Table of contents:
- What is the chance of getting pregnant at the age of 40?
- What are the possible risks of pregnancy at 40 years of age?
- 1. Miscarriage
- 2. Complications of pregnancy
- 3. Delivery by caesarean section
- 4. Premature babies and LBW
- 5. Genetic disorders
- What should I do if I get pregnant at 40 years of age?
Getting pregnant at the age of 40, they say, may not happen, but some pregnant women have managed to get pregnant at the age of 40. Yes, but it may be difficult and there are many risks. Only a few mothers out of the many pregnant women managed to get pregnant and give birth to children at the age of 4.
What is the chance of getting pregnant at the age of 40?
At the age of 40, your chances of getting pregnant seem to be less than the chances of you getting pregnant at the age of 20 or 30. When you enter the age of 40, your chances of getting pregnant are around 40-50% in one year, compared to women aged 30 who still have a 75% chance of getting pregnant each year. What's more, if you have set foot at the age of 43, your chances of getting pregnant drop dramatically to only 1-2% each year.
Your chances of getting pregnant will continue to decrease with your age because each month you release an egg, where the number of eggs in your body is present or determined from birth (your body does not produce eggs). Therefore, the older you are, the fewer eggs you have, so the less likely you are to get pregnant. If you are menopausal, it means that your eggs have run out, and there is no longer any chance for you to get pregnant.
Not only does the number of eggs continue to decrease as you age, the quality of the eggs you produce also decreases. Eggs that you release every month at the age of 40 or older have a greater chance of having structural problems (such as chromosomal abnormalities). These chromosomal abnormalities carried by your eggs can then increase your risk of miscarriage and birth defects. Chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage are two things that often occur in pregnancies aged 40 years or more.
What are the possible risks of pregnancy at 40 years of age?
When you have successfully conceived at the age of 40 years, the risk of complications that occur during pregnancy at age 40 also increases. Some of the bad effects that can occur in pregnancy at the age of 40 are:
1. Miscarriage
Miscarriage in pregnancies at this age increased by 34% and continues to increase to reach 53% if you become pregnant at 45 years of age. A miscarriage can be caused because you have placenta previa or placental abruption. In addition, it is more difficult for a woman's egg that has been fertilized by sperm to attach to the uterus, allowing you to have a miscarriage. The lining of the uterus becomes thinner and the blood supply decreases as you age.
2. Complications of pregnancy
Getting pregnant at this age can also increase complications during pregnancy by 2 times. Complications that you can experience, such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and high blood pressure.
3. Delivery by caesarean section
At the age of 4, it may be more difficult for you to give birth normally. Your increased risk of developing complications during childbirth, such as a breech position, may require you to give birth by caesarean section.
4. Premature babies and LBW
In pregnancy at the age of 40 years, your risk of giving birth to the baby prematurely (prematurely) is also greater. As a result, your baby may have low birth weight (LBW) because the baby's age is not yet even to be born into the world.
5. Genetic disorders
Your baby is also at greater risk of developing genetic disorders. In a pregnancy at 40 years of age, your baby's risk of developing Down Syndrome is 1 in 100 babies, and in a pregnancy at 45 years of age it increases to 1 in 30 babies. Because of the very large risk of genetic disorders occurring in pregnancy at the age of 40 years or more, those of you who are pregnant at the age of 40 years or more are advised to do fetal screening, such as fetal blood sampling (FBS), amniocentesis, or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
What should I do if I get pregnant at 40 years of age?
It is possible for you to get pregnant at the age of 40. However, it would be nice if you better prepare yourself to get pregnant if you are already 40 years old. This aims to maintain the health of you and the baby in the womb during pregnancy.
The first thing you have to do is change your lifestyle into a healthy lifestyle. Change your eating habits by eating a balanced nutritious diet and doing regular exercise. Stay away from cigarettes, caffeinated drinks, alcoholic beverages, as well as drugs.
One more thing that is most important is to check your health condition to the doctor, both before and also during pregnancy. You may need to do a series of tests before and during pregnancy (such as tests to find chromosomal abnormalities in babies) so that you know the health condition of you and your future baby.