Contents:
- Medical Video: Age and Fertility: Pregnancy after 40
- Apparently, the age of 30 in women is not a limit to being able to get pregnant
- So, what age can a woman be said to be too old to get pregnant?
- Why do women become more difficult to get pregnant with age?
Medical Video: Age and Fertility: Pregnancy after 40
Have you ever heard the info that there is a woman who managed to give birth to a healthy baby at the age of 40 years and over? Maybe you feel surprised why women who are no longer young can still give birth. In fact, getting pregnant at 35 years old is at high risk of experiencing complications. Indeed, what age is a woman said to be too old for pregnancy and childbirth? Here's the explanation.
Apparently, the age of 30 in women is not a limit to being able to get pregnant
The most ideal pregnancy for a woman is at the age of 20 to 35 years. Because once you reach the age of 35 years, women will be more difficult to get pregnant because their fertility begins to decline.
However, a study published in the journal Human Reproduction revealed that pregnant people aged 30 years and above were not included age. For more details, let's explain one by one according to the age group of women.
After researching more than 58,000 women, experts found that women in their 20s had a 98 percent chance of becoming pregnant. This means, the age of 20 is the peak of female fertility that has a great chance for pregnancy.
Starting from the age of 30 to 38 years, the fertility rate in women slowly decreases. Women aged 30 years have a 93 percent chance of getting pregnant and giving birth to a child. Even though it has reached the age of 35 years, the chance for women to get pregnant is still as much as 88 percent.
So it is clear that 35 years of age is not too old for pregnancy and childbirth. However, it remains undeniable that the risk of pregnancy complications persists.
So, what age can a woman be said to be too old to get pregnant?
Still from the same study, women who were 38 years old were actually still able to conceive with an 80 percent chance. When a woman enters the age of 40, her fertility begins to decline dramatically.
Women who plan a pregnancy at 41 years of age actually only have a 50 percent chance of getting pregnant. While for women who want to get pregnant again at the age of 45 years, there is only 10 percent left. At its peak, women cannot get pregnant again at the age of 50 because the opportunity is 0 percent.
Even though women are still able to get pregnant at the age of 35 years and over, this is risky for the mother and fetus. Pregnancy at an age that is too old can increase the risk of Down syndrome or other chromosome defects in infants. While in the mother, this can increase pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and premature birth.
So, it can be concluded that age 40 years and above already including the age that is too old to get pregnant. Usually, couples who want to have children at the age of 40 and above cannot make it happen in a natural way. Doctors will usually recommend IVF to get pregnant and have children.
Why do women become more difficult to get pregnant with age?
Every woman has a different level of fertility. That is why there are some cases of older women who can still get pregnant even though they are 40 years old or older. Vice versa, not a few women who find it difficult to get pregnant even though they are still relatively young.
Fertility or not a woman is determined by the number and quality of her egg. At birth, women generally have one million eggs. The amount of egg production will decrease with age. When women reach 37 years of age, the number of eggs they have is only 25,000 eggs. Starting at the age of too old to get pregnant or 40 years and above, the number of female eggs is only 1,000 eggs left.
Although it looks a lot, the egg is certainly not as perfect as young. Because, the older the age of a woman, the more likely the egg is damaged due to aging or environmental factors, for example smoking habits.
Dr. Sarah Berga, MD, an obstetrician from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem revealed to Health that damaged egg cells will be more susceptible to chromosomal abnormalities. That is why, many pregnancies in women aged 35 years and over who eventually end up in a miscarriage.
To guarantee a good and healthy pregnancy, start to plan a pregnancy at the ideal age, ie, ages 20 to 35 years. Make healthier lifestyle changes for pregnant women, such as eating foods that are balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and routine pregnancy checks. Most importantly, try to get pregnant at the ideal age so that the pregnancy runs smoothly.
