Late pregnancy is characterized by management after the age of 40, but a woman can become pregnant up to the age of 55, like actress Claudia Raia.
When it comes to motherhood, a frequently asked question is: Until what age can a woman get pregnant? It’s difficult to say an exact age, as each woman has her own peculiarities and ambitions. Today, times are different and women view pregnancy differently, choosing to have children later and later.
But, according to science, Can a woman get pregnant naturally until menopause?which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 50, but may occur later for some women.
Proof of this is the actress Claudia Raia who recently announced that she is pregnant for the third time at the age of 55. Just like the actress, other celebrities such as Solange Couto and Márcia Goldschmidt were also mothers after 50.
Until what age is it possible for a woman to get pregnant naturally?
To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the ovarian reserve that each woman is born with and loses throughout her life.
So, from the first menstruation to the last, with each menstrual cycle, several follicles (which store a single egg) are recruited, however, only one develops and releases the egg to be fertilized. Therefore, Over time, the ovarian reserve naturally decreases, until finally there are no more follicles that could result in pregnancy.
Therefore, the reproductive peak of a woman’s life is between 20 and 30 years old, with a good chance of getting pregnant until 37. After this period it is more difficult to get pregnant and if it is successful, it will be considered a late pregnancy. But until menopause, which occurs between the ages of 45 and 50, in some women longer than that, it is still possible to get pregnant naturally, even if the difficulty is even greater.
What other conditions influence a woman’s reproductive capacity?
As a woman ages, fewer eggs are naturally present, however, the gametes also lose quality, which can compromise the health of the embryo and result in spontaneous abortions. Therefore, for late pregnancy to occur, the organs of the female reproductive system need to be healthy and fit. But in addition to age, other conditions and changes can end up influencing a woman’s ability to get pregnant. The most common are:
- Early menopause, that is, the end of the reproductive phase early;
- Hormonal imbalances and polycystic ovary syndrome;
- Diseases such as endometriosis;
- Obesity;
- Autoimmune diseases;
- Fibroids;
- Endometrial polyps;
- Sexually transmitted infections;
- Finally, tumors that affect the female reproductive system.
Cláudia Raia and pregnancy at age 55
Up to what age can a woman get pregnant? If this woman is Claudia Raia until she is 55. That’s because On September 19, 2022, the actress surprised her fans and followers by announcing her third pregnancy. The 55-year-old actress is already the mother of Enzo, 25, and Sophia, 19, as a result of her relationship with actor Edson Celulari.
Now she announces that the family will expand with her first child with her husband Jarbas Homem de Melo. The couple, who are super excited about the news, published a video where they appear tap dancing together and at the end of the choreography Claudia shows off her pregnant belly. “Our dream of becoming parents is nothing new! And didn’t it come true? Jarbas and I are pregnant!”said the caption of the video.
In addition to the published video, the actress also shared details of the discovery in her stories. “When the doctor asked me for a pregnancy blood test, I said ‘Babe, you’re really crazy! Where did you get that from? I’m 55 years old’. She said ‘But I need to investigate, because all your rates are different, they’re strange’”.
And apparently she comes from a family where women have prolonged fertility. She said her mother had her when she was 45 years old.
Other celebrities who had late pregnancies
Anyway, Claudia is not the only celebrity to experience pregnancy after the age of 40/50. Check out who else had children in this age group:
Solange Couto
Actress Solange Couto also had her third child at 55 years of age.
“As I wanted to lose weight and couldn’t, I went to my orthomolecular doctor. She asked me for a complete blood test. In the result, we discovered that three hormones had levels outside the normal level. From then on, I started undergoing treatment. We were surprised by the pregnancy, of course, but my gynecologist said that women can get pregnant until close to menopause. I was on the menopause curve, and had an active sex life.”said Solange in an interview with the website O Globo, at the time.
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson’s sister, Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child in 2019, at the age of 50. At the time, it was announced that the singer had a healthy birth without any complications.
Marcia Goldschmidt
Also at 50 years old, presenter and writer Márcia Goldschmidt had a late pregnancy. In fact, in her case, she gave birth to twins. However, Yanne and Victória were born premature, just 5 months old. Therefore, they needed special care after birth.
Viviane Araújo
Actress Viviane Araújo became a mother for the first time a little younger than the other women on this list, at 47 years old, which is still considered a late pregnancy. She gave birth to Joaquim in a cesarean section, the boy is the result of her marriage to Guilherme Militão.
Risks of a late pregnancy
So, although a healthy pregnancy after the age of 50 is possible, this type of pregnancy involves some risks:
- Changes in fetal growth, resulting in the birth of smaller than average children;
- Increased occurrences of pre-eclampsia, that is, increased blood pressure levels;
- Greater chances of having a premature meal;
- Premature placental abruption;
- Gestational diabetes (check out our full article on the subject and risks);
- Increased chances of having a cesarean section;
- Higher rates of spontaneous abortions;
- And greater risks of the baby being born needing care in a neonatal ICU.
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Bibliography:
- GOMES, JULIAS. C. O, DOMINGUETI, CAROLINE PEREIRA. Federal University of São João del-Rei, Campus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Divinópolis, MG, Brazil. Risk factors for late pregnancy. Published 2021-12-23. Available at: https://www.bjhp.crfmg.org.br/crfmg/article/view/139/95
- FERREIRA, Eloiza Araujo; SANTOS, Raíza Parra dos SANTOS; FELICIANO, Carolaine de Sousa; XAVIER Rayanne Ferreira; DEO, Elisandra de Mello. Pregnancy After 35 years. Available at: https://seer.unifunec.edu.br/index.php/forum/article/view/2905
Sources: Marie Claire Marie Claire TV News Artmedicina Viva Bem Genics
