There is no reason why a woman in her 40s shouldn’t have a successful pregnancy. However, given the higher chance of birth defects in babies born to older women, it’s important that, health-wise, a woman starts from the best possible position she can.
It goes without saying that a healthy lifestyle is going to help reduce any risks associated with pregnancy for the older woman, so that means a healthy diet, regular exercise, and cutting out all smoking. That advice applies to any woman wanting to have a baby, but doubly so if she’s over 40. Where the healthy diet is concerned, any woman planning on becoming pregnant should make sure her diet includes folic acid to help reduce the risks of fetal abnormalities. Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, dried beans, and orange juice (it can also be taken as a multivitamin). This vitamin plays an important part in the development of the baby’s neural tube, the part of the growing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord. Ideally, folic acid should be taken before a woman conceives, and in the very early stages of pregnancy when the neural tube is developing.
When it comes to birth abnormalities, older women are more at risk of giving birth to a baby with Down’s syndrome than younger women. At the age of 25, a woman has a one in 1250 chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome: by the age of 45, that risk rises to one in 30. It is therefore vital that older women have regular scans to detect any signs of birth defects. Amniocentesis is the most common test used to rule out chromosomal and genetic birth defects, and involves withdrawing a small sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus. Because of the small risk of miscarriage associated with this test, it is not offered to all pregnant women; however, it is offered to those over the age of 35, and is usually carried out between the 15th and 20th week of pregnancy.
High blood pressure during pregnancy is also something that the older woman should watch for, as it can be dangerous to both mother and baby; and women with pre-existing or chronic high blood pressure are more likely to have complications during pregnancy. In more serious cases, women can develop pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening condition that usually starts in the 20th week of pregnancy: it affects the placenta and can also affect the mother’s heart, kidneys, and brain. Although there is no way to prevent pre-eclampsia, women who do develop it are closely monitored to help lessen any related problems. It’s therefore wise for any woman who wishes to become pregnant to try and get her blood pressure under control before conceiving. Again, a healthy diet and regular exercise will help. Also, she should discuss with her doctor how best to minimize any potential risks associated with high blood pressure during her pregnancy.
The picture isn’t really as gloomy as all that, though. Despite the risks involved, studies show that the overall outcome for babies born to older moms is every bit as good as that for babies born to younger mothers. In fact, when it comes to actual motherhood, older women might have an advantage over their younger counterparts as research has shown that they are less likely to feel overwhelmed or out of control. Except for the factor of chromosomal abnormalities, research shows that babies of older mothers are no more at risk of birth defects than those of younger mothers, so there’s no reason why a woman who has waited until her 40s to have a baby should feel that she’s left it too late. Providing a woman starts off from the best possible position she can with a clean bill of health, and gets regular check-ups to ensure her body and baby are doing well, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t have a successful pregnancy—and then breeze through motherhood as only the more mature woman can!
Pregnancy and the Older Woman