Life comes at you fast, and before you know it, you’ve hit your mid-thirties. You have a lot of living to do in your lifetime, and that doesn’t always include having a child before age 35. Here are four myths we’ve busted about pregnancy after age 35:
- You are too old to have a baby. By age 35, you would rather have an early night in instead of a late night out. You’ve traded Cup Noodle ramen for a homemade pasta recipe you saw on the Food Network. And the last time you shopped at Forever 21, you realized you are actually closer to 40 than you are to 21. But you are by no means “old!”When it comes to pregnancy, age is really just a number; unless they have some underlying major medical condition, most women do fine with pregnancy as they age. It’s not your age that concerns doctors so much as other medical conditions that arise as women age. But if you are in good health, you are more than likely to tolerate pregnancy without a problem. And if you did well during pregnancy before, you are likely to do great once again.
- You have to see a high-risk doctor for you whole pregnancy. Just because you’re over 35 doesn’t mean that you have to switch to a high-risk OB-GYN. As part of pregnancy care, it is recommended that you visit with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist at least once for a detailed ultrasound and review of your risks, but by no means do you have to see that provider the whole time. On the contrary, most MFM doctors provide consultation only and will outline your risks based on your age and health concerns.
- Your baby will have an abnormality because of your age. As childbearing age increases, the risk of having a baby with a genetic abnormality also increases. However, there are risks at any For instance, the chance of having a baby born with Down’s syndrome is approximately 1 in 100 for a woman who is 40 years old. Though that is higher than a woman who is 25 years old (1 in approximately 1,300), the odds are in vastly in your favor that your baby will be fine.
- Amniocentesis is required. An amniocentesis is an invasive procedure where a needle is inserted to the pregnancy sac at approximately 20 weeks gestation to diagnose a fetal genetic abnormality. Most women do not undergo amniocentesis and instead opt for screening tests and detailed ultrasound evaluation that assesses their risk of fetal genetic defects. Though these tests are not diagnostic, they give a much better risk assessment than just age alone.
To learn more about pregnancy services at Woman’s, click here.