Pregnancy After 35

Pregnancy After 35

by Deleted user -
Number of replies: 4

Becoming pregnant after the age of 35 comes with an increased risk for complications during and after the pregnancy. A common name for this is “geriatric pregnancy” and as women age, the number of eggs that they have decreases and their ability to become pregnant becomes limited. These risks include premature birth, different birth defects including Down syndrome, gestational diabetes, hypertension, and preeclampsia. The mother could also produce a stillbirth or endure a miscarriage.

At the age of 35, women become more susceptible to produce offspring that have chromosomal abnormalities or with DNA mutations. An example of a chromosomal abnormality is Down syndrome in which the child has extra genetic material from chromosome number 21. One example of a DNA mutation is a condition called achondroplasia which is a type of dwarfism in which the cartilage does not change into the bone which results in short arms and legs, an enlarged head and a normal-sized trunk. Trisomy 18, also known as Edward’s Syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that is a result of there being three copies of chromosome 18 instead of 2 copies. The result of this abnormality includes physical irregularity of kidneys, heart, and lungs, a cleft palate, and malformations of hands, feet, and sex organs.

Since more women are having kids at later ages, there has been a push for better and more regular prenatal screening. One of the screens that have been produced is called the noninvasive prenatal testing or NIPT that uses cell-free fetal DNA in the mother’s blood and is used to screen for chromosomal abnormalities. Another option is for pregnant women to get genetic counseling so that they can get baseline population genetic risk for their pregnancy.

I personally would not be against being pregnant after the age of 35 if it happened, but I don’t think that I would personally plan for it. Society is having this problem because women are becoming more independent and wanting to put their careers at the forefront of their lives which pushes making a family back.

Pregnancy after age 35. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/pregnancy-after-age-35.aspx

Shapira, S. K., & Dolan, S. (2006, September). Genetic risks to the mother and the infant: assessment, counseling, and management. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1592163/

What is a "geriatric pregnancy"? At 35, can I have a normal pregnancy? (2019, May 14). Retrieved from https://www.nwhn.org/what-is-a-geriatric-pregnancy-at-35-can-i-have-a-normal-pregnancy/


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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Pregnancy After 35

by Deleted user -
Hi Kamryn! I enjoyed reading your post, but I'm not a fan of the phrase "geriatric pregnancy." It seems like an oxymoron, and I'm sure most mothers don't enjoy being told that they have one! What do you think about it?

Noninvasive prenatal testing is an awesome advance, and it's so cool that there's actually fetal DNA floating around in the mother's bloodstream. I wonder where it comes from...fetal and maternal blood don't mix in the placenta. Huh... I hadn't heard of achondroplasia, so thank you for bringing my attention to it.

Women are definitely prioritizing career over family, which is an interesting change... do you think it's because women are making the choices they always would have, or because they feel more pressure to?

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Pregnancy After 35

by Deleted user -
Kamryn -
I read through your post and Claire's reply, and I think both of you brought up some great points. I think it is interesting that you made a note of the mother's egg count and quality as a cause of complications during pregnancy. Several of the articles I read only mentioned physiological changes that result from advanced maternal age rather than the fact that women have a limited number of eggs that diminish in quality from the start.
You also mentioned and Claire commented on the fact that women are choosing to delay pregnancy due to societal shifts and priorities; have either of you considered the fact that our lifespans are extending, and we now have more time to do things?

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Pregnancy After 35

by Deleted user -
Hey Kamyrn! i enjoyed reading you post. i agree with you i would not mind have a child at the age of 35. im for it because i would be more stable in my career and achieved the highest education. i found non invasive testing pretty fascinating. you made me want to look it up and learn more about it. Also i have never heard of genetic counseling. i didnt know women at the age of 35 are more susceptible chromosomal abnormalities.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Pregnancy After 35

by Deleted user -
This discussion brings up the topic of achondroplasia, which is caused by a dominant allele. This brings up the question that there could be difference in the inheritance of dominant disorders vs recessive disorders in geriatric pregnancy. I would like to know if there is a greater risk for either dominant or recessive disorders in advanced age pregnancy, or if these disorders do not have any preference. It could be possible that as we age we lose the ability to produce healthy recessive genes as they are less likely to be expressed in the presence of a dominant gene. Two copies of this gene are fatal, so it is worth asking if children whose parents are of normal height can be born with achondroplasia. Given that this is a dominant heterozygous disorder, it makes sense that you would need to inherit this gene from at least one of your parents, but not both.

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