We live in a different world than our fore-mothers. Many women today make the decision to focus on their careers, travel and get to a better place financially before they settle down and have children. Having a baby after the age of 40 has become an increasingly common occurrence.
Just as it’s statistically more difficult to conceive after the age of 40, pregnancy itself can also be more challenging as you age. Getting pregnant after age 40 can take longer for some women than others. Still, your fertility specialist will need to work with you quickly since your fertility rate drops dramatically in your 40s.
You may have more aches and pains due to joints and bones that are already starting to lose mass with age. You might also be more susceptible to high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Pregnancy-related fatigue may be more pronounced as you get older, too.
This change in societal standards poses newer questions for a growing number of women:
- Is 40 too old to have a baby?
- How common is pregnancy at 40?
- Should I even try?
- Are my risks different from the risks younger women face?
- Will my baby be disabled?
- Is it advisable?
These questions are understandable, and we hear them often.
The best-known part of the aging equation is that it gets harder to get pregnant after 40. The fact is, eggs gradually decline in number and quality as you get older. If you’re over 35, you’re considered to be of “advanced maternal age” — with fertility starting to drop most significantly around 32, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and taking a particularly deep nose dive around 37. By age 44, the chances of spontaneous pregnancy approach zero.
Evidence also suggests that pregnant people in their 40s are at higher risk of stillbirth. The reasons are a bit murky — the higher incidence of conditions like high blood pressure during pregnancy or gestational diabetes among older mothers may be at least partly to blame.
Benefits Of Having A Baby At 40
Sometimes the benefits of having a baby later in life can outweigh those of having children when you’re in your 20s or 30s.
For one, you might have already established your career and can dedicate more time to raising children. Or your financial situation could be more favorable. Greater stability in a person’s job, life, or marriage may also promote better health. A new parent who worries less about money may experience less stress.
You may have also had a change in your relationship status and you want to have a baby with your partner.
Potential Complications
Age increases the risk of infertility because egg quality declines. The risk of medical conditions that have an association with infertility also increases. These include:
- endometriosis
- uterine fibroids
- disorders of the fallopian tubes
The risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, increases.
The rate of birth abnormalities or genetic conditions in the baby also increases. At a maternal age of 40, the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 100, and by 45, it rises to 1 in 30.
The complications doesn’t just apply to women. Men also face risks in siring children when they are 40 years and above:
- Older fathers have higher rates of infertility, even when their partner is under 25.
- The partners of men over 45 have a higher risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.
- Men over 45 are more likely to father children with birth abnormalities, low birth weight, and a low Apgar score — a measure of the baby’s general health at birth.
How Will It Affect During Delivery?
Merely being over 40 does not necessarily affect delivery. In fact, pregnancy and birth outcomes over 40 do not differ significantly from those of younger women, as long as a woman over 40:
- has quality prenatal care
- does not have chronic medical conditions
- attends regular prenatal appointments
- maintains a healthful lifestyle
- has the baby in a prenatal center
This means that, for healthy women, conceiving after 40 may be no more dangerous than conceiving earlier in life. However, the rate of cesarean deliveries was higher among women over 40.
Your Risk Of Breast Cancer Increases
This was probably the biggest surprise to me: The older a new mother is when she has her first child, the higher her risk for breast cancer. Women who have their first child after 40 may be at slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer in the decade or so following childbirth than those who gave birth before they were 20. The simplistic view is that as you age, your cells are constantly changing, and a heavy dose of hormone can promote them into cancer.
Your Child May Be At Risk Of Certain Anomalies
Once again, the older an egg, the more likely it is to have chromosomal issues, which can increase your child’s risk for certain birth defects. For women who get pregnant at 25, the risk for Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal condition, is about one in 1,250; at age 40, that risk jumps to about one in 100.
The bottom line
While the journey may hold more challenges and difficult decisions, it is possible for women to conceive and maintain pregnancy over the age of 40. Making this decision can be an exciting, yet overwhelming time in your life. Should you choose to try to have your first child or grow your family after the age of 40, we’ll be here every step of the way.