Im nursing my 20mo and want to conceive again. i get regular bleeding but dont think im ovulating. do i need to eliminate nursing completely to resume ovulation, or can a gradual decrease in nursing cause a gradual increase in fertility?

At "40", when fertility rates are extremely low, if additional pregnancy is desired, consult a reproductive endocrinologist for guidance, as ovarian stimulation may be necessary to increase odds of pregnancy. Fertility in general always decreases after mid-30's.

Nursing a child does impact the pituitary gland incompletely inhibiting ovulation. Sometimes ovulation "breaks through" sporadically. However, if you desire regular ovulation especially at age 40 when ovulatory frequency is already declining, you do need to wean your child.