Secrets about pregnancy after 40 - what are the risks and how to minimize them

Secrets about pregnancy after 40 - what are the risks and how to minimize them

Becoming pregnantafter the age of 40 is definitely not as shocking today as it was for years ago. Actually, many women find they are more ready for becoming a mother after they have accomplished their own goals and are prepared to commit themselves to a child.

However, there are more risks associated with pregnancy after 40 that are not as common with younger women. The information in this article will make it easier for you to evaluate the risks associated with pregnancy after the age of 40.

Generally, doctors say that the risk associated with pregnancy will increase after the age of 35. These risks include genetic disorders, stillbirths, miscarriages, diabetes, high blood pressure, among others. The risk listed will increase even more for each year after age 35.

With the knowledge today concerning medical technology, prenatal care, and well educated doctors women have the best opportunity ever to get pregnant and have a successful pregnancy after 40 years of age. However, there are still risks which women in this age range should be aware of.

One risk many women after the age of 40 are most worried about is genetic disorders. When women ages her entire body does as well, this also concerns her eggs. Down Syndrome is offend results from an older women's egg. The reason is it simply not dividing like it might have when the woman was younger.

But hey, if you are over 40 and you want to have a child you should not let the slightly higher risk of genetic disorders or birth defects scare you. Pregnancy after the age 35 has a risk of 1 in 365 of having a child with Down's Syndrome. That risk increases to 1 in 100 for woman over 40 years of age and approximately to 1 in 40 for women over 45 years of age. Pregnancy it self has a risk of about 3% to have a child with a birth defect. This percentage more than doubles for women over 40, but still the 6-8% risk is still relatively low.

These statistics are off course pretty scary to women who are 40 years or older but want to pregnant. However, out of 100 babies only one baby has Down's Syndrome there are still 99 other babies that are perfect.

One of the best things you can do is visiting your doctor before you become pregnant. Your doctor will advise you of your risks and help you with a plan to reduce the risks. This includes eating healthy, exercising, treating any current diseases or disorders, and simply being as healthy as possible before you decide to become pregnant.

At that point you and your body will be better prepared to having a baby. Your pregnancy will go smoother, and you will off course more than likely have a perfectly healthy baby.

There are tests that can be performed early in the pregnancy to decide if your baby has a higher chance of having a genetic disorder or birth defect as well. As long as you work together with your doctor and have prenatal care you will more than likely have a good pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy baby. Pregnancy after 40 is more and more common and should not scare you, enjoy you still has the opportunity.

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