The risks of miscarriage and stillbirth are higher in people who are older than 35. Also, multiple pregnancy is more common when you are older. As the ovaries age, they are more likely to release more than one egg each month. Some fertility treatments also increase the chance of a multiple pregnancy.
After the age of 40, there's an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes and preeclampsia during pregnancy. Older maternal age has also been found to lead to a higher risk of premature births and emergency C-sections. Chromosomal genetic disorders are also more likely to develop when a person is older.
Even with all the understandable talk of “windows of opportunity” and “biological clocks,” there are ways for women over 35 to make motherhood a reality. Infertility treatments can be difficult and expensive, but fertility specialists can talk with you about options. Age is less of a limitation than it used to be.
Rest assured, most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies. That doesn't mean you shouldn't think about smart ways to make sure you and your baby stay as healthy as possible during your pregnancy.
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.
But later-in-life pregnancies can also affect the health of your baby, even if you don't have any health conditions. If you get pregnant at 40, you'll have a higher risk of: A higher birth weight of your baby. One study found that the risk of macrosomia (or a higher birth weight of your baby) goes up with age.
A pregnancy that begins after age 35 is classified as a high-risk pregnancy because the risk of complications is higher, not inevitable. Many of the problems that occur with pregnancies after age 35 are related to health conditions that occur more often as you age.
A woman's risk for general health issues and pregnancy-related health issues gradually increases every year — and there's not much difference between 34 and 35. However, 35 is the age at which medical research indicates that risk factors related to pregnancy merit some more discussion.
This is because, between the ages of 30 and 40 years, a woman's chance of conceiving per cycle fall from approximately 20% to just 5%.
Older women are more likely to have a baby with a chromosome disorder such as Down syndrome. If you are age 25, the chance of Down syndrome is about 1 in 1,250. If you are age 35, the risk increases to 1 in 400.
As you get closer to 40, it's biologically more difficult to get pregnant and you may have a higher risk of miscarriage, chromosomal issues, and other pregnancy complications. But most women in their 30s will get pregnant with little trouble.
Some studies show that while there is a higher risk of pregnancy problems in older women, their babies may not have more problems than babies of younger women. This is more likely when women get prenatal care and give birth in a healthcare facility ready to care for high-risk mothers and 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). However, 80% of babies with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35 years.
1 Yes, your odds of conception at 33 are not as good as they were at 28. At around age 37, fertility starts to decline at a much more rapid pace. Research has found that in any given month your chances of getting pregnant at age 30 are about 20%. Compare that to your odds at age 40, which are just 5%.
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.
A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. 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.
The chance of having a child with Down syndrome increases over time. The risk is about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25. It increases to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40. The risks may be higher.
Those women who have late menopause and they have babies early and often have babies without difficulty, well into their early to mid 40s, but it's rare for any population you study that women have successful pregnancies after 45 with any kind of frequency.
The researchers found that women who had live births had telomeres that were an average of 4.2 percent shorter than their counterparts with no children. This equates to around 11 years of accelerated cellular aging, said Anna Pollack, an epidemiologist at George Mason University and the lead researcher of the study.
Babies Born to Older Parents
Babies born to parents over 40 have a higher risk of genetic conditions like Down syndrome. 3 Children may also face health issues related to an increased risk of premature birth, fetal growth restriction (slower growth during gestation), and fetal macrosomia (high birth weight).