Pregnancy in Advanced maternal Age

Lots of women in 40s until 50s had successful pregnancies and babies but you need to close monitoring before and during pregnancy.

There is no consent on the cut off for advanced maternal age. It was defined to be 35≥ based on the risk of down syndrome. Some others consider 40≥ to be the cut off of advanced maternal age.

Chances of getting pregnant after 35 is less because eggs supply decreases as you age and older eggs have higher probabilities of having some chromosomal problems.

Make sure to talk to your doctor about your medical history, doing regular physical and prenatal check ups to reduce risks and deal with complications earlier.

Risks of pregnancy in advanced maternal age:
– High risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy, so screening for diabetes in the first trimester and also later in pregnancy must be done.
– Problems with placenta like placenta previa.
– Higher risk of low weight or preterm baby.
– Increased risk of having pre-eclampsia.
– Complications in delivery like C section.
– Increased risk of chromosomal anomalies like Down Syndrome. Invasive and non invasive testing (cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood) is advisable.
– Higher risk of miscarriage.
– Increased risk of congenital anomalies so detailed ultrasound is recommended in the second trimester.

Close observation is a must in the third trimester by kick chart, CTG, and physical profile to avoid stillbirth.

Delivery in 39 week is recommended.