Pregnancy after 35

Most birthing parents who are over 35 are having healthy pregnancies, but as you age beyond your mid 30's there are some risks that do increase. if your an older birthing parent you can increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy but seeing your practitioner for checkups, eating well and getting plenty of exercise and rest.

Risks vary from birthing parent to birthing parent, some things are pre eclampsia and gestational diabetes are common but the greatest risks are infertility and miscarriage, your practitioner will want to follow you closely to catch most problems early, there are also tests to find out if your little one has genetic problems.

Most cases of Down syndrome pregnancies (and other chromosome problems) occur in older birthing parents. If birth defect testing is done in the early part of the second trimester, fetuses with birth defects are found in about:

1 out of 132 women age 35.

1 out of 83 women age 37.

1 out of 40 women age 40.

1 out of 12 women age 45.

Because the chances that your fetus will have a chromosome-related problem increase in your later 30s and 40s, your doctor or midwife will probably recommend a birth defects screening.

A. What is it called

First of all, you should know that a geriatric pregnancy is just a label that was created a long time ago and just never got changed. Today, more birthing parents than ever have babies after 35. According to the CDC, the number of birthing parents between the ages of 35 and 39 who had their first babies has increased in all racial groups.

In the past, practitioners used to describe pregnancies that happened in birthing parents over the age of 35 as “geriatric pregnancies.” Today, however, for obvious reasons, practitioners don’t use the term geriatric pregnancy anymore. Instead, when a birthing parent is pregnant over the age of 35, practitioners describe her as of “advanced maternal age.”

The rates of birthing parents having their first babies even in their 40s have actually doubled. The definition of a geriatric pregnancy is definitely changing as the trends of when birthing parents start their families evolve over time.

Because a birthing parent has the same eggs that they are born with their entire life, there is a higher risk of abnormalities during pregnancies that happen later in life. According to the BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, some of the risks of advanced maternal age during pregnancy include:

• premature birth

• low birth weight in the baby

• stillbirth

• chromosomal defects in the baby

• labor complications

• cesarean section

• high blood pressure in the mother, which can lead to a serious condition called preeclampsia, and an early birth for the little one

• gestational diabetes, which also increases the risk of diabetes later in life

B. Benefits to waiting until later in life to have a baby

Knowing that we have a ticking biological clock can be really scary. And it's true that the number of eggs birthing parent has decreases as we get older — and pregnancy over 35 comes with some additional risks of complications like hypertension or diabetes for you, or chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome for your little one. So it's always a good idea to consult with your doctor about your family-building plans, to make sure that you're making the right choice for your life and your health.

good news is that more and more research is revealing some surprising perks of being an older mom—for both mom and child.

and the 6 top ones are:

1. It may boost your brain power

While it may also be the benefit of less stress and the ability to gain more knowledge through schooling, studies show that having little ones later in life can make you mentally sharper as you age.

One study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society tested 830 middle-aged birthing parents to determine whether there was a link between having a baby at a later age and brain power. They found that the birthing parents who had their last child after the age of 35 had sharper cognition and verbal memory. They also found that the birthing parents who had their first child after the age of 24 were better at problem-solving than their peers who had children before age 24.

2. Your little one may have a reduced risk of injury

Of course, you're going to protect your little one as best you can, no matter your age. However, several studies point to the fact that a little one's risk of experiencing an unintentional injury that requires medical attention declines with increasing maternal age.

One study in particular, published in the British Medical Journal in 2012, found that at age three a little one's risk of unintentional injury declined from 36.6 percent for birthing parents aged 20, to 28.6 percent for birthing parents aged 40. Another more recent study out of Japan, which analyzed the risks of unintentional injuries and hospital admissions at 18 and 66 months according to maternal age, reached the same conclusion.

"Although the exact reasons for fewer injuries aren't known, it is clear that one health benefit of being born to an older mother is a decreased likelihood of experiencing an unintentional injury," says Patricia Salber, M.D., founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Doctor Weighs In.

3. You might be more prepared emotionally

There's an undoubted sense of maturity that comes along with age. (Just think about how much you've changed since your teens!) Research suggests that maturity plays a role in better parenting.

In a March 2017 study published in the journal European Journal of Development, Dutch researchers looked at the psychosocial development of two groups of children at ages 7, 11 and 15. One group was born to birthing parents older than 31 and the other was born to birthing parents younger than 31. When analyzing their psychosocial development, they were surprised to find that older birthing parents were less likely to scold or physically discipline their kids.

"Overall, the children of older birthing parents were better behaved, well socialized and emotionally healthy in their pre-teen years," says Salber. "In other words, older birthing parents' more relaxed parenting behaviors appear to have paid off for these youngsters."

4. Your little one is likely to be more tech-savvy and better educated

The longer you wait to have a little one, the more likely your little one will grow up understanding more advanced levels of technology.

"Children of older birthing parents benefit from the educational, technological and social progress that has been made during the years of delayed childbearing," says Kameelah Phillips, M.D., OB/GYN in New York City. "A Swedish study noted that when these advances are considered, children of older birthing parents tend to be healthier and more educated."

5. You might be more financially stable

Countless research backs the theory that health outcomes are often tied to how much money is in the bank. If you have the advantage of finishing up your degree and putting your time into developing your professional career, it only makes sense that you're more likely to earn a higher salary than a birthing parent who had a little one before establishing her career.

"Studies show that children of older mothers stay in the educational system longer, do better on standardized tests and are more likely to go to college than their peers born to young birthing parents," says Salber. "The effect of improved outcomes related to socioeconomic status likely affects the health outcomes of the offspring throughout their lives."

6. You may live even longer

"Some people think that having little ones late in life either means you won't have the energy to keep up with young kids or worse, you won't be around for their major life events, like getting married or having their own children," says Salber. "But research finds that this couldn't be farther from the truth."

In fact, a 2015 study published in Menopause found that women who have children after the age of 33 were twice as likely to live to age 95 compared to women who had their last child before age 30. And that's something worth considering!

C. Concerns that providers may have based on maternal age

If you're older than age 35 and hoping to get pregnant, you're in good company. Many birthing parents are delaying pregnancy well into their 30s and beyond — and delivering healthy little ones. Taking special care can help give your little one the best start.

Understanding the risks

The biological clock is a fact of life, but there's nothing magical about age 35. It's simply an age at which various risks become more discussion worthy. For example:

It might take longer to get pregnant. You're born with a limited number of eggs. As you reach your mid- to late 30s, your eggs decrease in quantity and quality. Also, older birthing parent's eggs aren't fertilized as easily as younger birthing parent's eggs. If you are older than age 35 and haven't been able to conceive for six months, consider asking your health care provider for advice.

You're more likely to have a multiple pregnancy. The chance of having twins increases with age due to hormonal changes that could cause the release of multiple eggs at the same time. The use of assisted reproductive technologies — such as in vitro fertilization — also can play a role.

You're more likely to develop gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes, which occurs only during pregnancy, is more common as women get older. Tight control of blood sugar through diet and physical activity is essential. Sometimes medication is needed, too. Left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause a little one to grow significantly larger than average — which increases the risk of injuries during delivery. Gestational diabetes can also increase the risk of premature birth, high blood pressure during pregnancy, and complications to your infant after delivery.

You're more likely to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. Research suggests high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy is more common in older birthing parents. Your health care provider will carefully monitor your blood pressure and your little one's growth and development. You will need more frequent obstetric appointments and you might need to deliver before your due date to avoid complications.

You're more likely to have a low birth weight little one and a premature birth. Premature little ones, especially those born earliest, often have complicated medical problems.

You might need a C-section. Older birthing parents have a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications that might lead to a C-section delivery. An example of a complication is a condition in which the placenta blocks the cervix (placenta previa).

The risk of chromosome abnormalities is higher. little ones born to older birthing parents have a higher risk of certain chromosome problems, such as Down syndrome.

The risk of pregnancy loss is higher. The risk of pregnancy loss — by miscarriage and stillbirth — increases as you get older, perhaps due to pre-existing medical conditions or fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Research suggests that the decrease in the quality of your eggs, combined with an increased risk of chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, could increase your risk of miscarriage. Ask your health care provider about monitoring your little one's well-being during the last weeks of pregnancy.

While further research is needed, studies suggest that men's ages at the time of conception — the paternal age — also might pose health risks for little ones.

D. Support/resources for pregnancy over 35

some good places for support is your public health unit, family center in Abbotsford, women's hospital, best beginnings, baby's best chance pregnancy outreach program and other dedicated maternity and labor and delivery midwives or ob-gyn's.