By Aimee Raupp, MS LAc
This article was reviewed AimeeRaupp.com’s editorial team & is in compliance with our editorial policy
Get pregnant at 40! Do what I did and naturally improve your fertility so you can get pregnant faster.
Here’s my story:
How I got naturally pregnant at 40 + 45
Get pregnant in your 40’s! Do what I did and naturally improve your fertility so you can get pregnant faster.Here’s my story:Right before I turned 40 years old, I fell in love with an amazing 43 year old man. The relationship moved fast; we fell in love, moved in together and started talking about building a family. We both wanted children, and preferably more than one. Since we knew we wanted to marry one another, the question for us was: do we wait and get married first, which might be a year later, and then start to create our dream family or do we just go for it? We decided to go for it. And, since I had been following my very own guidelines (
from my best-selling book) on how to improve fertility naturally- namely, eating a nutrient dense diet, managing my emotions, detoxing my bath & beauty products- I was optimistic that we would get pregnant on our own.We started trying to conceive in October and we agreed to not put too much pressure on it: we would just continue to have fun sex as we were already doing and wait and see what happens. He offered to get his sperm checked and I said, “No. Let’s see what happens and if we’re not pregnant in six months, then we can both get tests done.” I thought about getting my hormone levels checked with my gynecologist, but I put that task on the back burner as well. I just wanted to have sex and not focus on the getting pregnant part. I wanted to hold onto the faith I have in my body and in its ability to do what I believe it can do—conceive with ease, regardless of the fact that I’m now 40 years old. I mean, I did write the best-selling book on getting pregnant naturally in your 40’s (it’s called,
Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: Natural Ways To Improve Your Fertility Now and IntoYour 40’s), so I knew I was following all of my advice to optimize my own fertility and that it should work as it’s worked for the thousands of women I have worked with.But, in all honesty—knowing everything I know and knowing how successful I have been with my fertility clients—I did expect it to take at least three months, more probably six to get pregnant. I know how long it can take a couple to conceive when both partners are over the age of 40. I know the increased risks of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities with age. I’ve heard about and read all of the same statistics we all hear about: the emotionally draining tests, the roller coaster ride of multiple rounds of IVF or clomid, the painful shots, the mounting bills and the nights of tears. And, as much as I have always had faith in my body and its ability to conceive, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say these thoughts weren’t causing me some turmoil.I know the road of fertility challenges all too well, because professionally I am a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) who, for over the last fifteen years, has specialized women’s health and fertility. Through
my clinics,
coaching, my
6- month intensive and
my books– I have helped thousands of women on their path to conceiving and giving birth to a healthy child. I have written multiple best-selling
books on the topic, I speak publicly about the topic and I know all of the potential fertility challenges that exist because I have gone through them with my clients. Over my two plus decades of clinical practice, I have witnessed way too many heart-wrenching fertility struggles. But, through my experience, I also know that most all the women I work with do wind up conceiving healthy children at some point, even in their 40’s.When I work with fertility clients, I guide them to adopt certain lifestyle changes—like being omnivores, eating organic, meditating, sleeping 7-9 hours each night,
using hormone balancing skincare products and practicing gratitude—to optimize their fertility. Based on my two decades of clinical experience and my years of extensive research I believe that when we practice these lifestyle habits we truly have the ability to change our health and improve our fertility—even in our 40’s.
>> How’s Your Fertility? TAKE MY FERTILITY QUIZ <<I’ve seen clinically how these tweaks in behavior can dramatically shift health in a positive direction. My clients, when they adopt these lifestyle changes see improvement in their menstrual cycles and their ovulation; their hormonal imbalances balance out; symptoms from endometriosis and PCOS improve; their AMH and FSH improve; their thyroid comes back into harmony; they finally stop having miscarriages; their autoimmune conditions regulate; their lives change for the better; they are happier in the present moment; and, overall they are healthier on a global scale: mind, body and soul. It is then that I see them conceive—when mind, body and soul are in sync.So, when I turned 40 it was my turn to be a testament to what I preach: the way you live your life has an impact on your health and your fertility and, in my clinical opinion—chronological age pales in comparison to biological age.I got pregnant the second month we tried. I know how lucky I am. But I also know I prepared as best I could. I used all the tools I have for you. A few years after I gave birth to my son Jaymes, I fell pregnant again. At the age of 45. I know you don’t want to hear this part, but… we weren’t even trying. In fact, we had decided to
not pursure growing our family. Even so, I was elated. Over the moon. My husband too. We embraced that pregnancy but sadly lost it at 10 weeks due to Turners Syndrome. At my 10 week appointment, I’ll never forget the sonographer looking at me as I had my camera out ready to take a video of the baby’s heartbeat, saying, “I’m sorry.” I was crushed.I’m living proof that 40 and pregnant happens and it can happen naturally, with ease and fun. I am proud to say that I treat my body like the palace I believe it is, and even though I had—and, will likely continue to have—moments of worry and fear over the health of my baby, I never lost faith in my body and its ability to conceive a healthy child at some point. For all this, I am beyond grateful.As I always say in my clinic: you have the power to change your health and improve your fertility. My pregnanc in my 40’s is evidence of that.If you are trying to conceive, here are 10 things that I regularly do that I wholeheartedly believe helped me conceive with such ease at 40:
- Go organic and non-GMO with all your food or as much of your food as you can afford. And, by all means avoid processed foods. Follow my book The Egg Quality Diet for best results.
- Be an omnivore: eat fat, meat, fish and tons of veggies—eat it all and enjoy it.
- Eat grass-fed and pastured animal protein, like beef—yes, beef! It doesnt have to be a daily routine, but a few ounces a few times per week is healthy for you.
- Eat 1-2 pastured organic eggs daily.
- Get in several servings per week of grass fed animal (chicken, beef or lamb) bone broth.
- Go non-toxic with your home, bath and beauty products. And, by all means avoid BPA and PFAS. Check out my Aimee Approved product lists HERE.
- Get restful sleep for 7-9 hours each night.
- Meditate + move your body daily. Fit it in. Just do it. It’ll change your life. Here’s a great guided meditation I made for you.
- Be grateful in each and every moment. Find happiness now, not ‘when’ you have what you think you need to have to make you happy.
- Watch this webinar I made for you: My Top Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Getting Pregnant Faster
Work with me and my team of experts,
learn more here
About Aimee Raupp, MS, LAc
Aimee Raupp, MS, LAc, is a renowned women’s health & wellness expert and the best- selling author of the books Chill Out & Get Healthy, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Body Belief. A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in New York, she holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University. Aimee is also the founder of the Aimee Raupp Beauty line of hand-crafted, organic skincare products. This article was reviewed AimeeRaupp.com's editorial team and is in compliance with our editorial policy.
Thank you Aimee I’m a 40 year wanting to be a mom sooooo bad but fear my age will stand in the way thank you so much for the advice! You give me hope
Aimee! I just discovered your YouTube videos–what a bounty of treasure. I turned 40 last December and while we have one frozen embryo after two rounds of IVF; my husband and I decided to tap the brakes and try and conceive naturally. I bought two of your books and plan to dive into YES YOU CAN this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration, guidance, and passion!
Thanks for all the information. It was very helpful. Some other thoughts…
One of my friend lost a tube due to an ectopic pregnancy. She tried IVF yet the cycle failed. She conceived the old fashioned way. My cousin with unexplained infertility did IVF and conceived on her second attempt. She got pregnant naturally the following year. It can happen. I’ve known some women online who conceived the old fashioned way when they thought IVF was their only option. I hope this happens for you!
Please help me
Hi, love! Aimee would love to help you. Please send email us at info[at]aimeeraupp[dot]com for info on working with her.
When we did get pregnant as easily as we did, I was relieved. Yet, I still encountered some resistance by the medical community for having an ‘advanced maternal age’ and higher-risk pregnancy as a women’s health expert. It’s interesting to me how, as a society, we forget that women have been having children in their 40’s for millennia. It is my hope that we stop admonishing women who are 40 and pregnant, and accept that older women are able to achieve healthy pregnancy. Older mothers just have to honor our health on every level, and I believe we can do it. Aimee Raupp, MS, LAC, is a renowned women’s health and wellness expert and the author of the books Chill Out Get Healthy , Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: Natural Ways To Improve Your Fertility Now Into Your 40’s (early 2018). A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in Manhattan and Nyack, NY, Aimee’s work focuses on reawakening wellness, rather than curing illness. Her mission is to educate and inspire women to balance their health and hormones, celebrate their inner beauty, optimize vitality, and increase their fertility.