Pregnant at 47

The double lines appeared almost instantly as I peed on the stick. I stared in disbelief. I cannot be pregnant, I told myself. I am 47 years old!

Almost seven years prior, shortly after the birth of my second child, I had a procedure to implant metal coils in my fallopian tubes. The idea was that the skin would scar and scab over the coils, blocking the tubes and preventing future pregnancies. When I returned two months later for the dye test, it was discovered that one tube was closed but the other had a miniscule opening. The coil had tilted slightly, leaving a tiny gap. Rather than schedule another surgery right away, I opted to go on the pill. Life was hectic enough already with two children, a husband and a full-time job.

I stayed on the pill until late 2019. I was experiencing perimenopausal hormone changes and felt that the pill was throwing me off balance. So, I went off it. “Make sure you use some form of birth control,” my doctor warned me. Yeah okay, I thought. I’m 46 years old and have half an open fallopian tube. How likely is it that I could get pregnant? The answer, in case you’re wondering, is less than 1%. I did the math. That’s equivalent to using birth control.

So, when I missed a period in early March 2020, I thought nothing of it. I had just turned 47 in February, so I naturally assumed this was the beginning of menopause. By April, I still…