When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot last May,
royal fans immediately started speculating on when the pair would make a pregnancy
announcement. But even though everyone was talking about it for months, it was
still slightly shocking to hear the official proclamation just six months after
the wedding.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got
pregnant quickly by any standards. But is it unrealistic to expect the same
for average couples – especially women who are slightly older, like Meghan
Markle? Some medical experts say yes.
What are the risk factors of advanced maternal age?
Age is just a number – except when it comes to fertility. As women wait longer and longer to have children, many are facing new complications when it comes to getting pregnant. Someone who is older than 35 and trying to get pregnant may have to wait longer for successful conception and may also have a higher risk of miscarriage.
Meghan Markle, 37, obviously didn’t experience any of these
complications herself. But as a leading fertility specialist points out, her success
is not necessarily the norm.
“The chances of a 37-year old woman conceiving naturally would be around 15-18 percent per month,” Dr. Raewyn Tierney explained to Practical Parenting. “Falling pregnant is still about chance and probability, therefore, there is a possibility that Meghan Markle conceived naturally and this quickly.”
(There is a chance that Meghan Markle, whose birthday is in August, got pregnant when she was still 36. But she was closest to 37 either way).
Did Meghan Markle do any fertility treatments?
The wildest accusations from royal family fans include those who believe Meghan Markle could have gone to the extreme to start her family, like undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to get pregnant. But that seems unlikely.
However, it’s likely that
the Duchess of Sussex used low-tech fertility tracking methods so she could conceive
faster.
“I can’t say for
sure she has had any implantation procedures done. She would have definitely
put some kind of cycle tracking into place, monitoring her most fertile times
and ensuring she was at her healthiest and most relaxed in order to conceive,” Dr.
Tierney said.
A more likely explanation for Meghan Markle’s quick conception is her healthy diet. RadarOnline reported that the Duchess of Sussex may have consulted a London nutritionist and inquired about a fertility-friendly diet. Clean eating and maintaining a healthy weight are both factors that would increase the chances for conception.
When will Meghan Markle have
another baby?
Prince Harry has gone on
the record saying that if “he had more than two children, it would serve him
right.” That comment coupled with the adorable way Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
interact
with kids they encounter makes royal fans believe they’ll have more than
one child.
One thing almost everyone
agrees on? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex won’t wait too long to expand their
family. Even though Meghan Markle had an easy time getting pregnant the first
time, there’s no guarantee it will be so simple for her next baby. Conception
can take many months even for younger parents.
We can’t wait to see how
many beautiful children this couple ends up with!
