Quiverfull Megafertility Question

[Californiacicle]

Also, something to remember is that these studies don't take into account the couple's knowledge of the woman's cycle. This data is for people who just have sex when they feel like it, but don't use contraception, and this is counted as trying to get pregnant. If a woman is really bent on getting pregnant, she can chart and time intercourse precisely, and her chances of getting pregnant then increase drastically.

Despite their claiming they leave everything up to God, I am pretty sure at least some of these fundies chart and time intercourse accordingly in order to maximise their chances of getting pregnant. So I think the numbers would definitely be higher for them.

(My aunt got pregnant without medical intervention and gave birth at 44. She had quite a few early miscarriages and suspected ectopic pregnancies beforehand, but she was definitely still able to conceive naturally and carry a child with no complications.)

Exactly! I would put money on some of these women temping and charting every day.

Anyway, I wish I had had the fertility of some of these families. My husband and I really struggled to just have our one. IF can just destroy you.

[Mama Mia]

Not every QF woman gets a show on TLC. As pointed out by others, the statistics are on average, not a rule for all women, and the media attention goes to the outliers with better-than-average fertility.

Unassisted conception of babies for moms in their 40s is not new. There are plenty of examples in my family, from a time prior to modern assisted reproduction. The stats just mean that a woman in her 20s is more likely to conceive during a given cycle than a woman in her 40s.

Having 19 kids was not unheard of in the days prior to modern assisted reproduction either. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien (in office 1993-2003) was the 18th of 19 children - but only 9 survived.

Fertility is highly individual. You get women like me, who ended up with 3 years between my first 2 kids despite actively trying to conceive, and you get woman like my friend, who realized that breastfeeding is not foolproof birth control when she had her kids 11 months apart.

So true. Going way back in my family tree before birth control I have several women who had Duggar type numbers of children ( including a couple who broke the 20 Mark :shock: ) they were very lucky in that there seem to have been few, if any, premature deaths of moms or babies.

Even in the same woman fertility can vary. I have two kids who are 14 months apart despite exclusive breastfeeding, but didn't get pregnant while breastfeeding my other children. You just never know.

[scc12]

I don't know the average, but I know a handful of women who had children 11-13 months apart (unplanned). And I bled for five weeks after having my son, and then got my period four weeks later. It's been regular since and I breastfed exclusively for six months. The nurses in the hospital after I had my son told me about how exclusive breastfeeding is great birth control and would stop my period for months or over a year, but it didn't apply to me. A lot of my friends have told me the same thing so I think back to back babies would be pretty common if people didn't do anything to try to prevent that.

thx,I didn't bf but my cycle came back exactly 4 weeks after having my first baby.right on time.it was like my body just considered having a baby another drop in hormones and a cycle.

I got pg with my 2nd 10 mo. later,and I also bled for 5 weeks.the same thing just doesn't always happen again,even in the same woman.

[August]

I think I read that once you have been on fertitlity meds,it changes the ovaries.thus that might be the reason (like kate g. and her sextuplets and bobbi Mccaughy, who had septuplets) have so many multiples the 2nd time around.

Hmm, was it her ovaries or the synthetic hormones she was injecting to force multiple ovulation? So hard to know.

:roll:

[August]

It seems that the women of the flds, who would be considered quiverfull, have on average 8-12 kids. 19 is definitely above average even for women who don't ever use birth control.

But FLDS would not be having sex every second day.

[scc12]

Hmm, was it her ovaries or the synthetic hormones she was injecting to force multiple ovulation? So hard to know.

:roll:

no reason to roll eyes.I meant that of course they used hormones the 2nd time around as well.it's just that they had a different effect the 2nd time around,producing many more eggs than they did the first time.It appears to have made them even more fertile the 2nd time it was done.that's what I meant.

[keen23]

I too got pregnant with my 2nd child when my first was 10 months old. While breastfeeding and while taking Yaz (yeah, I checked, "having a baby" doesn't qualify me to take part in the lawsuit for damages from taking Yaz). My period also came back 6 weeks post-partum with all three of my kids. If I was QF, who knows how many kids I'd have had? But, thankfully, I am more than just a uterus, so we decided we were done at 3 kids.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Hmm, was it her ovaries or the synthetic hormones she was injecting to force multiple ovulation? So hard to know.

:roll:

Would that happen if you weren't taking hormones the second time around? Like if you had taken fertility meds to get pregnant, had twins, but then managed to conceive again without hormones, would you have a higher chance of having multiples again? I wonder how long it would last for, imagine having three sets of triplets...although I guess most people don't want to find out and take a second set of multiples as time to stop before you get sextuplets.

[paganhomeschooler]

My grandma had 12 kids over about 20 years. None of my aunts or uncles naturally gave birth to more than 2 kids. There are several of us who are onlies, and 1 of my aunts was unable to have any children. I had my first at 20, didn't breastfeed, and it took 4 months before I got my period back! I had a miscarriage between my girls. My 2nd daughter was born a couple of months before my oldest turned 3. My son was born 11 mo to the day after her. NOT purposefully. lol We waited 4 years before we tried again. I did nurse my youngest, and my period returned quicker than any of the others, who were all bottle fed. I don't think there really can be an "average" of fertility. There are just too many factors.

FWIW, my midwife, who is fundie-lite, had her 9th child when she was 46. She didn't use BCP, only nursing for contraception. Her kids were all just about 2 years apart.

[scc12]

Would that happen if you weren't taking hormones the second time around? Like if you had taken fertility meds to get pregnant, had twins, but then managed to conceive again without hormones, would you have a higher chance of having multiples again? I wonder how long it would last for, imagine having three sets of triplets...although I guess most people don't want to find out and take a second set of multiples as time to stop before you get sextuplets.

I've no idea.I only recall reading that it changes the ovaries.I would presume multiples might be more likely,with or without hormones,if one were to get pregnant again? the only examples I just listed never had any more kids after that,so who knows.

Idk what all octomom went thru,but I think she had embryos implanted,not just ovarian stimulation.That imparts a control of sorts on it,and for the 8,she had 12 implanted,and 8 of them took.

[Jana814]

I mean, maybe a lot of us could have 10 or 15 children. But we will never know because we are not trying!

True! Just because u can doesn't mean someone should or would.

[Peas n carrots]

Another one here to report my family tree includes multiple instances of grandmothers and great grandmothers having kids well into their 40's.

One of my gf's who is 40 and trying to conceive had a miscarriage last year. She is a nurse, and claims (this is entirely unsubstantiated of course) another nurse had said that once the pregnancy hormones get going, it can be easier to conceive again. That gave my friend hope she might successfully get pregnant again. As far as I know she hasn't conceived since.

It could very well be an old wives tale, but then again she is actively trying to get pregnant so of course her chances increase when she is having sex on a regular basis and doing all the tracking/temperature readings etc.

[scc12]

I wonder how pregnancy hormones affect the brain as well,after so many back to back babies.It's like an addiction sets in,and the women feel depressed when they can't conceive,like the brain expects them to.

Michelle was crying over laundry after the first few babies,then many babies later,she was too anxious to get pg again right away.I don't think it was bc the girls were older,and could help more.I suspect her brain just would get defunct without those elevated hormone levels.

[rewoodley]

I have to say that there are some of us that have sex one time without protection and end up with a baby... :P our 1 "mistake" is turning 5 soon... after i had him my period returned right away (and I was soo looking forward to not having it for a long time due to EBF). number 2 was planned and only took one try to get pregnant ... took 6 months to get my period and number 3 only took one try to get pregnant ... and at 8 weeks all i want is sleep lol all that to say that if DH and I were not activly preventing... we could have a very full house....