Many women fear pregnancy after the age of forty, whether it is their first or even their last pregnancy.
Although getting pregnant at that age can be difficult and risky, there are some advantages that make many women consider having children in their forties.
How can pregnancy be healthy at that age? What are the benefits and risks of pregnancy in your forties? And why might some women find it difficult to conceive at an older age?
Pregnancy at an advanced age
As you age, your chances of conceiving naturally decrease due to the decreasing number of eggs in your ovaries. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that pregnancy after age 40 is on the rise compared to the 1970s, with the number of first-time births among women aged 40 to 44 more than doubling between 1990 and 2012.
WebMD describes pregnancy after the age of 35 as "advanced pregnancy," which is risky, as the risk of miscarriage increases with age by nearly 40% compared to less than 15% for a woman in her 20s .
Meanwhile, it is still possible to get pregnant and have a healthy baby in your 40s. If a woman is healthy, she has a 5% chance of conceiving naturally during each monthly ovulation cycle, compared to 25% for women in their 20s and early 30s.
Chances of pregnancy
Nearly half of women over the age of 40 have fertility problems, so natural pregnancy at that age is relatively difficult. However, it does happen, and pregnancy can also occur with other medical assistance, such as IVF.
According to BabyCenter, in the first year after age 40, the chance of conceiving is approximately 40% to 50%, compared to a woman in her mid-30s who has a pregnancy rate of 75%. By the age of 43, a woman's chance of conceiving drops significantly, from 1% to 2%.
Baby Center, a website specializing in medical content on pregnancy, childhood, and motherhood, explains that the chances of conceiving decrease due to the declining egg reserve with age. When a girl reaches puberty, her egg count ranges between 300,000 and 500,000.
After that, approximately 13,000 eggs are lost each year. As the years pass, the egg reserve declines, coinciding with a sharp decline in fertility. By the age of 43, the reserve is nearly depleted.
Advantages of having children at forty
There are some potential benefits to having a child at the age of forty, especially with careful and continuous medical follow-up. According to Parenting.firstcry, these benefits include:
1- The wife is more stable and experienced with her husband and their relationship together, so it is good to bring a child to stable and understanding parents.
2- The child achieves better educational outcomes as a result of the mother's conscious and mature attention. In return, the child provides the mother with more mental and intellectual activity at that age.
3- Job stability for the mother if she is a working woman, which gives her ample time to raise the child and be with him.
4- Financial stability for the family after years of work without the major financial pressures that couples face at the beginning of their lives, which makes life somewhat easier.
5- At this age, the mother becomes wiser, more mature, and more rational, which helps her make practical and wiser choices for her child.
6- A healthy lifestyle: Older women tend to eat more healthy foods and exercise regularly. As they gain more life experience, it becomes easier to raise children and enjoy a healthy pregnancy.
7- A mother in her forties is more confident and prepared to breastfeed, which has a positive impact on the health of both the mother and the child.
Risks
There are a number of risks that may affect the mother or fetus as a result of pregnancy after the age of forty. According to WebMD, these risks include:
1- High blood pressure, which is one of the most common complications during pregnancy at this age.
2- Increase in the baby's weight at birth.
3- Placenta previa: This occurs when the baby's placenta partially or completely covers the cervix. In this case, a lot of bleeding occurs during pregnancy and during childbirth.
4- Gestational diabetes. High blood sugar levels can affect the health of the baby and the pregnancy.
5- Preeclampsia, which is more common in older women during pregnancy.
6- Miscarriage or stillbirth. The likelihood of miscarriage increases the older the woman is. By the age of 40, 27% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, compared to 16% for women aged 30 or younger.
7- Caesarean section: If the mother is 40 years old or older, her delivery will most likely be a Caesarean section and not a natural one.
8- Down syndrome: The risk of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increases with age, and other chromosomal abnormalities are more common at that age.
For a healthy pregnancy at forty
Although there are many risks to pregnancy at the age of forty, The Healthsite provides a number of tips for every woman considering pregnancy at the age of forty to ensure a completely healthy and safe pregnancy experience. These tips include:
1- Follow a healthy lifestyle.
2- Checking the healthy and appropriate weight at all stages of pregnancy.
3- Quit smoking.
4- Eat a balanced diet.
5- Avoid caffeine before and during pregnancy.
6- Avoid processed foods.
7- Exercise regularly.
8- Consult a doctor before pregnancy to conduct the necessary medical tests, monitor the pregnancy closely and continuously throughout all its stages, and ensure that a genetic examination is performed.
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