friend telling me, if I couldn't find younger guy, because this one is really old...
I am in NY too )

 

[LadyVictoria]

I am 32 and my boyfriend is 46. We got pregnant first month when we decided to let the nature take its course

I am hoping for perfectly healthy baby. There are health conditions at any age.
I wouldn't worry so much about the age.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I know that we’re all at risk for complications; I’m a realist and approach things considering all possible outcomes. It’s nice to see that men my husbands age aren’t all doomed. I belong to another forum with a TTC board and some people over there are really insensitive when it comes to age, so I guess that has had an impact on me.

Yeah, some people are totally insensitive and rude. I had a friend telling me, if I couldn't find younger guy, because this one is really old...
I am in NY too )

Gosh, what a friend! Whereabouts NY are you? I think a lot of people automatically assume NYC (which I love to visit and got married there) but I actually live along the Canadian border!

 

[LuvallmyH]

I am almost 42 & my dh is 57. We are expecting #10 together! We have 9 healthy children. My drs say the male age doesn’t play a factor until they are much older. My dh feels very fortunate to be able to experience children later in life. We had our first when I was 23 & he was 39. I wouldn’t change a thing!

Eta: obviously his age hasn’t been an issue with me getting pregnant, lol

 

[jtink28]

I wouldn't worry about your DH's age at all. If he's healthy all should be fine. Since the dawn of time, older men have been having children with younger women. Good luck!

 

[LadyVictoria]

I am almost 42 & my dh is 57. We are expecting #10 together! We have 9 healthy children. My drs say the male age doesn’t play a factor until they are much older. My dh feels very fortunate to be able to experience children later in life. We had our first when I was 23 & he was 39. I wouldn’t change a thing!

Eta: obviously his age hasn’t been an issue with me getting pregnant, lol

Wow! That's a lot of children! My grandma was one of eleven children and my dad was one of 14 (and twins run on both sides!) but they grew up on farms so it made sense, their parents wanted all the hands they could get! lol I'm glad to hear of all of your success

I wouldn't worry about your DH's age at all. If he's healthy all should be fine. Since the dawn of time, older men have been having children with younger women. Good luck!

Thank you, this thread is helping to put me at ease. On one of the other forums I belong to, it feels like there's a lot of posts about infertility and losses, but I understand that people are more likely to talk about those issues than the boring, uneventful pregnancy (which I hope for!).

 

[Mummy of Ange]

When we tried to conceive our first too I was 33 and 35, my partner was 38 and 40 and we had no problems.

This pregnancy I was 38 (now 39) and my partner was 43 (44 in August) and it took us a lot longer. We tried for 18 months.

Don't know if it was an age thing or I was stressing too much and panicking about my age, but it certainly took us a lot longer the 3rd time around xx

 

[LadyVictoria]

When we tried to conceive our first too I was 33 and 35, my partner was 38 and 40 and we had no problems.

This pregnancy I was 38 (now 39) and my partner was 43 (44 in August) and it took us a lot longer. We tried for 18 months.

Don't know if it was an age thing or I was stressing too much and panicking about my age, but it certainly took us a lot longer the 3rd time around xx

I've heard of couples experiencing secondary infertility and always wonder what causes it. I'm glad that you were able to conceive again! One of my concerns with hubby is the chance of it taking us longer to conceive. My mom is being very generous and gifting me money to buy the Ava bracelet, which I'm hoping will help me pinpoint my fertile window so we can maximize our efforts

 

[MolySG]

Imagine that we live 100 years ago and our bodies are exposed to many diseases and illnesses. This was the time when people at certain age couldn`t have children. Today, the length of the life is longer and we are able to preserve our body vitality longer. Don`t worry too umch about your husband`s age.