Gestational diabetes: important to know
23 June 2023Dental risks and complications in pregnancy
23 June 2023If you’re over 35 and the Stork hasn’t arrived yet, you’re not unique. According to sociologists, more and more women today are choosing to give birth to their first child as late as possible. Career, efforts to acquire a home of their own, distractions lead people to postpone conceiving a child. Well, pregnancy over 35 is a biological challenge, but you don’t have to give up the dream of becoming a mum. But that means being patient with your body and paying attention to yourself.
What you need to know about low fertility
Women are born with a limited number of eggs, which they will have throughout their lives. Around the age of 27, fertility decreases slightly compared to the previous period. However, in the 35-38 age range, it drops dramatically.
After the age of 35, many women find it difficult to get pregnant naturally and have to resort to various assisted human reproduction procedures.
Today, however, medical technologies allow women to opt for egg freezing, which means preserving fertility for years. A woman can therefore postpone the birth of her first child until the time she feels appropriate.
7 risks of pregnancy over 35
Not only does advancing age make it difficult to conceive a child naturally, but pregnancy can also expose you to certain risks and complications. These risks can vary from woman to woman and can be influenced by factors such as: general health, medical history of the mother-to-be, and lifestyle. So here are the common risks associated with pregnancy at 35+!
The difficulty of conceiving naturally
The chances of conceiving decrease with age as eggs become scarcer and their quality degrades. If you’ve been trying for more than six months to get pregnant, Barza has two tools to help you find out for better family planning:
- if and when you ovulate;
- if the couple is fertile, ovarian function and sperm levels are optimal.
Genetic abnormalities in the foetus
The risk of having a child with certain genetic abnormalities increases with advancing maternal age (due to decreased egg quality).
Gestational hypertension and cardiovascular disease
These diseases affect both the health of the mother and the foetus.
Gestational diabetes
Women who become pregnant after the age of 35 are more likely to develop gestational diabetes. More information on this topic can be found in the article on the subject, which you can read HERE.
Risk of miscarriage or premature birth
The risk of premature birth increases with advancing maternal age, which can have consequences for the child’s development.
Other risks in pregnancy over 35
- the risk of obtaining a multiple pregnancy (caused by the implantation of several embryos);
- other unforeseen complications of labour requiring caesarean section.
Courage! All will be well in pregnancy over 35 years!
It is important to remember that most women who carry a pregnancy over 35 years of age go on to carry their babies to term and have healthy babies.
What’s more, a University of Southern California study shows that pregnancy after 35 improves a mother’s mental abilities. The results are directly related to the flow of hormones during pregnancy – estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones have been shown to improve brain chemistry and function, especially if the pregnancy occurred later in a woman’s life.
For the safety of you and your pregnancy, remember to make sure you get proper prenatal care and follow medical advice rigorously!