Most people over 40 have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. But there are some things you need to think about. You'll want to be sure to get good antenatal care.
Having a baby after 40 may give couples the chance to wait until they are more emotionally and financially prepared for parenthood. However, it can make it more difficult to get pregnant, as fertility declines with age. For women, in particular, fertility dramatically declines over the age of 40.
Is it possible to get pregnant naturally at 40? YES! While fertility does decline naturally as we age, starting around age 30, it is possible to become pregnant without fertility treatments after age 40.
By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
You're more likely to have a miscarriage if you're older. At age 40, 27% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage compared to 16% for those 30 or younger. C-section. If you're 40 or older, you're more likely to have a C-section delivery than a vaginal delivery.
Having Babies After 35 Is Safe
And while it's true that conceiving after 35 comes with an increased risk of complications—like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and even miscarriage or stillbirth—many people go on to deliver healthy babies.
Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels. The risk increases with the mother's age (1 in 1250 for a 25 year old mother to 1 in 1000 at age 31, 1 in 400 at age 35, and about 1 in 100 at age 40).
In your 40s you're far more likely to develop problems like high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy as well as placental problems and birth complications. You're at higher risk of a small or preterm baby.
By their mid-40s, customarily considered the likely end of childbearing years (though of course there are exceptions), about 1 in 7 (or 14 percent) never did have any kids.
More American women are becoming mothers later in life. For nearly 40 years straight, the proportion of American women giving birth at ages 40 to 44 was on a steady rise. That subsided in 2020 with the pandemic, when the overall birthrate in the United States dipped, but the rate among women in their late 40s grew.
Definition of geriatric pregnancy
We define advanced maternal age (formerly geriatric pregnancy) as those who are 35 years or older at their estimated delivery date. Historically, pregnancies at this age or older are considered at higher risk – for patient and fetus – for various reasons.
Of course, as women age, the odds of conceiving also gradually lower. The ideal childbearing age is often considered to be in the late 20s and early 30s.
If you're older than 35 and hoping to get pregnant, you're in good company. Many families are delaying pregnancy well into their 30s and beyond — and delivering healthy babies. Taking special care can help give your baby the best start.
Your risk for other complications increases
This is one of the reasons women over 40 are at higher risk for pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy, which can be life-threatening) and gestational diabetes (abnormally high blood sugar during pregnancy).
How many eggs does a woman have at 40? By the time a woman reaches 40, she'll be down to about 18,000 (3% of her pre-birth egg supply). Although the chances of conception are lower, this does not mean it is impossible to conceive at this age.
Women who are 35 years or older when they become pregnant are more likely to have a pregnancy affected by Down syndrome than women who become pregnant at a younger age.3-5However, the majority of babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers less than 35 years old, because there are many more births among younger women ...
Because the likelihood that an egg will contain an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases significantly as a woman ages, older women are much more likely than younger women to give birth to an infant with Down syndrome.
Down Syndrome rates increased over time among individuals who identify as Black, Hispanic, or AIAN, but not among white or Asian individuals. Whether accessing and navigating changes in Down syndrome testing is contributing to these disparities in outcomes needs further study.
While delivering at age 35 and older is officially considered “advanced maternal age,” Dr. Kalish notes that in reality, there's no “magic number” for being at-risk for complications. “A healthy 38-year-old could have an easier pregnancy than a 20-year-old who has multiple medical issues,” Dr. Kalish says.
Birth defects.
If you are age 35, the risk increases to 1 in 400. By age 45, it is 1 in 30.
You may have heard that a woman's risk for complications during pregnancy goes up after age 35. The fact is that most women in their 30s and 40s have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. To ensure a healthy pregnancy, you should do what any woman should do: Prepare for your baby with healthy lifestyle choices.