aftershocks
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Comments like yours are similar to victim blaming.
^^ Eh, 'victim blaming' was nowhere near my intention in specifically addressing Duchess Meghan's circumstances. All of a sudden, this thread becomes about women having fertility issues, after Meghan and Harry have announced that she's several months pregnant. Clearly, Meghan did not have a problem conceiving, so it's important not to generalize. Obviously age is a factor for many women, but at the end of the day, what each woman goes through is their own unique experience.
I've read that Meghan was anxious about Harry stopping smoking before their marriage for obvious health reasons, and because smoking can be an adverse factor in sperm production. Since having children has always been important down through the ages for the royals, I tend to think that both Meghan and Harry would have had their overall health and their reproductive health checked well in advance of their marriage. There's no way I know that for certain, and KP is certainly not going to get into such private details. It's the Sussexes' own personal business, regardless of endless speculation surrounding every aspect of their relationship. Good for you that you're apparently an expert on reproductive health. I'm not.
Wow, this is dismissive of the very real and varied ways perfectly healthy women can struggle with infertility. Gee, when it took me two years to conceive at the age of 37/38 I guess I should have just told my mom to be more supportive.
My specific positive comments in response to another poster were directed at Duchess Meghan and her particular situation, and not intended to demean anyone else's situation. We were specifically discussing Meghan and the fact that she is in her late thirties. I think it's dismissive to suggest that Duchess Meghan automatically would face difficulties simply due to her age. I outlined some of the points in her favor, which surely don't necessarily mean she's bound to have a successful pregnancy. But those factors, especially her ability to receive the best medical care, are advantages in her favor, IMO (which does not make me an expert). I believe that both the Duchess and Prince Harry were monitored for overall physical health and robust fertility prior to them trying to conceive, but obviously that hasn't been and doesn't need to be confirmed. It's their business. I wish the Duke and Duchess of Sussex all the best at this happy time in their lives.
Of course many women will have fertility issues, often at any age. There are some woman who have complications even bringing a baby to term and thus experience miscarriages. I knew someone who had to undergo monitored bed rest throughout her pregnancy in order to avoid miscarriage. And she was eventually successful in delivering a healthy baby after several grievous losses. When one of my sisters was in her early twenties, she had difficulty conceiving largely because her husband was in the military, and the periods of time he was away from her on deployment in other locales complicated their ability to conceive. Even when he was home for long periods of time, they still had trouble conceiving. She didn't become pregnant until at least four years after their marriage.
So it's best not to generalize regarding a woman's age necessarily being indicative of her ability to conceive. That's why I mentioned Janet Jackson amazingly giving birth at the age of 50. Obviously, age is an important factor for many women, and it does help to have supportive family members no matter what your experiences have been. I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties, and I'm glad for you and your family that you were eventually able to conceive after the difficulties you experienced. Women today do have many more options when they encounter difficulty conceiving. I believe the use of birth control for many years has been a factor for some women in complicating their ability to conceive in later years, but I don't know the statistics. Pregnancy is a uniquely individual experience.
Of course it is a heartbreaking occurrence for any couple when they try for a baby and encounter numerous difficulties. Again, I had linked earlier in this thread an article describing the serious brain illness Emma, Viscountess Weymouth suffered during her first pregnancy which was life-threatening. In order to have a second child, she and her husband were successful in contracting with a surrogate in California because of the more progressive and advanced laws regarding surrogacy in that state as opposed to Great Britain. The Weymouths' experience is well worth reading about.
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