How to get pregnant after 35. Pregnancy and age. Does age affect conception? When is the best time to give birth

Pregnancy at any age requires responsibility, especially if this is the first pregnancy at 35 years old. The opinions of doctors in matters relating to the optimal age of the woman in labor often differ. And yet, in recent years, there has been a growing number of women who decide to give birth to children at a later age.

Possible difficulties

The risk of a difficult course of gestation and the development of fetal pathology is present at any age. But this is not a reason to refuse the opportunity to experience the happy feeling of motherhood.

An important and decisive factor is the psychological side of the issue, because by the age of 30, many women are already quite independent in terms of material and career growth. In a woman at this age, maternal instinct begins to manifest, but someone thinks that it is no longer possible to get pregnant after 30 years.

Is it possible to get pregnant at 35? Doctors believe that the optimal age for childbirth is 20-30 years, this is due to female physiology. However, even at 35, childbirth is successful if certain preparation methods are taken.

The female body is capable of childbearing as long as certain hormones and collagen are produced. Thanks to collagen, muscles are strengthened, the skin becomes more elastic, and the body as a whole is rejuvenated.

Advantages and disadvantages

As a rule, planning a pregnancy at the age of 35 already speaks of the consciousness of future parents. A married couple discusses in advance the issue of the birth of a future baby.

There are pros and cons of being pregnant at 35.

The benefits include:

1. responsibility;
2. the presence of a family;
3. financial savings;
4. career growth.

In adulthood, the relationship between husband and wife becomes more stable and calmer. So, the child will grow in perfect harmony. Despite these advantages, the birth of a child after 35 years of age has its drawbacks.

What are the difficulties of pregnancy after 35 years:

• toxicosis from the beginning to the end of gestation;
• acute or chronic lack of fetal oxygen;
• premature discharge of fetal water;
• premature detachment of the placenta;
• insufficient divergence of the hip bones;
• risk of ectopic pregnancy, high miscarriage rate;
• placental problems and bleeding;
• premature or premature fetus.

Complications during pregnancy can appear at any age, so it is important to prepare yourself for childbirth. But after the age of 35, the risk of various complications increases, as more bad habits and chronic diseases appear with age. Also, with age, the state of health worsens, so it becomes harder to cope with the direct duties of the mother.

Preparation

How to get pregnant after 35? Preparing for conception helps to avoid complications associated with age. The doctor will prescribe tests that identify possible health problems. If the woman is healthy and there are no contraindications for childbirth, the doctor will give the necessary recommendations for further pregnancy planning.

Preparing for pregnancy is necessary as follows:

1. give up alcohol and smoking;
2. do physical exercises regularly;
3. maintain proper nutrition;
4. observe the daily routine;
5. walk at least two hours a day;
6. avoid stressful situations;
7. monitor the norm of weight;
8. make all vaccinations prescribed by the attending physician;
9. attend courses for expectant mothers.

Medicine today has stepped far forward, so any woman with an established menstrual cycle has a chance to give birth. The main thing is to listen to the characteristics of your body.

The chances of IVF at 35 years old are 33.9%, making happy motherhood possible at this age.

How to prepare for pregnancy after 35? The main preparation at this age is the examination and implementation of all doctor's recommendations.

Second child

However, a woman's body after 35 years of age needs additional medications. Vitamins for men 35 years old also contribute to the early conception.

What to take to get pregnant after 35 years:

• folic acid;
• Multivitamins;
• potassium iodide;
• Iron preparations.

Why is it difficult to get pregnant after 35? As women get older, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant, especially if this is the first child. After the age of 35, egg production decreases, blood flow to the ovaries decreases, hormones change, ovulation is disrupted, and more health problems appear.

Second births have a risk of passing on their diseases to the baby. There is a possibility of having a child with Down syndrome. A second pregnancy after 35 years of age can lead to the unwanted complications described above, but this does not mean that you need to give up the opportunity to become a mother. Getting pregnant after 35 years with a second child is not only possible, but also necessary, because during gestation the cells in the body are updated, the woman begins to feel younger.

third child

A third pregnancy at 35 has many benefits, such as experience. Parents already know how to raise a child. And also they are more calm about the various pranks of the baby.

If the previous birth was recent, then the risk of having a child with injuries decreases, since the birth canal and pelvic muscles are already prepared for childbirth.

There are risks of pregnancy both up to 35 years and after. Therefore, this fact should not prevent a married couple from becoming happy parents. Everyone gives birth to children at the age when they are ready for this serious step.

Today, modern medicine can help any woman give birth, the main thing is to have a desire. After all, age is not a hindrance, but just a small nuance. If you start to be examined in time and follow all the instructions of the attending physician, then soon the couple will hear children's laughter in their apartment.

Many women today appear to be trying to conceive after the age of 35. This opportunity can be full of joy, and riddled with new questions. Despite the difficulties, many women in their thirties and forties successfully conceive a child.

What problems exist for conception after 35 years?

The most common cause is an age-related decline in fertility, and ovulation occurs less frequently. As women age, they begin to experience random cycles of not releasing an egg. The quality and quantity of eggs also declines in the 30s and 40s.

Other causes of difficulty conceiving after age 35 include:

An infection or surgery that has caused scar tissue around the fallopian tubes or cervix

endometriosis

Uterine fibroids or any disorders

Decreased cervical fluid

Chronic health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes

Miscarriage is also more common in women over 35 years of age. This is often caused by an increase in the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities. Women aged 35-45 have a 20-35% chance of miscarriage.

How can you increase your chance of conception after 35?

Trying to conceive after 35 may seem unrealistic, but there are many things you can do to make getting pregnant easier. Here are some things you should remember:

Schedule before conception, appointment. You and your healthcare provider can review your medical history, current medications, and overall lifestyle. This gives you the opportunity to seek any help for trying to conceive after age 35.

Women over 35 take longer to conceive. The average time women over 35 take to conceive is 1-2 years, so try to stay positive if you don't get pregnant right away.

A woman who is physically, mentally and emotionally healthy is more likely to have no problems. Alcohol, smoking and caffeine can negatively affect fertility. Being overweight, or underweight, can also affect fertility by affecting hormonal functions.

Observing your fertility organs can tell you a lot about your body. Recording your basal body temperature and cervical fluid can help you determine the best time to have sex when trying to conceive. These fertility signs can also show if you are ovulating regularly. A gynecological exam will also help you identify the signs and symptoms of pregnancy.

Consideration is being given to taking a pregnancy screening test at home.

See your doctor if you haven't gotten pregnant after 6 months of purposeful labor. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss testing options.

And when this happy moment happens, your spouse should think about delivering flowers to your home.

The birth of a child after 35 years is the most common thing today, you will not surprise anyone. However, in medical language, such childbirth is called "late". Does this “late” pregnancy have specific risks? Do I need to prepare for it somehow? What complications can arise? Marina BLINOVA, obstetrician-gynecologist of the 1st qualification category, Novosibirsk Center for Reproductive Medicine, GC "Mother and Child" tells , Ultrasound Specialist.

Conception after 35 years

Over the past 25 years, the number of women who have become mothers over the age of 35 has increased by 90%. If fifteen years ago, twenty-five-year-old women in childbirth were called the unpleasant word "old-timer", today the "late" age has shifted to 35.

Expert comment

More and more women are postponing childbirth until a later age. This is due to economic and social prerequisites: financial security, housing, stable work and career, the presence of a permanent partner. Such a decision is often advocated not only by women themselves, but also by their employers.

” - For example, Microsoft pays its employees to cryopreserve germ cells and store them until the age of 35.

It is important to understand: after 35 years, a decrease in reproductive function begins in the female body, the number of eggs decreases. Several cycles a year a woman can do without , and the older the woman, the more often her ovaries arrange a "vacation" for themselves. Therefore, after 35-40 years, the chances of a quick conception are reduced.

Expert comment

With age, natural physiological changes occur, associated with the gradual extinction of the reproductive function, despite the regular menstrual cycle. At a later age, infertility testing should begin after six months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child. Particular attention is paid to the assessment of ovarian reserve according to ultrasound and hormonal profile. It is better to conduct an examination in a specialized clinic with a specialist dealing with reproductive health issues - a reproductologist.

Carrying a pregnancy after 35

Fundamentally, carrying a pregnancy after 35 is no different from this process at any other age. But, the older the woman, the higher the likelihood of miscarriage - spontaneous miscarriage.

Expert comment

It has been statistically proven that the percentage of spontaneous miscarriages increases with age. Among the main causes of miscarriage are:

• an increased risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities,
• acquired gynecological diseases,
• concomitant diseases, mainly of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.

Of particular note is the original quality of germ cells, both women and men. With age, the risk of chromosomal pathology increases, therefore, from the first weeks, supervision by an experienced doctor and, possibly, hospitalization is necessary to maintain pregnancy at a critical time. Mandatory : biochemical markers of chromosomal pathology and ultrasound, according to indications, in the presence of an increased risk of fetal pathology, invasive diagnostics is performed.

The risk of chromosomal abnormalities during pregnancy after 35 years

The risk of genetic pathology in the fetus exists with any pregnancy, but the risk increases with age. That's why (ultrasound diagnostics and a set of laboratory tests) are strongly recommended to all pregnant women over 35 years of age.

Expert comment

Age is a significant factor that increases the risk of chromosomal pathology in itself. At age 40, the risk of having a child with Down syndrome is 1:100. Consideration should be given to prenatal screening. It consists of two stages and is based on biochemical markers and ultrasound data, which makes it possible to identify a high-risk group for carrying out .

Multiple pregnancy and maternal age

” Age pregnancy has an unusual feature - along with the age of the mother, the likelihood of twins (especially identical ones) increases.

K 40 possibility reaches a maximum and then begins to decrease.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of first births among women between the ages of 30 and 39 has more than doubled in the last 15 years. During the same period, the number of women over 40 who give birth for the first time increased by 50%. Ten years ago, a woman's biological clock began to ring alarmingly when she was 30. Today, the first call sounds somewhere in 35 years or even after forty.

As a result, the bar that limits the age of women in childbirth has risen so much? One reason is greater security. Antenatal research has reduced the risk of women in their forties having children with genetic abnormalities to the level of risk in their twenties. There are new treatments for infertility, which is more common in women over 35 years of age. New advances in medicine in the field of helping expectant mothers suffering from a chronic illness or in the event of a difficult pregnancy have allowed women to give birth to normal, healthy children. Now many women believe that they can safely postpone the birth of a child until a certain time, which for many means until they receive an education, achieve success in their professional activities, strengthen their financial situation and find a suitable life partner.

In fact, many women, against their will, give birth to children late. Late pregnancy may be due to infertility, late marriage, remarriage, or simply "the way things happened."

What is the best age to give birth

Although it is considered medically best to give birth between the ages of 20 and 24, many women feel that they are emotionally unprepared at that age. For some women (and men) whose childhood was in the 50s and 60s, this age was more of a protracted transitional age than the beginning of adulthood. This shift means that women reach emotional maturity 10 years after peak physical maturity. But in reality, the "old primiparous" is not what she, by definition, should be. Even in the medical literature, the term appears less and less frequently. These days, a 35-year-old pregnant woman does not automatically fall into the high-risk group. One less cause for concern.

Indeed, if a woman over 35 is physically healthy, not infertile, and has not had a miscarriage, her chances of giving birth to a normal, healthy child are almost the same as those of a twenty-year-old, as confirmed by the results of a study of 3917 women who gave birth at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. This study, by Gertrude Berkowitz, contradicts previous studies that found that older women are more likely to give birth prematurely, have weaker babies more often, die more often, or become ill.

“Proper assessment of real risk can help older nulliparous women reduce stress during pregnancy, which often leads to complications during childbirth,” says Christiane Northrup, MD, gynecologist. - Worst of all, if you, a healthy woman, are classified as high-risk women in labor, because the term itself can have a negative effect on you. Each emotion is accompanied by changes in the biochemistry of the body. If you think you are sick, you may actually get sick."

How to assess the degree of risk

Pregnancy after 35, of course, cannot be completely free of risk, but it is not as great as you think, and in many cases it can be minimized. Here are some points to consider for a not too young woman if she wants to give birth for the first time.

First, it can be difficult to get pregnant. There is documented evidence that after the age of 35, the ability to bear children gradually decreases. But it must be borne in mind that it decreases gradually. Even if you do not take into account such an unfavorable factor as premature menopause, this means that you can conceive one day and cannot conceive the next. It may take 6-12 months to conceive instead of four.

But the big danger that lies in wait for an older primiparous woman is associated with the birth of a child with genetic abnormalities, especially with Down syndrome. Statistics show that a 40-year-old woman is nine times more likely to have a child with Down syndrome than a 30-year-old woman. For a 40-year-old woman, the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is less than 1%. And, although the risk increases with age, in a 45-year-old woman it is 3%, that is, if you look at it from the other side, the probability of having a healthy child is 97%.

Women over 35 are more likely than younger women to experience health complications during pregnancy, especially diabetes and high blood pressure, which are common in older people. These complications occur in about 6 percent of women over 35 compared to 1.3 percent in younger women. Statistically, older women also have an increased risk of pregnancy complications, including placental abruption and fetal abnormalities, which require medical attention and can have very serious consequences for the health of both mother and child. The chance of miscarriage also increases. Childbirth can be more difficult and protracted, and this, with the current prevalence of caesarean section, is the main indication for it. However, on average, the duration of labor in late births exceeded the duration of labor in young people by only 45 minutes.

There is also an increased likelihood - simply because of the longer time spent on this planet - that an older woman has been exposed to potentially harmful environmental toxicants. For women over 35 years of age, there is an increased risk of problems associated with endometriosis and fibroids, which can affect fertility and the course of pregnancy.

But all these kinds of dangers can be minimized if a woman, who is likely to carefully plan her pregnancy, prepares herself physically for the upcoming pregnancy in advance. The organs of the fetus are formed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and at this time the fetus is most vulnerable, doctors say, so if you eat right before you get pregnant, give up cigarettes and alcohol, caffeine and drugs, take vitamins and exercise By exercising, you will increase your chances of having an easy and good pregnancy and having a healthy baby. But pregnancy is not the time to start exercising, doctors warn. You need to physically prepare yourself for the upcoming before you become pregnant, then it will be easier for you to cope with problems if they arise.

If the doctor is overly concerned

If such continuous surveillance causes suspicion and even anxiety among expectant mothers of the older age group, then partly it is partly the fault of the doctor who has been taught that such pregnant women are at high risk.

A number of studies suggest that this obstetric concern is, at least in part, leading to more caesarean sections in women over 35 years of age compared to younger women. “Generations of obstetricians have been taught that age is a risk factor. If a woman is about forty and she will give birth for the first time, at the first sign of a problem, the doctor begins to act. He hurries to intervene. Unfortunately, previous studies of older women of childbearing age cannot be fully trusted. Once upon a time, women of this age either already had many children, and their health was not all right, they were already “worn out”, or they were women who for a long time - maybe the last 15 years - tried to get pregnant, but they had miscarriages."

More recent studies have focused on women who are more in line with today's demographics: these women tend to be middle-class, well-educated, and have their first child, not their tenth child. If the factor of infertility is removed from this picture, then women of older childbearing age and their younger sisters do not differ too much from each other.

The right time

It becomes quite obvious that late motherhood has a number of advantages. When the researchers asked a group of mothers who had children around the age of 20 to answer the question of whether they would give birth so early if they could make a new decision, more than half of them answered no. When the same question was asked to a group of parents who had children in their 30s or 40s, almost all of them said that they considered the time they chose for having children to be absolutely correct.

Women who are in no hurry to have children are the best prepared for bearing and raising children. It has been proven that older women during pregnancy do not suffer from ambivalence of feelings and are less likely to experience internal conflicts. They are much more inclined to look at pregnancy as a blessing from God, and not because they could not give birth earlier. With age and experience comes knowledge of who you are and what you want.

Pregnancy in later years usually occurs at a time of deep reflection, the decision is made by two mature people with a lot of life experience. Depending on the age, spouses may see it as a “last chance” and therefore accept it as a precious gift of fate.

The study showed that a late child especially means a lot to the mother; a woman at this age is less prone to stress, more open and interested in learning new things than young mothers. A late baby comes into the world as an invaluable gift for a woman who knows what she wants.

A study was conducted that compared the feelings of primiparous mothers of different ages; found that older women experienced less distress during pregnancy than very young women, despite an increased risk of giving birth to a child with genetic abnormalities, despite the fact that the child is likely to change her habitual life more. Older women, most of whom married later, according to researchers, due to their age, are more likely to become more confident, independent, feel better, and this improves their mood during pregnancy. Although with the approach of childbirth, they may experience a depressed state, however, it is not as pronounced as in young women.

In addition, an older woman who has devoted all her young years to a career may look at pregnancy as an opportunity to try herself in what remained a blank spot on the map of her life. Unlike a young woman who has not yet found her place in the world, an older mother is less inclined to expect her child to become the embodiment of her aspirations. She also doesn't feel that the child is "pulling her back" when she tries to complete something she didn't have time to complete. Most mothers who have given birth late have already taken care of becoming professionals.

but on the other hand

Late motherhood, of course, has its downsides. Women of older childbearing age do not recover from childbirth as quickly as younger women. Some women find it hard to get used to the demands of caring for a child after decades of caring for themselves. A very organized woman feels bad in a situation where everything - pregnancy, childbirth, nursing a child - does not lend itself to planning, as is most often the case. When it comes to late pregnancy, there are other things to consider. Although now they give birth at a later age, there is still a moment when it is too late to give birth. Parents have to limit themselves to one child or give birth to children with a very small interval. Some opponents of late childbearing point out that parents often spoil them too much - the precious child syndrome - especially if the child is an only one. However, this trend can be observed in any age group.

It is necessary to dwell on another arithmetic. At 35, 40 years old, a woman can be both a new mother and a nurse for her elderly parents. Another point - late children should be prepared for the fact that when they are 35 years old, their parents will be over seventy. They may find themselves in the ranks of the "squeezed" generation, with rapidly decrepit parents who need to be taken care of before they can arrange their own lives.

mothers with gray hair

What types of role models can grey-haired parents offer to teenagers? Due to the large age gap between parents and child, there is a danger of a generation gap.

However, while a young mother jokes that "children make her old," women who have given birth late may find that motherhood restores their youth. Many parents who have children late are too busy to feel old. Late motherhood obliges a woman to remain young, to respond to everything, to take part in everything.