Although there is a high number of women who prefer to wait until their late 30s to have children, there are certain risks that are associated with pregnancies in women who are older than 35. As shown by the Stanford children’s health, women have an increased risk for miscarriage, twins, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and birth defects. It is important to note that prenatal care plays a very important role in the health of the baby and the mother, especially in high-risk pregnancies. With the correct prenatal vitamins, the more likely a healthy pregnancy will take occur. Prenatal vitamins are especially important in high-risk pregnancies in older women because they provide vitamins to prevent birth defects and aid in the growth of the fetus.
In regard to chromosomal defects, the most notable defect risk would be Trisomy 21 also known as Downs Syndrome. A person with downs syndrome has 3 copies of chromosome 21 due to a mutation in cell division during the development of the gamete cells which is more likely to occur in a mother with older eggs. There are also other chromosomal defects that can occur such as Turner Syndrome where part of all of one of the sex chromosomes is missing, this occurs in females. There is another disorder similar to Downs Syndrome in that there is an extra chromosome, but this extra chromosome is chromosome 18. Unlike Downs Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is very life-threatening and there are many more complications, where only 50% of fetus’ affected will be born alive. With modern-day advances, these types of genetic disorders can be closely monitored which may allow more options for the mother. There are also more pre-natal vitamins available which could increase the health of the fetus in high-risk pregnancy and prevent complications.
My mother had me when she was 35 years old and she had my little sister when she was 37, so I guess I am a real-life example of a high-risk pregnancy. For a while, when in the womb, the doctors thought that I had downs syndrome, but my parents refused to get the testing done to confirm if I did because they did not really care if I did or did not. There are risks but there is almost any type of risks when someone is pregnant, I do not think the risks are too severe that one should decide not to have a child if they really want a child. If one is adequately informed and educated, then having a high-risk pregnancy is completely their choice. I think women are having babies later in life because it is becoming more socially acceptable for women to have roles that are not that of just being a wife or mother.
Sources:
Female Age and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Aneuploidy) in Eggs and Embryos (n.d.). Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. Retrieved from https://www.advancedfertility.com/age-eggs-chromosomes.htm.
Manke, Kara (2014 July). With Gene Disorders, The Mother's Age Matters, Not The Egg's. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/07/07/328132687/with-gene-disorders-the-mothers-age-matters-not-the-eggs.
Mayo Clinic Staff (n.d.). Down Syndrome. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355977.
Mayo Clinic Staff (n.d.). Turners Syndrome. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/turner-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360782.
Pregnancy Over Age 30. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=pregnancy-over-age-30-90-P0248.
Trisomy 18 Foundation (n.d.). “What is Trisomy 18?”. Retrieved from https://www.trisomy18.org/what-is-trisomy-18/.