For last 15 years number of women who gave birth for the first time in the age between 30 and 39 years increased more than twice. For the same period number of women over 40, giving birth for the first time, increased 50%. 10 years ago a woman’s biological clock began sound the alarm, when she was 30. Today the first ring sounds somewhere in 35 or even after 40.

Why does this happen? One of the reasons – is more safety. Prenatal researches reduced women’s over 40 danger of giving birth to babies with genetic defects till the level of 20 y.o. girls. New methods of sterility treatment appeared, which women over 35 often suffer from. New achievements of medicine in the sphere of helping a future mother, suffering from chronic disease or in case of complicated passing of pregnancy, allowed women giving birth to normal, healthy babies.

Rather safe methods of contraception and such popular persons, like Hollywood actress Kim Basinger, who became a model exemplary, first gave birth being over 40, also contributed to popularization of an opinion “it’s never too late”. Now many women consider that they can delay giving birth to a baby without any risk for themselves till some certain time, and this means – until they receive education, reach success in carrier, strengthen their financial situation and find an appropriate soul mate.

Indeed, many women give birth lately not because they wish to. Late pregnancy can be a result of sterility, late entering into marriage or second marriage.

Which age is the best one for giving birth?

Although according medical prescriptions the best age for giving birth is between 20 and 24 years, many women feel that they are not emotionally ready for it in this age. For some women, whose childhood passed in 50-60ies, this age was rather a prolonged awkward age, than a beginning of adult life. Such shift means that women reach emotional maturity 10 years after peak of physical maturity. But nowadays a woman who became pregnant being 35 is not in a high-risk group already.

Really, if a woman over 35 is physically healthy, does not suffer from sterility, had no miscarriages, her chances to give birth to a normal, healthy baby are almost the same like a 20 y.o. girl has.

How to value a degree of risk?

Pregnancy after 35, of course, cannot be completely free from risk, but it is not so high, like you think, and in many cases it can be reduced to minimum. Not very young woman, who wishes to give birth for the first time, should remember following moments.

Firstly, it may be difficult for you to become pregnant. There is documental information that ability to give birth reduces after 35 years little by little.

Even not mentioning such negative factor, like premature menopause, this means that you can conceive in one day, and cannot in other. It may require 6-12 months from you, instead of 4, to conceive.

But greater danger, which traps an older woman that is pregnant for the first time is connected with giving birth to a baby with genetic defects, especially Down syndrome.

Statistics shows that for 40 y.o. woman a danger to give birth to a baby with Down syndrome is 9 times higher, than for 30 y.o. one. For 40 y.o. woman a probability of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome is less 1%. And, although risk increases with age, for 45 y.o. woman it is 3%, i.e. if looking from other side, a probability of giving birth to a healthy baby is 97%. Women over 35 have health complications during pregnancy more often, in particular this concerns diabetes and high blood pressure, which are peculiar to people of older age in general. About 6% of women over 35 suffer from such complications in comparison with 1,3% of younger ones.

Pages: 1 2