Age and fertility: Getting pregnant in your 40s

This is an automatically translated article.

1. Advantages of having a baby at the age of 40

There are certain benefits to being a parent at an older age.
You have more experience. The biggest advantage of delaying having children is that you have had time to grow up and do the things you enjoy. You are more financially proactive and more comfortable in your career. Maybe you and your husband had the opportunity to get to know each other better before getting married, which could be a solid foundation for building a family. You are also mature enough to ignore your own ego to build a happy family and raise adult children. You are wiser. Overall, there is some evidence that older mothers are better educated than younger mothers and make wiser parenting decisions. Mothers at this age are also serious in how to teach their children, calm, patient, know how to control emotions and regulate psychophysiology. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, older mothers tend to breastfeed more. And according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the Older mothers are more likely to make healthier nutritional choices for their children, such as choosing whole fruits over sweets or sugary drinks. You live longer: According to The North American Menopause Society in 2015, giving birth late will help mothers live longer, women who give birth at the age of 33 can live up to 95 years old. Meanwhile, women who give birth at the end of 29 years old have only half the life expectancy. Pregnancy at the age of 40 is evidence of late aging in the reproductive system compared with other women.

You are more financially secure. Waiting to have children is when you have more time to accumulate finances. A US study found that a woman's income increases by 9% each year when she postpones having a baby. Susan Heitler, a marriage and family therapist in Denver, Colorado, believes the best time to have children is in your late 20s to early 30s, but she's also noticed a plus for couples. delay having children early: "Parents in their 40s are often more focused on their children than young parents," she says. "They've had time to travel and have more experiences before having children. They have less financial pressure and work 60 hours a week."
A comfortable psychology, stable economic conditions help mothers have more time to care and take care of their children.

2. Drawbacks of trying to get pregnant at 40.

Delaying parenthood can cause serious problems:
You may find it difficult to get pregnant. The natural pregnancy rate decreases with each additional year of age. That's because your egg supply decreases dramatically as you age, and older eggs are more likely to have chromosomal problems, increasing the risk of miscarriage and birth defects. “There is a sharp decline in fertility in the 40s,” says Julia Johnson, an infertility specialist and chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UMass Memorial Medical Center. "Your odds of getting pregnant at 41 are much higher than at 43." A study in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility confirms Johnson's point. Researchers found that 40-year-old women receiving fertility treatment had a 25% chance of getting pregnant using their own eggs. But by age 43, that number dropped to 10 percent, and by age 44, that number dropped to 1.6 percent. Among women who were already pregnant, the miscarriage rate was 24% in 40-year-olds, 38% in 43-year-olds, and 54% in 44-year-olds.
Fertility expert James Goldfarb says that in his 30 years of working in the field, he has never seen a woman become pregnant with her own eggs after age 46.

You have many pregnancy complications. The pregnancy process of older mothers is much more difficult. A series of complications that mothers face are: gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, placental problems. Even the risk of birth defects, chromosomal mutations or miscarriage is very high. You have a higher risk of having a small or premature baby. Women over 40 are more likely to have a low-birth-weight or premature baby. Stillbirth rates are higher, and studies show that babies born to older mothers may have an increased risk of type 1 diabetes and high blood pressure (although the association is not strong). . Your husband's sperm also has major changes. Don't forget your partner: Although men are likely to have children in their 60s and even 70s, sperm quality declines with age. Sperm from older men has a higher rate of genetic defects than sperm from younger men. In recent years, studies have suggested a link between paternal age and genetically related conditions such as Down syndrome, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorders.

3. Chances of getting pregnant at 40.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of women over the age of 40 have fertility problems.
According to leading fertility expert Sherman Silber, director of the St. Louis at St. Luke's in Missouri and is the author of four best-selling fertility books. At age 40, your chance of conceiving within a year is about 40 to 50%, compared with a woman over 30, the chance is 75%. By age 43, a woman's chance of getting pregnant drops to 1 or 2%.
Why is there such a decline? “When you reach puberty, your egg count ranges from 300,000 to 500,000, and after that, you release about 13,000 eggs a year,” says Silber. Over the years, this steady drop in egg supply leaves you with about 25,000 eggs by age 37 – an age that also coincides with a dramatic drop in fertility.

Miscarriage rates also start to skyrocket in your 40s. At 40, it rises to 34% and rises to 53% by age 45. Your risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, increases after 35 and continues to increase into your 40s.
The odds of genetic problems also increase as you get older: At 40, the chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is 1 in 100; By age 45, the ratio is 1 in 30. Because the risk of genetic problems increases with age, experts recommend that women in their 40s regularly have detailed fetal screening such as blood tests. Cell-free fetal DNA, enhanced ultrasound, amniocentesis or chorionic villus ...

4. Some notes for mothers in their 40s

Health checkup is the best way to prepare for pregnancy. Mothers should discuss assisted reproductive techniques with their obstetrician. If pregnancy is difficult, mothers can be assisted (intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization). When pregnant, mothers should use ultrasound to locate the fetus for intervention. Keep your mind relaxed, optimistic, and rest properly. Regularly move gently, exercise and eat right. Maintain a healthy weight and good health before becoming pregnant. Absolutely do not smoke, drink alcohol and use stimulants. To reduce the risk of abnormal development of the spinal cord or brain, mothers should remember to take a daily folic acid supplement. Healthy women who get pregnant in their 40s can still have safe pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies. However, genetic screening before pregnancy and genetic screening during pregnancy for pregnant women aged 35 and over bring certain benefits
Vinmec International General Hospital with modern facilities, Vietnam's leading investment equipment and a team of experienced experts are implementing the program of counseling and health care before pregnancy.

Most Vietnamese women today are only concerned with their health and the baby after pregnancy, while preparing for pregnancy is much more important. The counseling and health check for pregnancy preparation for couples who are planning to become pregnant, for parents who have been pregnant or have had children with birth defects or problems related to pregnancy. Chronic diseases, obstetric and gynecological diseases, ... are very important and necessary to minimize the risks that may occur in the next pregnancy.
Besides genetic screening before pregnancy and genetic screening during pregnancy, Vinmec's Pre-Pregnancy Care and Counseling Program also screens for many other factors, such as pre-implantation testing (PGT). ), screening for diseases such as vaginal infections, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc. to prepare well for pregnancy, increase the likelihood of having a healthy baby and minimize risks during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum.
For more information, please contact the hospitals and clinics of Vinmec Health system nationwide.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference sources: healthline.com, babycenter.com