Pregnancy After 35 – But There Are Not Only Risks!
Most people associate the very idea of pregnancy after 35 with a risk pregnancy or risk birth. However, recent studies confirm that it is not only associated with negative aspects.
The journal of the American Association of Geriatric Doctors has published a study on this. It explains that pregnancy after 35 improves a woman’s mental abilities. The study also explains that those who became mothers for the first time at this age or later did better on tests for intellectual acuity, problem-solving skills, and verbal skills.
Being a mother in today’s world
This is definitely good news for the majority of women in society today. This is shaped by professionals who want to dedicate themselves to their careers first and then to their private life. As a result, there are more and more older mothers. A pregnancy after 35 is thus nothing special these days.
According to medical experts, from a purely biological point of view, the ideal age for pregnancy is below 25. In today’s society, however, the average age for first-time mothers has shifted backwards.
In Spain, for example, according to information from the INE, it is 32.2 years. However, there are also a not insignificant number of women who are older than 35 when their first baby is born.
Benefits of pregnancy after 35
The aforementioned study isn’t the only one that has highlighted the benefits of late pregnancy.
Another was carried out in 2014. It states that women who are 33 years of age or older at birth may live longer compared to those who are younger than 33.
Further research from Boston University shows that primiparous women aged 35 or more are twice as likely to live to be 95 years old as mothers whose last child was born before the age of 30.
And there is another study that highlights the positive aspects of later pregnancy. It was carried out by a group of scientists from the University of Southern California. It is based on the answers of 830 women who have already passed menopause. A positive correlation between motherhood after 35 and better mental abilities became evident.
The reason for this is probably the increased hormone status during pregnancy, which has a positive effect on the brain.
The study suggests that the older the woman, the longer these changes last. This in turn triggers an improvement in cognitive functions at an older age.
Is there an ideal age to become a mother?
Nowadays, financial stability is very important for women. They know how to become independent and learn to struggle to shoulder the responsibility that comes with a home side by side.
Achieving this stability encourages them to become mothers, because then they have the feeling that they can fully devote themselves to this project. And yet , at this age, the woman’s biological clock is no longer very precise. Thus, the likelihood of pregnancy decreases over time.
The risks of pregnancy after 35
On the other hand, there are risks associated with pregnancy after the age of 35. It can various complications occur. These include the risk of miscarriage and the increased likelihood of a baby with a chromosome defect.
Statistics show that 30% of women who are 35 or older develop perinatal symptoms or complications. The most common are gestational diabetes, high blood pressure (the main cause of premature birth), and uterine bleeding.
All of this increases the likelihood of premature birth. 10% of all births to mothers over 35 are premature.
And yet: all of these risks are measurable and controllable through adequate medical care.
