Pregnancy after 35: 4 risk factors for mothers, child

Even though there is no set age at which it is best to start a family, many women wish to delay starting a family until they have reached specific professional milestones and have established themselves as financially secure. Because of this, a lot of women are delaying their weddings, which, once again, implies they are putting off the age at which they have their first child.

Even if this term could be intimidating, it is vital to note that having a healthy pregnancy after the age of 35 is rather frequent, despite the fact that there are some risks involved. The quantity of eggs a woman has available and the quality of those eggs both decrease with age, and this, combined with the hormonal changes that occur during this period, might make it more difficult to conceive healthy children later in life.

Women who fall into the AMA group are at an increased risk of the following maternal and foetal complications, among others:

1. Infertility: As a woman approaches menopause, the process of becoming pregnant may take more time and present more difficulties. Why? Because a woman is born with a fixed quantity of eggs, that number gradually decreases as her life progresses. Eggs produced by an older woman may also be of a lower quality, which makes it more difficult to fertilize or implant them.

2. The risk of having a miscarriage rises in tandem with the deterioration in the quality of the egg. In addition, a woman’s preexisting conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, may put her at an increased risk of miscarrying a pregnancy. Because stillbirth is yet another possibility, it is imperative that women keep all of their prenatal checkups, especially if they fall into the AMA group.

3. Problems with the chromosomes: Older mothers have a greater chance of having a child with chromosome abnormalities than younger mothers do. As an illustration, the likelihood of a woman in her 35th year giving birth to a child affected by Down syndrome is approximately one in 365. This danger becomes one in every 40 years for someone who is 45 years old.

4. Gestational diabetes and high blood pressure: A pregnant woman who has diabetes runs the increased risk of having a kid who is overweight while they are still developing inside the womb. In such a scenario, there is an elevated risk of the baby sustaining an injury at birth or being stillborn altogether. In addition, preeclampsia and other difficulties for the unborn child can be brought on by the mother’s high blood pressure during pregnancy.

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