Older women 'have more surprise pregnancies than teens'

A mother who conceived by accident said having children later in life was "definitely more common" than most people thought.

Cheryl Millar, 43, told Good Morning Britain of her shock when she fell pregnant with her daughter Grace eight months into the relationship with her partner.

"Because of my age I automatically thought, 'Oh everything will be OK. I probably won't get pregnant.'"

Some 23.6% of women over the age of 40 managed to conceive in the first month of trying for a baby, a fertility and pregnancy survey has found.

According to Netmums:

• A further 19% fell pregnant after three months of trying.
• Over half (53.9%) were with child after six months.
• Fertility experts have warned women fertility plunges after the age of 35, but of the 3,151 women quizzed by Netmums, 70% said they disagreed.

More women over the age of 40 are having unplanned pregnancy than teenagers, a poll from a parenting website has said.

The Netmums Getting Pregnant Report found one in five of the women over the age of 40 it spoke to said their pregnancy was a surprise.

However, of the 3,151 women quizzed by Netmums, only 8% said they had an unplanned baby as a teenager or in their 20s.

The parenting website pointed to the belief fertility "fell off a cliff" at 35, leading women to become less vigilant with contraception.

Read: 'Almost 3/4' disapprove IVF in menopausal women