There is a saying that age is nothing but a number, but when
it comes to getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy, it matters a lot.
According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists (RCOG) the optimal age for childbearing is 20 to 35.
As women reach their thirties, they experience a decline in
fertility. The fertility regulator HFEA says female fertility declines sharply
after a woman reaches the age of 35.
As women get older, both mother and baby are faced with an
increased risk of pregnancy-related health challenges. These problems are due
to changes in the reproductive system and the increased likelihood of general
health problems that comes with age. The following are 8 health risks for child
bearing after the age of 35:
1. Infertility:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says fertility
in women starts to decrease at age 32. At age 35 you have a 52% chance of
becoming pregnant unaided.
2. Complications
during pregnancy are more common when women reach the age of 35.
3. Chronic health
problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are more common in
women in their 30s and 40s. These can develop for the first time during
pregnancy, and women over the age of 30 are at increased risk.
4. Stillbirth(delivery
of a baby that has died before birth) and maternal death: This is more
common in women over the age of 35. Older women are also more likely to have
low-birth weight babies.
5. The risk of
pregnancy loss is higher: The risk of pregnancy loss by miscarriage
increases as women get older, probably due to pre-existing medical conditions
or fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
6. The risk of
chromosome abnormalities is higher: Babies born to older mothers have a
higher risk of certain chromosome problems, such as Down syndrome.
7. Caesarean birth
is also slightly more common for women having their first child after age 35.
8. Risk of developing
fibroid.
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