Pregnancy alone can be very risky. Add in the factor of an aging reproductive system and body, and pregnancies over the age of 35 have increased risks. Things an older woman may be at increased risk for in a pregnancy include but are not limited to, miscarriage, birth defects, twins, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and difficult labor. A big genetic risk is chromosome problems such has having a child with Down syndrome. Between age 25 and age 40 the risk of having a child with Down syndrome increases from 1 in 1250 to 1 in 100; the risk actually may be higher due to the statistics of pregnancies with chromosome problems ending in miscarriage. Speaking of miscarriage, there is a higher chance of miscarriage in older mothers as well. This is because about half of first trimester miscarriages are due to a chromosome problem, and chromosome problems increase with the mother’s age. Another possible complication is having twins or multiples, which are considered even higher of a risk in pregnancy. Finally, another risk is that in older mothers the process of recombination among chromosomes is less regulated which means there is a greater risk for abnormal chromosome numbers. There have been many medical advancements that have made pregnancies over the age of 35 safer and healthier. Prenatal testing such as blood tests, ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, and cell free fetal DNA can be done to help check for chromosome problems and other genetic defects. Genetic screening can also be done to help know the risks the mother is at that are specific to her. The reasons many people are waiting later to have children definitely make sense to me, things like spending more time in school and wanting to get settled in your career. I definitely agree that these are things that are important but I think it is very individualized. Some women may want kids when they are in early twenties for personal reasons while others may want to wait. I think as long as you are well educated on what the risks are and what you need to do to have the most healthy pregnancy and baby possible it is okay to have a baby after the age of 35.