Pregnancy after 35: risks and opportunities

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

No horror stories - only confirmed facts and advice from doctors.

Today the term "old-born" has already been forgotten, but there is still an opinion that after 35 years a woman and an unborn child will face health problems. The life hacker understands what threatens later childbirth, and answers the most common questions.

How your chances of getting pregnant change with age

Age is the main factor that affects fertility, that is, the ability to conceive, bear and give birth to a child. The supply of eggs in the female body is limited, and over time, their quantity and quality gradually decreases.

In addition, over the years, various diseases accumulate: both gynecological (for example, fibroids, endometriosis, infections, adhesions) and general (hypertension, diabetes). That also reduces the chances of conceiving and carrying a child.

On average, fertility begins to decline at the age of 32, and after 37 years, this process is noticeably accelerating. So, at the age of 25, 87.5% of women can conceive a child during the year. At 30 years old - 83.9%, at 35 - 73.3%, and at 40 years old - already only 49.4%.

It is worth noting that the age of both partners plays a role in the issue of childbearing. Male fertility also declines over time, but this happens after 40 years and much more slowly. Physiology and lifestyle are also to blame: the quantity and quality of sperm, sperm activity decreases, and more “defective” cells appear.

It is worth assessing the age of a couple, not one woman.

The likelihood of genetic diseases and neurological disorders in the unborn child, such as epilepsy and autism, also increases with the age of the father.

What are the risks of late pregnancy

Over the years, not only the ovulatory reserve is depleted, but also the resources of the body as a whole. Chronic diseases appear, overweight, hormonal levels change, the body recovers more slowly from an illness.

And all this can affect the course of pregnancy, that is, the health of both the mother herself and the unborn baby. Consider what problems mature mothers may face:

• Gestational diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, it develops more often at an older age. So, if up to 25 years of age the risk of developing the disease is 2.59%, then at 35-40 it is already 4, 38%, and after 40 years - 15.9%. If ignored, diabetes can cause overgrowth, premature birth, and other complications in the baby.
• High blood pressure. Appears more often in women over 35 years old. American researchers have found a delayed negative effect of late labor on the cardiovascular system. In women who gave birth after 40 years, the risk of stroke in the future was 60% higher.
• Caesarean section and complications during labor. Such as detachment of the placenta or abnormal position of the fetus. Scientists suggest that as we age, the muscles of the uterus contract less well due to cellular changes and less sensitivity to oxytocin and progesterone.
• Spontaneous miscarriages and fetal death in the womb. These risks almost double after the age of 40, but in healthy women at any age, this figure is still lower.
• Premature birth. The likelihood of early birth is slightly higher after age 35. More often, doctors blame age for this, but a recent study refutes this connection and explains premature birth by a combination of factors and concomitant diseases.
• Chromosomal abnormalities in a child … The genetic material of both parents is "aging", so the older the couple, the higher the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome and other disorders. If before 25 years old it is 1 case in 1,587, then in 35 - 1 in 390, and after 40 years already 1 in 122.
• Multiple pregnancy. Due to hormonal changes, the chances of having twins increase with age. In this, of course, there is nothing wrong, except for the additional burden on the female body and the risk of premature birth, which was already mentioned above.

It is worth noting that the level of medicine has significantly increased over the past decades, so today it is easier to prevent and timely identify almost any pathology. And mature mothers are more conscious about pregnancy and do everything to keep it.

What else affects fertility

It's not just the biological clock that sets the ideal time for the birth of a child at any age.

External factors and, most importantly, lifestyle also affect the quantity and quality of sperm and eggs.

Here's what they say at the Mayo Clinic: alcohol, tobacco, stress, excess weight, infectious and chronic diseases, and even extra cups of coffee reduce the likelihood of conception. This means that by eliminating these factors, we increase the chances of becoming parents.

Are there any advantages to late pregnancy

The main advantage of the appearance of late children is that they are desirable, and are born in families where parents are ready to take on this role. Such children learn and develop better socially.

For example, researchers say that older fathers produce children with relatively high IQs. They easily focus on their own interests and try less to fit into social standards.

Aging sperm can contain chromosomes with longer telomeres, which protect DNA and are responsible for longevity. Moreover, this effect persists for two generations ahead.

Are there benefits for the parents themselves? Undoubtedly. Mothers are not only calmer during pregnancy, but also less likely to raise their voices to children or punish them later. Such women retain their verbal memory longer. Scientists even judge the level of happiness from the birth of children, which, according to them, is higher in adulthood.

What to do if you are not yet ready to give birth

Unpreparedness for children in youth is another reason to be more attentive to yourself and stay healthy longer. And you won't have to do anything particularly difficult.

• Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest, spend more time outdoors, exercise, and stop smoking and alcohol if possible.
• Monitor your health. Do not neglect routine medical examinations, vaccinations, treat teeth on time, monitor blood sugar levels and blood pressure, control chronic diseases, if they already exist. Check with your doctor about how these conditions may affect fertility and future pregnancy.
• Find a good doctor. You should trust this specialist 100% and not be afraid to discuss all the risks and opportunities, up to cryopreservation of eggs and sperm and IVF.

Modern medicine makes it possible to postpone childbirth until you are ready for it morally and financially. And she can prevent complications that frightened "old-born" women a few decades ago. So it makes sense not to rush, but to treat yourself more carefully. Health is more important than age.