Berkeley Parents Network: Pregnancy After 40

Berkeley Parents Network

Pregnancy After 40

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Pregnancy & Childbirth > Fertility > Pregnancy After 40

Have you tried to get pregnant after 40?

Conceiving after 40 w. high FSH

July 2003

Hi, I am 41, have a beautiful boy who is nearly three, and have been trying to conceive again for about 1.5 years. I had some tests that confirmed that my FSH is about 14, which is of course high. We also know that my husband's sperm is not great, high count but low mobility (it was the same when we conceived our 1st baby, however). I am doing accupuncture to enhance fertility, and soon may do a cycle of ovarian stimulation w. FSH plus artificial insemmination. Basically, what I hear from the doctors is that a pregnancy for us is a long shot, which makes me extremely sad. I am beginning to have a very hard time staying hopeful, even though I feel that hope is important to help us conceive. Additionally, my over-40 friends who have been trying to conceive all are pregnant now--but not me. It hurts.

Does anyone have any hopeful stories of conceiving after 40 with a high FSH? Or any words of wisdom, or spiritual practices that helped with attitude? I sure would be grateful for the help. Thank you! Trying to hope for a miracle

I was told at age 41 or 42 that my FSH was too high and I would never conceive. The OBGYN gave me a prescription for Clomid anyway, after telling me I'd need to see a fertility specialist if I wanted anything more suitable to my advanced age, but that I probably shouldn't bother. My husband had also been told that his sperm count was low. I eventually figured I'd try the Clomid, although I wouldn't have if I'd realized how expensive it was. In any case, I did get pregnant at 43, after many months of taking my temperature and charting my cycle, and I swore never to see that MD again. I went into menopause immediately after weaning my daughter, so it was clear that I wasn't going to have any more kids. I wish you luck and hope you can relax about it, or, if you really want more kids, consider adoption. You never know - women sometimes get pregnant when adoption is on the horizon, and if not, you've got another baby to love and raise. anon

This is not what you are asking, but might be worth thinking about What about adoption? I tried to get pregnant for many years and went through many types of fertility tests and treatments toward that end. I didn't pursue adoption until several years after my last treatment and felt very resigned toward not having bio kids, even if still sad about it. Then I began the process of adopting and have the most wonderful daughter (from China) that I could have ever dreamed of. I could not be more devoted to this child and if I could have known her back then, would not have been so vehement in my pursuit of a genetically related baby. The desire for bio offspring seems natural, but once you have a baby through adoption, you may forget about how the stork delivered your baby and the love will be the same. Something sad can turn into something happy. Anon

I was told I had high FSH levels at age 39 by my RE following a chlomid challenge test and the RE (Dr. Chetkowski) told me I would not be a good candidate for IVF. This was very depressing for me, but rather than give up, my husband and I started pursuing adoption in order to have a second child. Dr. C suggested we pursue an IUI following the chlomid challenge and, voila, we conceived. I am now 14 weeks pregnant and enjoying every minute of it. The week we conceived was the most dramatic week of my recent life, one minute I felt pre-menopausal and the next I got pregnant. There is hope, stay the course! debbie

Stay hopeful! I got pregnant with my son at 41 (after 2 miscarriages) and the doom and gloom high FSH speech. The trick for me was artifical insemination (without ovarian stimulation). I am even hopeful for #2, have gotten pregnant X2 but miscarried but I'm sure there is still ONE more good egg. Another high FSH Mom Anon

Just a hopeful note. My husband and I had 3 kids with no problems in the late 80s/early 90s. Then I had an incredible, irresistable urge to have one more at 40. I don't know about FSH levels. It was my husband's sperm that had changed. He had a testicular vein problem and his sperm were abnormal (heads and tails) as well as low motility. My OB_GYN looked at his samples under the scope before our first try at insemination (artificial, I guess). And she said 0% chance. Nothing moving, nothing normal looking, no way, sorry. But she inseminated me anyway. I went home and cried for a few days. My period never came. I delivered an incredible baby boy in November 2000. My Dr. said it was a f--ing miracle. And she is a fertility expert. Good luck. Keep faith. older mother with a miracle baby

Oh hon, been there, done that!! I feel for you. I was right in your shoes, but my story has a happy ending, and I can offer you much hope. I had my first, a boy, at age 37, and when he was 3, we started hoping for 'just one more'. After a fruitless time of trying on our own, we went to Reproductive Partners (in Los Angeles, where we lived at the time). I could give you much in the way of details. Very long story short, we were told, like you, that it was 'a long shot' with high FSH, but I sit here now with my baby in my arms. Yes, my own egg, and no, not even in vitro. If you do some searching, you will find a lot of support on the web...there is a special High FSH group, which I recommend highly, along with related groups Pregnant despite High FSH, and High FSH over 40. Also the boards on ''incite'', especially the over-40 board. Wonderful women. I would be happy to give you further help and info. We considered going to one of the top centers in the US for this (Cornell) but managed to get pregnant the month before. Doctors will pooh-pooh you, but I know of many high FSH women who are now moms, second-time moms, etc. I remember crying endlessly after that first doctor's doomsday speech, but don't believe it quite yet. There are lots of things that I did to help, who knows what really did it...but I have lots of suggestions for you and many success stories. Try everything that makes sense to you. There is also a helpful book out there about high FSH from someone who has been there...I've already given away my copy...it's called Against all odds, or Inconceivable, or some such. Attitude is essential!!! But also some very down to earth advice. The cycle I conceived, I was practicing 'positive thinking', a first, by the way, along with acupuncture, milk avoidance (galactose - see the literature), various vitamins and herbs, acupuncture, massage, fertility drugs, wheatgrass juice (ack), and insisted on an estrogen patch (also a first for that cycle). Who knows what worked, but it did. I do urge you to see the best RE (reproductive endocrinologist) you can find, and pronto...most lose interest after you are 43, and they consider you to be 43 once you are over 42.5. That is, if you are set on using your own egg, which we were (with a first child already, we wanted them 'to match' genetically, or not at all.) If you are open to using a donor egg, then your chances are much better, because it is the eggs that age, not the uterus. By the way, I got pregnant at 42.5 and am now almost 45. Feel free to contact me. But most of all, seek a good RE, seek support among your over-40 and high-FSH peers (there are lots and lots!!! you are not alone!!!!) Karen

I don't have first hand experience with high FSH, but as I went struggled with infertility I met 2 people with high FSH who conceived through IVF while doing acupuncture with Dr. Angela Wu in San Francisco. She is quite amazing and specializes in fertility issues. If you're not seeing her perhaps both you and your husband should consider a consultation.

If you are seriously attached to having another child that is genetically yours, I would highly recommend foregoing IUI (artificial insemination) and go straight to IVF wth ICSI (where they inject the sperm right into the egg). The odds of IUI working are not good in your situation, especially in consideration of your male factor issues. I would be afraid that after several tries you'll find you've spent as much money as you would have on IVF and wasted 6 months.

In the meantime there are some homespun things you and your husband can do to improve the situation....

YOU Give up sugars and carbs and eat protein and green vegetables. Follow something like the Atkins diet. (after 3 years of trying this is what finally worked for me). Relax and stay stress free (ha ha!)

HUSBAND Tons of Vitamin C and L-Arginine. No cigarettes, alcohol and ESPECIALLY NO POT (this has totally ill effects on motility) for 3 months prior to trying (sperm life cycle 90 days).

Sending you best thoughts and apologies if this message seems abrupt, vague in places and does not offer much spiritual advice. anon

My recommendation If you really want a baby and can afford it, don't bother with any other fertility stimulating regimen--go straight to IVF asap (with ICSI for your husband). I was 43 when I conceived this way, with a pretty high FSH level, and it worked wonderfully. You're too old to have any real chance of success using any other method and too old to delay. (How old was your mother when she went thru menopause? This is a key piece of info that should help you and your doctors decide whether you're too old.) UCSF takes insurance, and the IVF team there is fantastic. They're also more likely than some other places to take ''older'' women (40-plus). GOOD LUCK! anon

I felt like your post had my name on it. I'm 39.75yo with high FSH (18.3 as of Feb. 2003, probably in the 20s by now) and also have a 3yo whom I love more than anything. My husband and I want so much to give our child a sibling and have been trying to conceive #2 for the past 24 months. We are finally pregnant from an IVF/ICSI cycle I did in June with Dr. Geoffrey Sher at Sher Insitute of Reproductive Medicine (''SIRM'') in Las Vegas (www.haveababy.com), but it has been a very long, rocky road.

My husband also has male factor issues (normal volume and count, but low motility and morphology). We conceived our first child spontaneously despite being told that we would not be able to conceive without IVF/ICSI due to the male factor issues. We very much wanted to avoid IVF/ICSI for our second child, so we had been trying almost everything else possible for the past 28 months. We tried varicolcelectomy and Proxeed for my husband (didn't help), and 5 cycles of Clomid with IUI. Nothing worked. In retrospect, I wish my Reproductive Endocrinologist had been more forthright with me. The sad truth is If you're 40 or over, particularly if you have male factor issues, you're wasting valuable time by trying anything other IVF with ICSI. Also, high FSH gives you another unfortunate twist. Many IVF clinics will discourage you from even trying IVF unless your FSH is 10 or less. You will be given the ''your chances with your own eggs is less than 1%, why don't you try donor eggs'' speech.

All that being said, it is not impossible, but it is difficult to conceive with your own eggs at 40+ with high FSH. You should, however, do your research and go into this with your eyes open. Here are my suggestions

1. Ask yourself how much you really want a second child and if the second child must be your biological child. You'll find that infertility takes over your life, and it's good to be really clear on what you're doing before embarking. You'll be told over and over again that your chances of conceiving will be much better if you use donor eggs, but that is a big step to take emotionally. You may also wish to consider adoption. While considering these options, it's probably a good idea to seek out counseling. RESOLVE has the names of therapists who specialize in infertility issues and can help you work through the whole biological child v. donor egg vs. adoption issue.

2. Ask yourself how much time and money you want to invest in the process of having a second child. We ended up spending 2+ years, and many, many thousands of dollars, even though we are fortunate enough to have infertility insurance. We had to take out a 2nd mortgage on our home to finance our costs. I also ended up quitting my job because the infertility journey was taking so much time and energy.

3. Get support and info. There is a ''Women over 40 with high FSH'' support board at www.network54.com/Forum/53068 that is an excellent source of info. Other websites I've found useful are ivfconnections.com and fertileheart.com. There's an excellent list of books at the ivfconnections.com website that you might want to check out. In particular, read Julia Indichova's book ''Inconceivable'' about a woman who conceived naturally at the age of 44 with FSH of 42. Fertileheart.com is her website.

4. If you decide you want to pursue treatment with your own eggs, find yourself an EXCELLENT Reproductive Endocrinologist (i.e., a fertility expert). Do not waste your time with Gyns. Also, you need to find yourself the RIGHT RE. Most REs will tell you that they do not recommend treatment at your age and with your FSH. I would do as much research about high FSH/REs as possible. The high FSH support board is a good place to start. Locally, I would stay away from any RE/clinic other than Dr. Christo Zouves at Zouves Fertility Center in Daly City (www.goivf.com) or possibly Dr. Miliki at Stanford. The top REs nationally for high FSH are Dr. Sher at SIRM in Las Vegas and Dr. Jerome Check at Cooper Institute in Marlton, New Jersey. They have very different approaches and are each quite controversial. Each has a pretty good success rate with women with high FSH, however.

5. If you want to try with your own eggs, I highly recommend Traditional Chinese Medicine as an alternative therapy. The big ticket item around here is Dr. Angela Wu on Clement Street in S.F. (www.wushealingcenter.com). Her practice is devoted to fertiliy issues and she has a lot of success with older/high FSH women. She is, however, VERY expensive - expect to pay $200+ per treatment, including herbs. Also, it takes a lot of time and energy to trek out to the outer Richmond once or twice per week. Again, you need to decide upfront how much time, money and energy you want to put into this. I've also heard and read excellent things about Dr. Y.C. Chiang in El Cerrito. Other local acupuncturists who treat infertility are Leslie Oldershaw in Piedmont and Nancy Rakela and Marty Lee Kennedy in Berkeley. Also check out www.easternharmony.com. There's an excellent article about maternal age and egg quality there with TCM suggestions on improving egg quality.

6. Don't overlook the male factor issue. Many REs believe that the best way for older women with high FSH to conceive is naturally. The only urologist around here worth much in terms of infertility is Dr. Paul Turek at UCSF. There might be something that can be done about your husband's condition.

7. If you really want a child, believe that you will get the child that is meant for you, whether the child comes to you from your own eggs, through donor eggs or adoption.

Best of luck to you! Been there

I too had a very high FSH level, much higher than yours and went on to conceive at the age of 39--ended in miscarriage; at the age of 40--another miscarriage; and am pregnant now once again at 41--say a prayer for me. My doctor at 39 told me that there was very little chance of my conceiving and that I should consider a donor egg. I went on, as you can see, to conceive three times. So, the doctors don't always know everything. While I had given up faith, my husband never did. It helps to be in touch with your ovulation cycle--determine your most fertile days through cervical mucous and temperature and be sure to have sex those days. I'd say give it another year. Unlike in-vitro, if you do decide to go the donor egg route or adoption, there's no age limit, so you might as well try a little longer.

I, too, had an FSH of 14 and got ''the talk'' about how difficult it may be to conceive again. I went home, cried, and kicked myself for waiting so late to start trying to conceive. But in a weird twist of fate, the very month I got that news we got pregnant and now have a baby boy.

Sometimes I wonder if I stopped stressing out that month. (''Probably won't work but we might as well have fun!'') Maybe that helped. Who knows. Probably just a fluke. But if you can try not to worry too much... I know that's hard to do.

That being said, I had also started to think about adoption or invitro. Good luck! FSH is just a number

Have teens, thinking about a baby

May 2001

We are considering having a third child - our first two are in middle school and high school. I would really like to have a baby but my husband is 10 years older than I am, feels he is too old, and also feels it would put a financial strain on the family. I would like to hear from other parents who had a baby after 40 - how did it work out for you?

The woman who wrote said "we" are considering having a baby but then said her husband was opposed--so I think she is thinking of having another baby. I had my one and only child at 43 (currently a high school sophomore; my husband has two children in their thirties from his first marriage--we never raised them). My husband was also resistant, but I desperately wanted to have a child. There are a lot of advantages to being an older parent: you have more patience because you have more sense of the impermanence of everything in life. This too shall pass! Also, the Bay Area is a great place to do it if you're going to, because there are so many other older parents. My child never got angry with me for being "too old" which I was almost certain was going to happen. The primary problems are increased risk of ill health and/or death before child is fully grown. I know three kids who lost mothers to cancer, for instance, and three other mothers who have had cancer. Also extended financial obligations. My husband's high school gang is now retiring and we have two years to go before our child even enters college! A friend of mine had a situation like yours--two older kids--and desperately wanted another. Her husband objected because starting over again would mean another twenty years before they were ever alone with each other. Why did she want to do it? I think now, she was desperately trying for a girl, and finally got one, which made her very, very happy. Why do you want another child? Ozzie

We had our third child when I was 41 and my husband was 48. Being older, the pregnancy and labor were more difficult but ultimately all went well. When I first became pregnant, my husband was very concerned about being an older father but it has become a non-issue. He has plenty of company in Berkeley since many of our son's friends have older parents as well. I think it gives us both an added incentive to maintain our health.

Finances are usually a concern. You need to ask yourselves how much you and your husband really want to do this, is it somewhat realistic or would it cause severe hardship and whether you can reach an agreement which works for both of you. We have no regrets and while my husband isn't particularly verbal, I know that despite his initial misgivings, this child has enriched his life immeasurably and he is truly grateful for him. Good luck!

I had the same conflict for a while. My son is 12years old and my 22 month baby girl was born when I was 43. I just have to say that I love having them both. The difference in age is a huge plus. It couldn't be any better. They are great with each other! I wanted a baby so much that it was beyond reason, I am glad. My son goes to private school. We don't know yet how it is going to be when the time comes for my daughter to be in school, as far as money goes, but I am sure we will figure something out when the time comes. Good Luck!!!

When my 2 boys were in their Jr. and Sr. years at UCB, I was 42, pregnant and single. I was ecstatic; the Dad was not, but came around. He is now the best Dad and very grateful I decided to have our son, who is now a wonderful 15 year old. My older sons have always been supportive and they are both very close to their little brother. Before my 3rd son, I always felt I had one child to go, so had a yearning which couldn't be denied. For a person primarily ruled by logic, this was such a strong primal feeling that I had to pay attention, and yielding to it made me fearless. That sense that it was "meant to be", along with 21 years mothering experience, made me a calm mama. What a difference between mothering at 21 and mothering at 42! It is much better for everyone involved when you don't sweat the small stuff. I do agree with one person who commented that health might be a consideration. But money? Who ever died wishing they had more money and less love in their life? Best wishes

Have you tried to get pregnant after 40? I would like to hear from any over 43 moms about getting pregnant for the second time. I'm told it's only a 5% chance. Just wondering what success rate we have at UC. Did nursing interfere with getting pregnant? Has anyone tried any of the new drugs that encourage you to produce eggs but also give you big-time PMS.

Note:

There are a couple of good resources on the web for people interested in fertility issues and over-40 pregnancies: Low-tech Ways to Conceive (FAQ from various newsgroups) -LONG- Pregnancy After 40: email discussions on ParentsPlace.com

I am now 43. I don't know about getting pregnant over 43, but I do know about infertility. I tried to get pregnant starting from age 38 to 41. I tried the fertility drugs, Clomid and Pergonal. My suggestion is to take it a step at a time...first try to get pregnant on your own. Or start out with an infertility specialist to assess your hormone levels, etc. and start on the Clomid. Pergonal is very expensive $100+/injection, can cost about $2,000/month (most insurance does not cover). I had no success with either drug, did not produce any more than 1 egg per cycle. Experienced no side effects with the pergonal, got occasional hot flashes with the Clomid. A woman I know who started Clomid at the age of 43, experienced severe side effects, bleeding, overstimulation of ovaries, etc. As it turned out, she was taking the drug and not ovulating every month--she didn't know because her ob/gyn didn't have the expertise/equipment to monitor this. My opinion is that the older you are in trying these drugs, there may be an affect on any pre-menopausal conditions that may be starting up...In any event, please take these drugs under close monitoring (ultrasound) by a specialist--don't have your ob/gyn prescribe them if he/she does not have the ability to do this.

I tried to get pregnant during my early 40s unsuccessfully. We did use some medical intervention (including some drugs) but never got as far as IVF. There have been great strides made in IVF but many programs will not take women over 40. (When I checked into it, about 6 years ago, that included UCSF which has a good program. If I recall right, they did not admit they would not take women over 40 but upon learning my age, they promised for months to have the doctor call me and she never did. This same thing happened to a couple other women I spoke with). If you have not already heard of them, there is a group called RESOLVE which is a great resource for information on infertility. It is a national group with an excellent Bay Area chapter. You might want to give them a call for information.

We ended up joining a Resolve support group which was terrific. In the group of 6 couples, 4 over 40, 2 of the over 40 year olds did get pregnant and give birth to healthy children. Both of the under 40 year olds did likewise. The rest of us adopted. IVF was used for all but one of the pregnancies. For both women over 40 who gave birth, donor eggs were used. Obviously this is just anecdotal info but I thought you might be interested. If you go the IVF route, be sure to get info from the program you choose not merely on number of pregnancies they have also on number of babies carried to term.

I had no luck at all with Clomid (one of the medications used to stimulate ovulation and availability of fertile eggs). Tried for the better part of a year; checking my temperature as a signal for ovulation, scheduling sex and keeping all kinds of charts to document efforts. There was another medication the doctor also tried (can't remember name) but to no avail. PMS was not an issue for me.

My first and only child was born at age 39 and quite frankly I should have attempted pregnancy earlier, "if " I had been serious. Of course I wasn't "ready" at an earlier age and am very pleased with my decision.

Our clocks are all different and my periods became "very iffy" by 42. There is some thinking that heredity (our mothers) has something to do with this. I am very grateful for my only child and all that I can give simply because I am an "older" Mom.

We know that there are wonderful success stories out there . . . and some not so wonderful stories. All things in life really have a strange way of working out exactly the way they are supposed to" with or without medical intervention". I wish you the best of luck and success in whatever decision and choices you make.

While I wasn't pregnant after 43, I was pregnant at the age of 42, which is pretty close. It wasn't any harder getting pregnant at 42 than it was earlier with my first two children, at the ages of 36 and 40. All three times it took a year or two of trying, with no artificial aids.

The most helpful thing was when I figured out when I ovulated, by charting my temperature before rising each AM, then started timing sex for my fertile days.

When I first started trying to get pregnant at 35, my doctor became concerned and started me and my husband on some tests. Several of my friends were trying for the first time in their thirties, and not getting pregnant either. First, it just takes longer at that age. Second, our own concerns, our doctors' concerns, and all the publicity about biological clocks, made us incredibly anxious. Unfortunately, tension and anxiety sometimes interfere with getting pregnant.

It's likely to help, and it won't hurt, if you cut down on your stresses and do relaxing things. I got pregnant the first time after finally getting a pet cat, as I had been wanting to do for a while. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe not. Other people advise taking a relaxing vacation. Good luck.

I had our son when I was 40 using Pergonal. They have no clue why it worked, but we were lucky. We tried Pergonal again just before my 42nd birthday with no luck. We had been given about a 5-10% chance of a pergonal cycle working. We were hoping I could get enough eggs on one of the cycles to do an IVF to bypass any questions if the eggs fertilized.

We tried 3 cycles of it with no luck and were told to use donor eggs. The last cycle I used 6 amps of metrodin (same as pergonal) each day for 10 days. That was $3000 for those drugs alone, but we were lucky that our insurance covered it.

We went for a 2nd opinion at UCSF (I was going to Chetkowski in Berkeley) Dr. Schriock looked at my FSH test levels from day 2 of my cycle and said given my results, he never would have done a cycle. My odds of producing eggs were low, odds that one would implant lower, odds of miscarriage were growing and odds of deformities growing.

Sorry for such lousy news. All I would suggest is you go to a specialist from the start and have them explain all the test results right off. The reason we kept trying was because we are blessed with a healthy son that they didn't think we would conceive AND insurance paid for most everything.

From: Andrea Hi, Finally getting a chance to catch up on some email, and wanted to reply to one woman's request for "over 43" pregnancy stories.

You can definitely put mine on the Success side. I was 45. My first and at that time, only, daughter was 21 - years, not months, and on her own. I got pregnant on an "oops." I'm sure the fact that I wanted very much to have another child was helpful. My now 7-yr-old daughter was born with both my daughter and my husband's grown daughter as birth coaches in the L & D room. Tama scored 9 1/2 on her Apgar and is a normal, "spirited" child who is the light of my life.

Our story became something of a legend among a group of (a little younger) friends who had been trying to get pregnant. And most or all of them did end up conceiving. So don't feel like it's hopeless, sisters. We're living proof that it's not.

And I'd like to say that even though adoption is long, tedious and expensive, I feel certain that a child is a child, and an adopted child is every bit as much "your" child as a birth child, and you will become just as attached and just as in love, even though she doesn't come through your body.

By the way, my older daughter has her own daughter, age 4. The two girls are the best of friends and mine takes her "aunt" role very seriously. We think of ourselves as heavily invested in kids over here, and the truth is, kids of all ages are right up there in my list of the top 5 things of life.

I would love to hear from other older moms of 6-8 yr olds. I find myself so much more patient and skilled at parenting this time around, even though this child is so-o-o much more challenging than the first one.

P.S. I spent the Fourth w/friends and met a woman who had her first, a boy, at 43, after trying for years and finally adopting a precious little girl. She says 1) there's no difference in the intensity of her love for the two kids, and 2) she believes she couldn't get pregnant because her daughter had to "find" her and be adopted into her family first.

(submitted anonymously)

At 45 I decided I wanted a baby. I got pregnant at 45-1/2, with very little intercourse. I had an uneventful pregnancy with no nausea, and I was only tired for an hour or so on two occasions. I had a natural vaginal delivery and my son is perfect. I'm incredibly lucky and was motivated to change my mind about having a baby due to all the infertility around me. I swam every day until two weeks before the birth, when I felt like quitting. The day I went into labor (13 days before due date), I walked on the pier at the Berkeley Marina, ate hot Mexican food, sat at an outdoor cafe, went home when my water broke, went to the hospital when my contractions were down to four minutes and gave birth five hours later. I never went to Lamaze classes because I thought they would scare me, and I knew I knew how to relax and breathe because of years of martial arts and yoga. I also thought that women have been having babies for thousands of years and that I could too.

I always had a hopeful, positive can-do attitude, I ate lots of food while I was trying to get pregnant, and I've always been very athletic. I guess I'm just lucky, and I pray it happens to everyone else who wants one. The best moment in my life was when amnio went ok, because with any woman that age there is a one in 38 chance of the baby having the 23rd chromosome be defective. I'm not bragging, just trying to give hope to people who are trying so hard. I hope they all get lucky like Andrea (from the last Digest) and me.

I'm never tired now; I don't feel like an older mom, except for the infinite joy, wisdom, and patience part.

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