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There are many reasons why you may not have a child until the age of forty. You may have married at a later age or focused on your career before having a family. In most cases, however, the decision – or surprise – of pregnancy after forty is the result of having a rather large family that continues to grow.
Whatever the reason, you should know that pregnancy after forty is no big deal. With today’s advances in medicine, increased health care and the increasingly common nature of the phenomenon, pregnancy after forty is actually becoming routine. However, while there’s nothing to be afraid of, there are many things you should be aware of before going through with a pregnancy at this point in your life.
If you’re pregnant after forty with your first child, your risks are going to be much higher than if you’ve had previous children. In fact, if you have a large family and are simply adding one more to the brood, you probably won’t have any complications at all. However, you should still take extra precautions with your health.
If this will be your first child, you may have complications that other pregnancies wouldn’t normally involve. However, you can avoid or prepare for most of these conditions by simply taking care of yourself and following your doctor’s advice. You can be sure that your doctor will keep a closer eye on you than if you were going through pregnancy in your twenties.
In most cases, your doctor will likely order more frequent sonograms and examinations when you’re pregnant after forty. You may also undergo additional testing, such as amniocentesis to ensure that your baby is healthy. There are other conditions which may affect your health that your doctor will address with you as well.
For example, pregnancy after forty comes with a much higher risk for excessive weight gain or gestational diabetes, also known as high blood sugar. These can be avoided by making sure you eat a healthy diet for you and your baby. Your doctor may suggest that you visit with a nutritionist to help you plan a healthy and satisfying diet and exercise regimen for your pregnancy.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, may also be a concern. It’s important that as your pregnancy progresses that you maintain a level of rest and a stress-free environment to avoid this condition and the complications that can result from it. If family, friends or anyone else is unsupportive of your late pregnancy, avoid those negative influences to negate the side effects of stress on you and your baby.
Finally, you should be aware that the risk of miscarriage and premature birth are heightened when you become pregnant after age forty. Don’t let this scare you, but rather discuss with your doctor the typical causes of these complications and what you can do to avoid them. You may be required to go on bed rest during the later part of your pregnancy, or your baby may come a few weeks prematurely. This isn’t necessarily a big deal medically, but you, your partner and your employer will need to be aware of this possibility and plan accordingly.
Many women today are waiting later and later to start a family. Women over 40 trying to get pregnant face medical risks with their age. Special precautions, however, can be taken to increase chances of conception and ensure a healthy pregnancy.
Getting Pregnant
It's more difficult to conceive after 40, and the miscarriage rate increases with both maternal and paternal age, says Michelle Collins, a certified nurse midwife and an assistant professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville.
"My first and only child was conceived after only one month at age 39," says Sue Patton of Basking Ridge,N.J. "Now I'm 43, and I'm having problems conceiving. I've had three miscarriages in the last year, which I'm told is typical at this age."
The miscarriage rate is about 12 percent in women less than 20 years old, and increases to 26 percent in women older than 40, who are at "an advanced maternal age," Collins says. "For women over 35, there is a higher incidence of chromosomal abnormalities; the body's ability to recognize these in an embryo results in the higher miscarriage rate."
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