A photo of an ultrasound scanThe actor Claire Danes recently opened up about having a “meltdown” when she found out she was pregnant with her third child at the age of 44.Speaking to Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, she recalled how she’d phoned her obstetrician-gynaecologist in “convulsive tears”.“It was a pure… it was all meltdown,” she said. “None of this was by design. I didn’t know it was physically possible. I was 44.” Her surprise was even greater, perhaps, because she’d already undergone two rounds of IVF to have her second child, Rowan – and then along came a surprise baby five years later. “It just was so unlikely,” she added.But the Homeland star’s pregnancy isn’t a rare phenomenon. There are thousands of women in their 40s who become pregnant and give birth each year in the UK. Some of these pregnancies are planned, some are most definitely not. In fact, in 2021, the number of conceptions in England and Wales hit a record high for women aged 40 years and over.Dr Semiya Aziz, GP and women’s health expert at Natural Cycles, told HuffPost UK: “It is actually more common than people realise for women in their early to mid-40s to experience an unexpected pregnancy, including those who have previously struggled to conceive due to conditions such as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) or those who have required IVF.“It is something I continue to see in clinical practice, and it is not an infrequent occurrence.”Alpesh Doshi, consultant clinical embryologist at IVF London, added that while “it can feel very surprising to patients because they have often spent years believing they cannot conceive naturally”, biologically this is “not as unusual” as people might think.Why might women in their 40s suddenly experience pregnancy after IVF or fertility struggles?There’s a persistent narrative that once women hit their mid-30s, their chances of becoming pregnant rapidly fall off a cliff. But this isn’t the full story. According to John Hopkins Medicine, fertility begins to gradually decrease at about age 35, with a more “rapid” decline around 37. However this rate of decline will vary from person to person.For those born with a uterus, egg quality and quantity decreases as they age, making it less likely they’ll have a successful pregnancy. But there are some hormonal changes that occur in perimenopause – which typically hits in the early to mid-40s and can last for several years – that might make it more likely for some women to be able to conceive.“It is important to understand that although fertility declines during this time, it does not disappear … Biologically, perimenopause is characterised by hormonal fluctuations rather than a steady shutdown of ovarian function,” said Dr Aziz.“During this time, ovulation becomes less predictable, but it does not stop altogether.”Research carried out by Natural Cycles showed that many women remain ovulatory – and therefore potentially fertile – well into their 40s.“In some cases, women who had previously ovulated infrequently – including those with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) – may begin to experience more regular ovulatory cycles for a brief period, as hormonal patterns adjust,” noted Dr Aziz.Doshi has also noticed this in clinical practice: “As women move into their late 30s and early 40s, hormone patterns can shift in a way that actually makes ovulation more predictable for a period of time.“If ovulation becomes more regular, the chance of natural conception can increase – even after years of difficulty.”He also noted that some patients assume because they needed IVF once, they will always need it: “But IVF doesn’t mean someone is incapable of conceiving naturally – it often means timing and ovulation were the main barriers.”Again, age-related hormonal changes can sometimes create a short window where the perfect conditions to conceive align, even if someone has needed IVF to conceive in the past.“As ovarian reserve declines, the hormonal environment changes. For some women, this can temporarily ‘reset’ cycles that were previously very erratic. If they ovulate at the right time and have no major tubal or sperm issues, pregnancy can occur,” he said. Another reason that surprise pregnancies can crop up for women in their 40s – especially among those who previously struggled to conceive – is because they might think there’s really no need for contraception after years of fertility issues.“We often see couples who stopped thinking about contraception because they assumed pregnancy was unlikely,” said Doshi. “Then ovulation improves slightly, and conception happens unexpectedly.”Pregnancy remains possible until a woman has experienced 12 consecutive months without menstruation, the point at which menopause is defined, Dr Aziz added. Prior to that point, anything could happen. Experts warn of risks of later pregnancyWhile pregnancy can – and does – absolutely happen at this age, experts caution that there are risks attached to becoming pregnant later in life which people should know about. “Although pregnancies are possible after 40, women need to be aware that there is a high rate of miscarriage and a much lower chance of a live birth,” said Doshi.“This is due to the age-related decline in egg quality, which is mainly caused by genetic abnormalities in embryos from older women.”Becoming pregnant later in life can also raise the risk of gestational diabetes, foetal chromosomal abnormalities, and preterm birth – though this is, of course, not a given and there will be women in their 40s who go through pregnancy and birth without a hitch.There is a vast amount of information out there regarding fertility nowadays, and Dr Aziz noted that “women are in a stronger position than ever before to become more knowledgeable and better attuned to their own bodies”.She ended: “This can only be a positive step forward.”Related…Taking Paracetamol During Pregnancy ‘Does Not Increase Autism, ADHD Risk”I Gave My Husband A Pregnancy Test For His Birthday. 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