Late pregnancy: what are the risks?
Late pregnancies are in vogue. More and more women are consciously opting for late maternal happiness. However, this is not always without problems and can also be associated with risks.
Celebrities lead the way: Madonna had her first child at the age of 38, Carla Bruni at 43 and the US actress Geena Davis became a mother for the first time at the age of 45. What used to be an exception is now in vogue. Although the ideal age for pregnancy is between 20 and 35 years, more and more women are consciously opting for a late pregnancy.
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ToggleWhy do women choose late pregnancy?
How did this trend come about and why are more and more women consciously opting for a late pregnancy? The reasons for late pregnancy can be many:
- Career: Late motherhood is often related to a woman’s career opportunities. Many women stand between a career and the desire to have children and initially opt for their vocational training in order to be financially independent.
- Search for a suitable partner: Many women have long been looking for someone with whom they can imagine a committed relationship. The current trend is that solid partnerships are concluded later and later. Therefore, older women are more likely to be in a stable partnership.
- Methods of artificial insemination: While the probability of becoming pregnant between the ages of 20 and 25 is about 30 percent, the chance for women over 40 is only five percent. With the methods of artificial insemination, however, there are medical possibilities that can enable a woman to become pregnant even in old age with reduced fertility. Get an overview of the methods of artificial insemination here.
- Experience of life: Many women do not feel mature enough at a young age to have a child and therefore want to gain some life experience. Late mothers often have a greater wealth of experience, from which the child can usually only benefit.
Late pregnancy equals high-risk pregnancy?
Late pregnancy can come with some risks. For this reason, pregnancies from the age of 35 are automatically classified as a “high-risk pregnancy” in thematernity record. In general, a distinction is made between atheoreticaland anactualrisk. The age of the expectant mother is therefore only considered a theoretical risk, which can be accompanied by complications, but does not have to. However, many women still perceive this categorization as threatening. However, a high-risk pregnancy does not necessarily mean that complications must occur. A woman over 35 who is healthy and fit can basically give birth to a healthy child just as easily as a premature mother.
Possible risks of pregnancies over 35
Late mothers are nevertheless monitored more intensively by medical care, as the following risks usually exist to an increased extent:
- Risk of premature birth: The older the woman, the older her eggs. The ageing of the eggs can mean a chromosomal change that can result in a lack of fertilization, a lack of implantation or a miscarriage. Accordingly, premature births occur more often in late-term mothers, statistically speaking. According to a survey by Koller, which was modeled by Leidenberger in 1998, the probability of premature birth at the age of 20-24 years is about seven percent, while it is 17 percent from the age of 35. Find out more aboutpremature birth here.
- Risk of chromosomal abnormality: Chromosomal disorders in the child occur to an increased extent in late-term mothers. The best known is trisomy 21, the so-called Down syndrome. This is a congenital genetic defect in which chromosome 21 occurs not just two, but three times. According to a survey from the “Journal of the American Medical Association” in 1983, the probability of a woman giving birth to a child with Down syndrome is 1:1400 at the age of 20-24 years, 1:85 at the age of 40 and even 1:25 from the age of 45.
- Risk of gestational diabetes: According to the “Nurses Health Study” (Solomon 1997), in which 15,000 pregnant women were tested, the age of the woman giving birth is considered a risk factor for the occurrence of gestational diabetes. Because while the probability of gestational diabetes in an under 25-year-old is just one percent, it is 6.5 percent in women from 35 upwards. Age is a risk factor in that the effect of insulin diminishes. During pregnancy, the body needs about twice as much of the body’s insulin as usual. If a pregnant woman can not cover this additional need, it comes to gestational diabetes. The blood sugar level is then pathologically elevated, which many do not notice. Therefore, it is advisable to have a diabetes blood test done by the gynecologist. However, this is not covered by every health insurance company. Gestational diabetes is not permanent. After birth, the metabolism usually regulates itself. Learn more aboutgestational diabetes here.
- Risk of high blood pressure: Since the ability of the vessels to adapt to blood pressure often decreases with increasing age, women who become pregnant beyond the age of 30 develop high blood pressure much more often during pregnancy. This can lead to health problems such asgestosisorpraeclampsia. However, the affected women usually do not notice high blood pressure, so that the disease is usually only noticed during routine check-ups. Often a lack of nutrients is the cause behind it. However, this deficiency can be remedied by a balanced diet. Stress can also cause blood levels to skyrocket. Stressful situations should therefore be avoided as much as possible.
If high blood pressure is a chronic pre-existing condition, this is by no means an obstacle to pregnancy. Women who have high blood pressure, however, are then subject to precise medical care. Find out more abouthigh blood pressure in pregnancy here.
As you can see, the note high-risk pregnancy does not mean that there must necessarily be complications. The entry in the maternity record is only intended to guarantee that the attending physician carries out the routine check-ups more carefully than for premature mothers and pays special attention to certain risk factors.