What you need to know:
- Pregnancy can still occur at age 35+ as long as you have not experienced menopause.
- Apart from decreasing fertility levels, getting pregnant at an old age also has a high risk of experiencing pregnancy complications.
Effect of age on female fertility
As you get older, the number of egg cells will decrease and their quality will also decrease. In general, a woman is born with the number of egg cells she will have throughout her life.
Over time as ovulation occurs, the number of available eggs will decrease.
Quoting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), women under 30 years of age have an 85% chance of getting pregnant within one year. At the age of 30 years, a woman's fertility will begin to decline to 75%. By the age of 35, that possibility decreases to 66%. Finally, at age 40, the chance of getting pregnant within a year is only 44%.
If you want to get pregnant, you are advised to undergo intensive fertility treatment such as IVF.
Risk of complications during late pregnancy
Complications of late pregnancy are not only felt by the mother who is pregnant, but also by the baby she is carrying. Complications that often occur in mothers who are pregnant at an old age include the risk of pregnancy outside the womb (ectopic pregnancy), gestational diabetes, hypertension. Meanwhile, complications in unborn babies include the risk of miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities, congenital abnormalities, autism, prematurity and intrauterine fetal death.
In this regard, pregnancy at an older age also increases the possibility that pregnant women will have to give birth by Caesarean section.
Apart from complications for the fetus, pregnant women are also at risk of experiencing health problems, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, placenta previa and preeclampsia.
Tips for a healthy pregnancy in old age
With careful planning, a healthy lifestyle, and proper treatment under the supervision of a doctor, the possibility of complications will be minimized. Follow these tips to have a healthy pregnancy in old age:
- Reduce stress and get enough sleep.
- Make sure you consume sufficient folic acid and other supplements to prevent fetal abnormalities.
- Adopt a healthy diet and do regular light exercise.
- Have regular check-ups with your obstetrician.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Detect fetal abnormalities as early as possible.
References
Advanced Maternal Age (Geriatric Pregnancy): Definition & Risks . (2022, February 28). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22438-advanced-maternal-age
Delbaere, I., Verbiest, S., & Tydén, T. (2020). Knowledge about the impact of age on fertility: a brief review. Upsala journal of medical sciences , 125 (2), 167–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/03009734.2019.1707913
Having a Baby After Age 35: How Aging Affects Fertility and Pregnancy . (nd). ACOG. Accessed July 8, 2024, from https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/having-a-baby-after-age-35-how-aging-affects-fertility-and-pregnancy
Veenstra, J., Cohen, Z., Korteweg, F.J., van der Ham, D.P., Kuppens, S.M., Kroese, JA, Hermsen, B.B., Kamphuis, M.M., Vanhommerig, J.W., & van Pampus, M.G. (2024). Unplanned cesarean sections in Advanced maternal age: A predictive model. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 103(5), 927–937. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.14765