Age Ain't Nothing But a Number
Y’all remember that great 90’s hit by Aaliyah? “Age ain’t
nothing but a number”? That was my jam. Even though she was talking about how
mature she was and it was ok to get with an older man, I still hum that tune
sometimes when I reminisce on my child. But the title of the song took on a new
meaning as I celebrated my 35th birthday last month.
We all know in the world of those trying to conceive, age is
definitely one of the many numbers that are considered when doctors and
specialists are trying to pinpoint the likelihood that you will have a healthy
pregnancy and birth. It’s definitely not the only number though. You’re getting
poked and prodded to learn about ovulation, menstrual cycles, eggs, hormones,
blood levels, sperm counts for your husband, number of pregnancies, how often
you had sex, heart rate, blood pressure, and the list goes on and on. Some of
those numbers you can control but the majority of them you cannot. It seems
like a never-ending cycle of tests that are only meant to reveal how inadequate
your body is for reproduction. While the numbers can reveal some pleasant
surprises, most of the numbers news is lackluster.
Age is one of the numbers you can’t control. No matter how
many supplements you take, exercise you do, or surgery you have done, Father
Time is undefeated. You may be able to mask the aging process but you can’t
stop the years from changing. In the world of trying to conceive, your age
seems to be your worst enemy. The older you get, the more difficult (and
dangerous) it becomes to conceive and give birth to a healthy child. I know you
may be thinking of all the Hollywood starlets you see getting pregnant later in
life. And even those that don’t grace the cover of magazines seem to be putting
of childrearing to later years than they have before. But that’s not our world.
Age is like a ticking time bomb for a woman who has already seen some
roadblocks in her journey to motherhood.
The closer my birthday got, the deeper I went into prayer
about this birthday. While the world typically doesn’t recognize 35 as a
landmark birthday (I had a hard time finding decorations), the reproductive
world does. Doctors tell you that 35 is when your window to conceive starts to
rapidly close as risks compound and increase, drastically. I’ve never had fears
about getting older, I embrace the wisdom I gain as I age but I would be lying
if I didn’t confess that my 35 yr. old womb was causing me a little distress. I
thought about how hard I was working on my weight, my blood pressure, my
cholesterol, and the other numbers I could control. I was proud of the hard
work I had been putting in but I wondered if it would be enough to go to war with
number 35.
And for some odd reason, this Aaliyah song ENCOURAGED me. It’s
not Scripture but it empowered me to put the numbers in perspective. Age is
nothing more than a number. Why was I giving a number so much power in my life?
Numbers are made to track time, not truth. Numbers record things, that don’t
create anything. My situation wouldn’t drastically change because I turned 35,
they would change if my perspective did. So I celebrated myself. I did
everything I wanted to bring that day in with joy, gladness, and expectation. Expectant
not just about my reproductive possibilities, but about the life God has given
me. Being 35 doesn’t change that I am loved, prayed for, and cared for by my
friends and family!
Numbers don’t represent your life, you do! The essence of
who God created you to be is more than the sum total of the numbers in your
life. So, whatever age you are, whatever day in your cycle, or how high your
estrogen level is….LIVE!!!! The only number that counts is the one life you
have to live!
Mrs. Truscott
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