HRT could have triggered pregnancy in world's oldest mum (59)

Dawn Brooke, this year now 69
When Dawn Brooke became the world's oldest natural mother at 59 it left doctors with a mystery to solve.
How was it possible for the British housewife, who was well beyond the average age for the menopause of 51 and was not having any fertility treatment, to produce the egg that allowed her to conceive?
Now the Daily Mail can reveal that Mrs Brooke, who gave birth to a healthy son, Harry, was on hormone replacement therapy when she conceived.
This, the experts believe, may have led to the astonishing pregnancy and birth in 1997 - which the family kept secret for a decade.
HRT is normally taken after a woman has gone through the menopause and is unable to conceive.
However, fertility doctors believe in rare cases it is possible that the hormones in the medication can cause the ovaries to release a few last eggs.
There have been a number of previous cases of women, who had already gone through an early menopause, falling pregnant while on HRT.
A family friend said: "She had upped her dose before a romantic weekend away when she thinks she became pregnant with Harry.
"She wasn't on any fertility treatment or IVF but she was on HRT at the time and they think it might have been the thing that caused the pregnancy."
The world's oldest mum, Dawn Brooke, in 1980
Dr Geeta Nargund, head of reproductive medicine at St George's Hospital, London, said: "There are rare cases of spontaneous ovulation for women on HRT.
"In the past we've seen it happen with women who have gone through early
menopause. There's a very small chance of that happening.
"It's possible for ovulation to continue on and off around the age of menopause but not once a woman is completely postmenopausal."
Mrs Brooke married Harry's father, Raymond Brooke, now 74, at their £1million home in Guernsey in the summer of 1997.
A few weeks later she gave birth by caesarean at the island's Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Mrs Brooke was desperate to keep her record a secret.
A friend said: "She was completely shocked when she realised that she was the world's oldest natural mother and didn't want anyone knowing about it.
"She looks very young for her age and so most people were probably unaware that she was 59 when she gave birth."
Even the couple's close friends did not know.
John Trowbridge and his wife, Jean, who are Harry's godparents and who were also witnesses at the Brookes' wedding, were not told.
Mr Trowbridge said: "We never knew Dawn's age and they never mentioned anything about her being the world's oldest natural mother to us. It's a big surprise."
Details of the record finally emerged last month when the family spoke of their happiness at
having a son so late in life.
They told how Harry was an exceptionally bright boy who excels at maths.
Like many 10-year-olds, he is also a fan of Harry Potter.
London-born Mrs Brooke has a daughter, Lisa Loftus-Otway, 39, who lives in Austin, Texas, and son Nick Otway, 33, from a previous marriage.
Her mother, Gladys Chivers, lives in a nursing home in Sussex and turns 101 next week.
Mr Brooke was born in Yorkshire and worked in computers in California for 25-years before settling in the Channel Islands.
He has two adult daughters from his first marriage. They live in the U.S.
Doctors say it is extremely rare for a woman to have children once past their mid 50s - and it is very unusual for a woman over 54 to be ovulating.
The world record for the oldest non-IVF births was held by Ruth Kistler who, at 57, had a daughter in Los Angeles in 1956.
The British record for the oldest birth without fertility treatment was set by Kathleen Campbell of Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.
She was 55 when her son Joby was born in 1987.
The world's oldest mother is Carmela Bousada who gave birth last December, seven days before her 67th birthday, after she lied to doctors about her age to undergo IVF treatment.
Patricia Rashbrook, 62, became Britain's oldest mother last July when she gave birth to a boy conceived through IVF.

Australia's oldest 'natural' first-time mum

A Gold Coast woman has become what is believed to be Australia's oldest natural first-time mother, giving birth at 50.

Anthea Nicholas and her husband Paul Byrnes, 54, had a "one in several million" chance of falling pregnant, Ms Nicholas' doctor told the Australian Women's Weekly.

Ms Nicholas, a semi-retired real estate agent, told the Women's Weekly she was alarmed when she first discovered she was pregnant.

A Gold Coast woman has become what is believed to be Australia's oldest natural first-time mother, giving birth at 50.

Anthea Nicholas and her husband Paul Byrnes, 54, had a "one in several million" chance of falling pregnant, Ms Nicholas' doctor told the Australian Women's Weekly.

Ms Nicholas, a semi-retired real estate agent, told the Women's Weekly she was alarmed when she first discovered she was pregnant.

SOURCE: essentialbaby.com.au

Encouraging Conception Stories Of Older Moms

My OB [obstetrician] said his oldest mum who conceived naturally, and with a problem free pregnancy, was 47. He has had a few mums in their 40's so he is very hopeful.

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I also want to say I have a cousin who got pregnant naturally, at age 45, and delivered a healthy baby girl at age 46. Good luck.

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I found out that I was pregnant when I was 43. I turned 44 and gave birth to a beautiful, healthy little boy in November. The pregnancy was just about like the other ones, and the delivery was uneventful.

I did have an amnio which eased my fears a lot. He was totally unplanned and I was in shock, denial, and depression for a good while. Now that he is here, I love him dearly.

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I am also the child of an older mom. My mom was 36 when she had me, and my husband is the son of a 44 year old mother. So it can be a good thing!

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However, I just had to share what my new OB/GYN told me last week. I told her that we’re still TTC [trying to conceive] at 46 and I expected her to say something discouraging, but, lo and behold, she said that just a couple of weeks ago one of her patients delivered healthy twins at ….drum roll….54!

When I asked if they were donor eggs, she said they weren’t and that this woman had her first baby at 45, still had regular periods and just kept trying. If that isn’t encouraging, I don’t know what is. She told me take folic acid, and keep at it.

have just got back from my 2 weekly trip to my chinese doctor in London. She ONLY deals with fertility issues - her whole practise is geared to helping patients to try to get pregnant.

One of her nurses told me that they have currently got a 52 year old patient that is 12 weeks pregnant. I said 'oh must be DE [donor egg]', but they assured me that no, it was not and it was her own eggs! Amazing!

I was pregnant for the first time at 45, and I was scared too -- of everything -- I remember the night after I found out, I woke up at 3 am in a pure panic.

Mostly I was scared I would have no idea what to do with a baby -- but hey, I found that all my fears were completely unfounded.

Had a completely healthy excellent pregnancy, and I have never known anything so wonderful as carrying a child and then having a baby (well I don't know that I was saying that in the middle of labour, but even labour I would love to do it again, seriously).

I had my last at 46, and I have certainly had other women on this board who have delivered healthy babies over 45. I think the oldest mom to be on this board was 49 when she gave birth.

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We aren't doing anything extraordinary, but what keeps me going/hoping is knowing someone (my sister's mother-in-law) who had a surprise pregnancy at 50 (!) and delivered a healthy baby girl.

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I HAD MY FIRST WHEN I WAS 47

I had a positive natural birth experience, for which I am very grateful. I only have 1 son, which I got when I was 47.

He was 2 weeks late, when I got worried and asked the doctor to get him out, because I read somewhere that if you are older, after 40 weeks the placenta is going down faster then compared to younger ones. However, when I had made an appointment for the next morning, my son suddenly was born in the night before.

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He impressed me as perhaps one of the most brilliant doctors I have met in a very long time, and very personable and kind and compassionate as well. And the VERY first thing he said to me was "Your age doesn't bother me in the least". Then later on he told me that he has had women come in to see him up until 50 and have babies.

He feels VERY STRONGLY that the line "oh your eggs are too old" is a bunch of hogwash. He maintains that there is no such thing as old eggs, but what there is, are bodies that have been ravaged over the years with infections where it makes it almost impossible to house a baby.

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If you have the money, go for this treatment. I had email conversations with a lady who had her second baby at 45 after his treatment and was retreated by him at age 47 for a third baby.

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My grandpa was 85 and his wife in her 50's when she got pregnant with her last daughter. That little girl is now 25 I believe, and just got married this summer. She is my mom's sister, and my mom is almost 71.

There was no ART involved and as a matter of fact when she had that last kid, she also had two other kids under 10.

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I will add my own story and I know the daughter. The daughter was a newlywed and was so excited to find out she was pregnant - her mother found out within days of the daughter that she was also pregnant.

The mother was 49 years old, and the daughter was 21 years old. They both went on to have healthy baby boys! Thanks, Marly

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So, take heart, fellow 45+ TTCers. You just never know!

SOURCE: PREGNANCY OVER 44