- Carolyn Aronson was 54 when she became pregnant with her second child.
- The first time she was pregnant at 40 was an entirely different experience.
- There has been an increase of 745% in pregnancies among women over 50 between 1997 and 2019.
Carolyn Aronson, a South Floridian, was 54 when she gave birth her 10-month-old daughter Aliya. Jeff, her husband, had been with her for seven years and they were looking for a new addition in their blended family. “The oldest three are my stepchildren, ages 17, 19, and 21, and I have one daughter age 14,”Aronson spoke.
“I literally got pregnant right as the country was locking down from COVID-19,”Aronson added that her experience was quite different the second round. “When I had my first daughter at age 40, I was extremely busy starting a business, and my focus was not my pregnancy. With this pregnancy, I was much more peaceful, and Aliya’s temperament shows that — she’s a very tranquil baby. We feel very, very blessed.”
Aronson is not an exception. According to the CDC National Vital Statistic ReportIn 2019, 1,073 women aged 50 and over gave birth, a 745% increase from 1997.
Pregnancy risks after 50
Although it is possible for women to conceive naturally after age 50, the quality of her eggs has decreased and pregnancies at this stage are often done with a donor egg. Lauren Bishop,Columbia University Fertility Centre, a reproductive endocrinologist. (Aronson declined to disclose if she used donor eggs or other fertility treatments during her pregnancy, citing privacy concerns.
Over 50-year-old women are more at risk for complications such as
High blood pressure
,
preeclampsia
, and preterm delivery, so a high-risk obstetrician-gynecologist should evaluate their health prior to attempting pregnancy, Bishop said.
“In order to have a healthy baby, the first step is to make sure we have a healthy mom,”She said.
Aronson, who claimed she was always health-conscious, was given the go ahead by her fertility specialist. Her pregnancy was successful without any complications.
She claimed that she was more present as a mother after waiting to have children. “I was a better human being at 40 and 54 than I would have been in my 20s or 30s — it just wasn’t the time for me then,”Aronson.
A ‘dream come true’
“I cannot tell you how many people told me no. The bottom line is that it was something my husband and I wanted together so badly. We worked very hard at bringing her to life, and she is our dream come true,”Aronson said. Aliya’s middlename, in fact, is Dream.
“The love that she’s brought to our entire family, from grandparents to aunts and uncles to cousins to our own children has been such a blessing, especially during COVID-19. I think we’re all appreciating humanity a little more. We’re appreciating our families a little more, and we’re connecting with them more,”Aronson.
You can get pregnant later in your life
For younger women who feel pressured by society — or their biological clock — Aronson hopes to be an inspiration.
“Your time clock is not what you think it is. There are more and more women these days freezing their eggs and using them later in life so they don’t feel that pressure. It’s smart. It’s brilliant, and it can be done healthfully. There’s a lot of ways to accomplish [a later-in-life pregnancy], and you shouldn’t feel bad about it,”She said.
“My advice is if you really, really want it, do the research and work towards your goal. Don’t let people discourage you. It’s really none of their business,”Aronson. “I have a beautiful, beautiful little baby and that’s really what it’s all about.”