Post on 47-year-old’s ‘miraculous’ pregnancy goes viral; Can one conceive even with uterus issues and absent periods?

Mirroring the story of the much talked about Hindi film Badhaai Do, 23-year-old Arya Parvathi shared a post on a social media platform on finding out about her 40+ years parents’ second pregnancy.

“One phone call changed my life. Last year, a few days before I was supposed to go back home for my vacation, I got a call from Appa. He seemed restless. A few minutes later, he said, ‘Amma is pregnant’. I didn’t know how to react…that’s not something you just hear your parents say at 23. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Amma was 47. And I know it’s going to sound weird but when Appa told me, Amma was already in her 8th month. In fact, when Amma herself found out, she was 7 months in,” read the post on Official Humans of Bombay page.

Sharing that she always wanted a sister, Arya said that “all throughout my childhood, I would tell Amma, ‘I want a sibling!’ But Amma says after I was born, she had some problem in her uterus because of which she would never be able to conceive again. So, life went on. Soon, I moved out for college to Bangalore while Amma and Appa remained in Kerala. Things were as is until I got that call… After Appa gave me the news, he said they had kept it a secret because they didn’t know how I would react. A few days later, when I reached home, I fell on Amma’s lap and started crying. I said, ‘Why would I be ashamed?’ I had wanted this for so long,” she continued.

Arya also shared that both of them began spending time together. “It was then she told me how she found out–Amma and Appa had gone to a temple where suddenly, she felt dizzy and fainted. At the hospital, the doctor informed them she was pregnant. For some reason, her bump wasn’t visible. Amma’s periods had stopped and she was feeling bloated, so she assumed it was menopause. And all those years back, because of what the doctor had said, pregnancy didn’t even cross her mind! I truly feel it’s a miracle!”

Arya also mentioned in the post that when they disclosed about it to their friends and family, while “some concerns were genuine”, “some were mere taunts”. “But we didn’t pay any attention. And that’s why Amma’s pregnancy went by smoothly; there was no stress,” shared Arya, who also informed that her Amma delivered a girl just last week.

“Life’s never made more sense. I can’t wait for her to call me ‘Didi!’ I mean, people find it weird that we have such a huge age gap, but does that even matter? It’s funny that for the longest time, we didn’t know she was going to come into our lives and now that she has, we can’t seem to stay away from her!”

So, is it possible to conceive even after no periods, uterus complications?
Menopause usually happens around 45 to 55 years when ovaries stop producing eggs, and less oestrogen (a female hormone) is made in your body. This triggers menopausal symptoms in women.

While it is possible to become pregnant without a period, it is unlikely, said Dr Shalini Vijay, senior consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Lullanagar. “In fact, if you aren’t receiving your periods, you should see your gynecologist. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including nursing, drugs, being underweight, birth control, and others,” she mentioned.

Dr Shobha Gupta, medical director and infertility specialist from Mother’s Lap IVF Centre, New Delhi and Vrindavan, confirmed this and said that one can get pregnant even after having no periods because sometimes there is a hormonal imbalance and sometimes there is a premature ovarian failure. “You haven’t officially reached menopause until you’ve gone a whole year without a period,” shared Dr Gupta.

According to the expert, while fertility naturally declines with age, suggesting that one is less likely to become pregnant on growing older, until one has gone through menopause, it is very important to continue to use birth control if one is sexually active and does not wish to get pregnant.

Furthermore, women who have experienced issues with their uterus may also be able to conceive, said Dr Prasannalatha, senior obstetrician and gynecologist, Kamineni Hospitals, Hyderabad.  “Uterine abnormalities can include a septate uterus, where the uterus is divided by a wall, or an arcuate uterus, where there is a small dip in the top of the uterus. These issues can make it more challenging for a fertilized egg to implant and grow, but it is not impossible,” Dr Prasannalatha noted.

 

 

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