Pregnancy at 42: features, risks, doctors' opinions

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Late pregnancy - what is it? The result of a neglectful attitude to contraceptives or a conscious and hard-won choice? Both versions are correct. For in some cases, ladies after forty believe that their train has already practically left and are frivolous about contraception if it is undesirable. But there are many women who have not been physically able to get pregnant at a young age and have not yet lost hope of experiencing the delights of motherhood. Although, over the past decades, pregnancy at 42 no longer surprises anyone. Moreover, young women consciously go into late pregnancy, trying to make a good career by this time and ensure their material well-being by the time the child is born.

On the one hand, such a serious attitude to family planning cannot but inspire respect, but, on the other hand, do theseAre rational women at risk to themselves and their unborn child by venturing into their first pregnancy after 42 years? Let's try to understand this issue.

Unplanned pregnancy

More recently, girls who became pregnant at the age of 25 used the medical term old-bearing. But lately, the issue of childbearing has changed so much that now it is more surprising when the expectant mother is younger than 35. There has been a substitution of concepts and girls no longer strive to give birth early, but delay this moment to a later date. This is if the pregnancy is conscious and planned. Can a first pregnancy occur at 42, and what are the chances of a successful pregnancy and a safe delivery?

The ability to conceive (fertility) in a woman appears with the onset of menstruation, but until the menstrual cycle is fully established, the egg from the ovary is released irregularly and the body is not yet quite ripe for pregnancy and subsequent childbirth. The average peak fertility for the first birth is considered to be 20-27 years. At this time, the woman is already fully formed and fully ready for her responsible mission, she is young and he althy to safely bear the child and give birth to him on her own without any complications.

Over time, the amount of female hormones begins to decline and by the age of 35 the possibility of conception is significantly reduced, and by the age of 40 it becomes very low. When menopause comes (45-55 years), menstruation stops, ovulation does not occur, and the woman loses her ability to become pregnant.in a natural way. However, with a rather late menopause - 50-52 years old, this ability still exists and the chances of conception, although small, are. Thanks to the surge of hormones during this period, pregnancy can occur even in a woman who suffered from infertility in her younger years - if the cause of infertility was ovarian dysfunction.

From the above follows the first reason for late pregnancy - unexpected or unplanned. It occurs when a sexually active woman who has completed family planning by the age of forty, in the hope of reducing her fertility, stops using protective equipment. The frivolity in this matter is also evidenced by statistics, which indicate a large number of abortions after the age of 40 - more than 70% of pregnant women in late reproductive age terminated their pregnancy artificially.

Conscious planning

The second reason that led to pregnancy at 42 is conscious planning, when a woman prepares the material basis for the birth of a child - she is intensively engaged in her studies, career, housing issues, and the search for a worthy and he althy candidate for fathers. This trend has been especially widespread recently - more and more young people are coming to the realization that the birth of a child is a very serious and responsible matter, and you should give birth to children only when you can provide him and yourself with a decent standard of living without outside help. Most often, this realization comes about30 years old, and the seriousness of the younger generation in matters of childbearing is one of the reasons when the first pregnancy occurs at 42.

Second pregnancy

One cannot ignore such a reason when a woman's late birth is not the first, but the second or third. Quite a few women remarry and wish to have a child in a new marriage. Sometimes even in a prosperous family, by the age of 40, the idea arises to give birth to another baby, since the first-born have already grown up, and a stable financial situation allows you to think about motherhood again. Especially if parents dream of children of different sexes. Of course, with age, the ability to conceive decreases, but this does not mean that it is impossible, you just have to spend more time on the process.

Suffering pregnancy

Another important reason when a long-awaited pregnancy finally happens at 42. This topic is very painful for those who could not get pregnant for a long time and underwent various courses of treatment. And now, after forty, when the chances had already become illusory, it happened. Of course, we are not talking about any termination of a long-awaited pregnancy, even if doctors predict all sorts of risks and difficulties, a woman of late fertility will hope for a better outcome and wait for a meeting with her suffering baby. And in this regard, it is necessary to raise the issue of the features of the course of a mature pregnancy and the risks that lie in wait for a woman who decides to give birth after forty.

Problems of late pregnancy

Returning to the issue of late pregnancy, it should be clearly understood - pregnancy at 42 - good or bad. Leaving aside moral and social aspects, we will focus on purely medical problems that are likely to arise during gestation and as a result of childbirth. This is in no way an attempt to dissuade women from late pregnancy, but a sober alignment of what she may face by choosing this path. When a person is forewarned, he is armed and can avoid many troubles and unnecessary risks. So what are the risks of being pregnant at 42?

It should be noted that the risks listed below may or may not occur. Everything will depend on the mother's body and her willingness to comply with all the prescriptions of doctors. Today, people live and stay he althy much longer, especially if they pay great attention to this issue. It is quite real that a post-40-year-old mother is athletic and mobile, not prone to bad habits and successfully avoided nervous stress, so the risks of such a pregnancy are minimal and the child can be he althy and strong.

Today, pregnancy at the age of 42-43 is by no means a sentence, let alone a diagnosis, but an objective reality that is becoming more and more evident in the modern world. Moreover, medicine does not stand still and can offer very high-quality medical services to old-bearing mothers. You just need to be very serious about the possibility of some problems and risks occurring in the late reproductive age, in a timely manner to addressdoctors, listen to their recommendations and try to avoid dangerous situations. Since a woman's body during pregnancy is inextricably linked with the baby's body, there are risks for both mother and child.

Risks

List of risks for expectant mother:

• higher chance of miscarriage - if in women under 30 this risk is 10%, then those who have a pregnancy at 42 account for already 33%. And the reason for this is not only age-related changes, but also the aging of the egg, in which conception with genetic disorders can more often occur;
• problems with the placenta - chronic insufficiency, presentation and its premature detachment;
• exacerbated chronic diseases caused by the restructuring of the body, which can have a serious impact on the course of pregnancy;
• You are three times more likely to develop diabetes if you get pregnant at age 42. In the reviews, women write that placental complications, premature birth, stillbirth and other pathologies occur more often with diabetes;
• administering a caesarean section.

There are other risks for the unborn child:

• prematurity;
• light weight;
• possibility of hypoxia during childbirth;
• high chance of chromosomal abnormalities.

Statistical data and medical forecasts

Given the opinion of doctors about pregnancy at 42, it should be noted that the older the parents, the higher the likelihoodchromosomal abnormalities - this is the main argument against late birth. The causes of this pathology are not yet fully understood. Perhaps this is the aging of reproductive germ cells or exposure throughout life to pathogenic factors and various toxic substances. But according to statistics, if a woman gives birth at 25, the probability of Down syndrome is 1/1250, and after 40 it increases to 1/106. Closer to 50, this generally disappointing figure is 1/11. However, despite such a grim picture, 97% of middle-aged pregnant women after a medical examination receive a good prognosis and give birth to he althy full-fledged children.

Today, medical forecasts are very optimistic, despite the common opinion among the inhabitants about pregnancy at 42 years old. According to the results of numerous studies, the vast majority of pregnant women of mature age are able to produce he althy offspring, which they demonstrate by giving birth to he althy children. Many women who decide to give birth after forty are interested in the opinion of doctors regarding late childbirth. Let's consider this question separately.

Doctors' opinion about pregnancy after 40

If women who become pregnant during late fertility consider this a gift from heaven and the highest female happiness, then doctors have their own opinion about pregnancy at 42. And it is based on many years of observation and study of this issue from a medical point of view. And it is ambiguous. On the one hand, at the age of 40, a he althy woman, leading a correct lifestyle, will cope with the task of childbearing no worse thantwenty years old. But at this age, there are very few women who are completely he althy and ready for high-quality reproduction of offspring of women - the negative impact of the environment, stress and illness, and even smoking with alcohol do their dirty work. Another thing is when a woman plans this pregnancy and diligently protects herself from these external aggressive manifestations.

Cons. Doctors' opinion

In reviews about pregnancy at 42, doctors refer to the minuses:

• increased risk of toxicosis;
• postpartum complications;
• higher chance of miscarriage;
• possibility of caesarean section;
• diabetes risk;
• possible genetic abnormalities in the fetus;
• risk of stillbirth and preterm birth.

Pros of late pregnancy

However, there are undoubted advantages of late pregnancy, as a result of which:

• severe menopausal symptoms are relieved;
• life expectancy increases;
• taking pregnancy more seriously and a deeper understanding of parenthood.

What else do the doctors say?

With the great possibilities of modern medicine, 90% of aged mothers give birth to absolutely he althy and viable children. But in order to minimize possible risks, one should visit medical institutions in a timely manner and make a decision after multifaceted consultations of specialists.

Women over 40 planning tipspregnancy

When planning a late pregnancy, consider the following tips:

• start with a complete examination of yourself and your partner, so that there are no surprises and unforeseen complications;
• try to tidy up the figure a year before pregnancy to eliminate harmful factors;
• eat he althy and maintain a he althy diet;
• no alcohol or smoking;
• physical activity before and during pregnancy - choose in advance a set of exercises that you can perform while pregnant, because for a successful birth you need to strengthen the abdominals and back;
• limit long distance travel and flights;
• avoid high heels;
• listen carefully to the recommendations of doctors and strictly follow them.

Conclusion

Late pregnancy is a responsible and conscious step, so weigh all the information you know well and make the right decision. Adulthood is not a reason to give up female happiness, and there are quite convincing arguments in favor of this decision.