It used to be normal to have children at a young age.
Nowadays, many women want to have both feet firmly in life first before starting a family.
This may be because they want to realize their professional goals first.
Others may not have found the right partner yet.
If they have been putting off pregnancy, they may now be hearing their biological clock ticking. The likelihood of getting pregnant actually decreases with age. This is due to the number of eggs decreasing.
However, it does not mean that the late-in-life wanted child cannot do as well as the child of a young mother.
Getting pregnant at 40 is possible, but the risk of miscarriage and genetic defects increases.
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Table of contents
Pregnant Beyond 30 – A Healthy Pregnancy Is Possible!
More and more women are making a conscious decision not to have their first child until after 30.
Studies show that mothers who have children late in life are also more relaxed in dealing with them. They already have life experience, are usually more independent, more self-confident and also better off financially. All these factors can contribute to a relaxed pregnancy, as stress and worry can affect the unborn child. Maybe at 40 you are no longer as physically fit as a young mother, yet you have something ahead of you.
Namely, the psychological strength it takes to raise a child.
So, are the terms “late childbearing” and “high-risk pregnancy” superfluous, or are there still risk factors of late pregnancy that should be considered despite advancing medical technology?
Risks Of Late Pregnancy
Fertility
A woman’s fertility slowly declines at age 30. A woman’s chances of becoming pregnant in her 40s are 40 to 50 percent within a year, while a woman in her thirties has up to a 75 percent chance of becoming a mother in the same period.
With increasing age, the percentage decreases further, which is why it becomes very unlikely to become pregnant again naturally after the age of 45.
However, there is still the possibility of artificial insemination.
Risks During Pregnancy
Pregnancy after the age of 40 is more likely to lead to complications, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The risk of miscarriage increases to 34%, so about one in three pregnancies ends in miscarriage. By age 45, the likelihood of miscarriage rises as high as 53%, so one in two pregnancies ends unintended. In comparison, by the age of 30, only one in ten pregnancies ends in miscarriage.
In addition to the increased risk of miscarriage, there is also an increased likelihood that the child will have a genetic defect and be born with trisomy 21, for example. This is due to the age of the eggs, which are not newly formed, but are always as old as the woman.
Risks For The Child
If one becomes a mother only at the age of 40 or older, the children have a higher risk of genetic defects, or may themselves suffer from high blood pressure, for example.
However, one should not overdramatize the frequency of diseases that occur, even young mothers can give birth to children who are not healthy.
Late Fatherhood
While the woman also has to deal with a decreasing number of eggs as she gets older, the man’s sperm keep forming.
However, age can affect the number, quality, and motility of these and thus stand in the way of wanting to have a child.
However, you can improve sperm quality with a healthy diet, exercise and, for example, abstaining from nicotine.
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Conclusion
The age of the woman can definitely be a risk factor, but it should not be overestimated either. It is important to remain realistic about the possibility of having a child of your own. If you don’t wait too long, the chances are better, because at 40 you still have a better prognosis than at 45.
So, with all the predicted complications, a natural, relaxed pregnancy is definitely possible.
However, the physical and mental condition of the woman plays a much more important role, as is shown by all the mothers who still have children at over 40.
With continuous prenatal care, nothing stands in the way of late maternal happiness.
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