Is it true what they say about pregnancy over 40?

TheLaser

I am really wondering if all the negativity about pregnancy after 40 is justified: difficulty conceiving, higher rate of c-section, higher risk for birth defects (this I do believe), higher rates of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia...

I just turned 40 last month and I'm wondering how many other "older" mothers really have/had these issues. I am already suspicious of the first statistic: so many moms from a few generations ago were having children into their forties. I am in early pregnancy with my second child and conceiving was very easy. I nightweaned my first baby around his first birthday in May in order to jumpstart ovulation. I had one irregular cycle when my body was trying to figure out ovulation again, and the next month we did the deed on only two of my fertile days. And there you go. My first at age 38 was even easier -I didn't even know about "fertile days" then!

I will also add that I am of a healthy weight and have been my whole life, took birth control for one year twenty years ago, am very fit and eat very clean. So maybe that helps? I have four friends who are 38+ and accidentally got pregnant. Two of them were C-sections, but I'm convinced one had a doctor who bullied her into it because of her age. What's your story?

TheNewoImproved

I can't tell you my own story, but my mom had my baby brother at age 41. Perfectly healthy baby boy, 9 lbs, absolutely no complications, vaginal birth.

I haven't done any extensive research on this topic, and I wouldn't tell any one to simply throw caution to the wind. But, from a personal position, I know ladies over forty can have healthy pregnancies and children, don't feel discouraged :flowerforyou:

TheLaser

Thanks! I'm not actually worried about my pregnancy! I just feel like the media thrives on telling older moms scary stories about how risky their pregnancies are and I really want to know if it really is just hype.
Yay for your mom having your brother after 40!

DawnieB1977

I'm not quite 40, but I had my third baby recently at 36. I had my other two at 31 and 33. No problems conceiving, easy pregnancies, and easy labours and births.

I know a lady who had her 2nd at 42 and had a homebirth. I live in England so we don't get bullied into c-secs, quite the reverse here!

I will probably stop at 3, but it's reassuring to know that it's possible to have healthy pregnancies at a bit older, because if I did decide to have no. 4 I'd be 38/39.

miranda_mom

The thing about birth defects is true but the important thing to remember is that it is still a very small number. I was 35 when my son was born and was told my risk of Down Syndrome was like 1 in 10,000 or something like that. So even if you are talking about the rate say doubling, you're talking about going from one tiny fraction to a larger tiny fraction.
As for gestational diabetes, this was my own experience. I had my daughter at 28. I have PCOS, which is a disease that puts you at an increased risk for GD. I did not have it at 28 with my daughter, but I did have it at 35 with my son. The weird thing is that I weighed LESS during the second pregnancy. On the other hand, they had just drastically changed the numbers to qualify for GD so that the # of women who have it now was like quadrupled from when I had my daughter, all based on the numbers. I think age was a factor for me, because my PCOS symptoms got worse as I got older. But again, you are still only talking about 20% of women.

TheNewoImproved

I just feel like the media thrives on telling older moms scary stories about how risky their pregnancies are and I really want to know if it really is just hype.

Couldn't agree more!

ContraryMaryMary

I had my first just after I turned 38 and my second just before I turned 40. No trouble conceiving, easy pregnancies, quick and easy births and my pre-pregnancy body back within weeks, so it is possible. Definitely think the media is playing a part, scary stories sell.

janetay01

I was 37 when I found out I was pregnant - will be 38 when I give birth. I assumed that this puts me on the high risk list and whilst my midwife said that it would, she also said that more and more of her patients (is that the right word for pregnancy???) were in the 'older' age bracket and that it is not a reliable indicator of risk any longer. When I had my 12 week scan for Downs etc, the only thing that registered on my risk score was my age - so I do think there is a myth being encouraged here - as contrarymary says, scare stories sell. Shame that stories of how much benefit and how much more prepared we might be don't sell so well - not saying that age automatically prepares you but there are two sides to every story!

feedmedonuts

My mom gave birth to my sister at 40 and myself at 42..... We both came out quite alright (if I do say so myself :bigsmile: ) and the only issue my mother had was gestational diabetes. Quite frankly my mother has always thrived on fast food, junk food, sweets, and no exercise so that doesn't surprise me though. I am now 27 and she's almost 70!

seidel1325

I am 40 and just had my second child (the oldest is 17). I did have difficulty conceiving and it took one round of IUI to get pregnant. We also did genetic testing because there is a risk of disorders; the risks grow exponentially every year after 40. Our daughter was born healthy. I did not have any issues with pre-eclapsia or GD, but I must admit the pregnancy was a lot harder (severe fatigue and exhaustion). To end on a positive note...the delivery was a lot easier this time around

lisapr123

Agreed about the media scare stuff!

My sis-in-law had my nephew when she was 42. It was her 3rd child and her OB wasn't too concerned (though she did have a little additional testing done along the way). She had a healthy happy pregnancy and a very quick vaginal delivery--my parents stopped in to say hi and ended up sitting in the corner for 10 minutes while he was born!

My OB and my fertility specialist (we had a host of issues, none of them age-related) both said the only issue with over-40 is that the number of eggs is small(er) and quite possibly of lesser quality. They age like we do! I think there is some justification to it, but like everything pregnancy related...."danger danger" means little in reality. The vast majority of pregnancies are just fine!

danifo0811

The birth defect thing is real. I can't remember the exact numbers but at 30 the risk of a random woman having a baby with chromosomal defects is 1:1000. Now for me at 37 it is around 1:100. Screening will give you a more accurate risk for you at this time with this baby. One thing that messes up those stats is younger women have more babies so just as a group, they have more kids with chromosomal defects.

I'm not sure about the fertility issues. Most of the people I know with these issues realized it age 25-30. I would bet that much of the decrease in fertility is either related to hormone changes and when you go through menopause and some is related to the health of an average 40 year old compared to a 22 year old. There are some older people in fantastic shape but I would bet as a population, the younger group is healthier/lower weight.

MrsMason101212

I am 37 and when people heard I was wanting a tubal reversal I heard all kinds of bad stuff about my age. I was too "old" to have another child. I was going to end up with a child with a disability. I was never going to survive pregnancy because it was going to be so much worse than when I had my others in my early 20's. Blah blah blah! If God did not intend for us to have babies in our late 30's or in our 40's he would have made it so we couldn't!

I think the best thing ANY Momma can do is take steps to make sure she is healthy before and after conception