What is the maximum age limit to get pregnant?

Question

Please let me know if any problem will come in the agegroup of 35-40?

Answer 1

Studies suggest that women over 35 are twice as likely as women in their 20s to develop high blood pressure and diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. A 1996 study at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City found that women age 40 and older were almost three times as likely to develop diabetes, and almost twice as likely to develop high blood pressure as women in their 20s. Similarly, a 1999 study at the University of California at Davis found that first-time mothers over age 40 were 60 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure and four times more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy than mothers in their 20s. This makes it especially important that older mothers get early and regular prenatal care. With early diagnosis and proper treatment, these disorders usually do not pose a major risk to mother or baby.

What is the risk of birth defects in babies of women over 35?
The risk of bearing a child with certain chromosomal disorders increases as a woman ages. The most common of these disorders is Down syndrome, a combination of mental retardation and physical abnormalities caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21 (humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes). At age 25, a woman has about a 1-in-1,250 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome; at age 30, a 1-in-1,000 chance; at age 35, a 1-in-400 chance; at age 40, a 1-in-100 chance; and at 45, a 1-in-30 chance.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women with singleton pregnancies who will be 35 or older at the time of delivery should be offered prenatal testing (with amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling) to diagnose or, more likely, rule out Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. About 95 percent of women who undergo prenatal testing receive the reassuring news that their baby does not have one of these disorders. If prenatal testing rules out chromosomal defects and the mother is healthy, the baby probably is at no greater risk of birth defects than if the mother were in her 20s.

What is the risk of miscarriage as a woman gets older?
Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester for women of all ages. The rate of miscarriage in older women is significantly greater than that in younger women. A 2000 Danish study found that about 9 percent of recognized pregnancies for women aged 20 to 24 ended in miscarriage. The risk rose to about 20 percent at age 35 to 39, and more than 50 percent by age 42. The increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities contributes to the agerelated risk of miscarriage.

Does the risk of pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes increase after age 35?
While women in their late 30s and 40s are likely to have a healthy baby, they do face more complications along the way.

Besides the increased risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, women over 35 have an increased risk of placental problems. The most common placental problem is placenta previa, in which the placenta covers part or all of the opening of the cervix. The University of California at Davis study found that first-time mothers over age 40 were up to 8 times as likely as women in their 20s to have this complication. Placenta previa can cause severe bleeding during delivery, which can endanger mother and baby, but complications often can be prevented with a cesarean delivery.

Some studies suggest that women having their first baby at age 35 or older are at increased risk of having a baby who is low birthweight (less than 51/2 pounds) or premature (born at less than 37 full weeks of pregnancy). A 2002 Canadian study found that women over age 35 were 20 to 40 percent more likely than younger women to have a low birthweight baby, and 20 percent more likely to have a premature delivery. These risks appear to rise modestly but progressively with a woman’s age, even if she does not have age-related chronic health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The Danish study found that women over age 35 had an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (in which the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube). The Danish and Canadian studies also found a slightly increased risk of stillbirth, though other studies did not.

The newborns of mothers in their 40s may suffer more complications (such as asphyxia and brain bleeds) than those of younger mothers, according to the University of California at Davis study. However, in spite of the increased risk of complications, there were no more deaths among babies of older mothers, and the vast majority of babies recovered and did fine.

Pregnant women who are 35 or older face some special risks, but many of these risks can be managed effectively with good prenatal care. It is important to keep in mind that the increased risk, even for the oldest women, is modest.

Do women over 35 have more problems in labor and delivery?
First-time mothers over 35 are more likely than women in their 20s to have difficulties in labor. Studies suggest that fetal distress and a prolonged second stage of labor are more common in older mothers.

This may account, in part, for the increased rate of cesarean sections among women over 35. First-time mothers over age 40 have the highest risk of c-section, 43 percent, according to a 2001 study at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Similarly, other studies have reported that first-time mothers over age 35 have about a 40 percent chance of a c-section, compared to about a 14 percent risk for first-time mothers in their 20s.

How can a pregnant woman reduce her risks?
Today, most women in their late 30s and 40s who are planning pregnancy can look forward to having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. However, given the special concerns about pregnancy past age 35, it is especially important for older women to follow the basic rules for a healthy pregnancy:

Plan for pregnancy by seeing a health care provider before you conceive. Medical conditions, medications and immunizations can be reviewed at this time.
Take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily before you become pregnant and through the first month of pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Get early and regular prenatal care.
Eat a variety of nutritious foods, including foods containing folic acid, like fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grain products, leafy green vegetables, oranges and orange juice and peanuts. (Any woman with a history of nut allergies should avoid eating peanuts or peanut products at all times, not just while pregnant or breastfeeding.)
Begin pregnancy at a healthy weight (not too heavy or too thin). Stop drinking alcohol before you try to conceive, and continue to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.
Don’t smoke during pregnancy and avoid secondhand smoke. It’s best to quit before you become pregnant.
Don’t use any drug, even over-thecounter medications or herbal preparations, unless recommended by a health care provider who knows you are pregnant.

Answer 2

Age Limit For Getting Pregnant

Answer 3

The maximum age limit to get pregnant is 35 to 40 years.

Answer 4

I wouldn't suggest a person starting a life past the age of 35 because people's health starts to degenerate in their forties, by their fifties... Who isn't on some kind of medication for a serious illness? Kids are a life long commitment and you owe it to them to be in decent health until they reach 21 years old.

My fiance and I started early and we love children. We have decided to dedicate our lives to family rather than PhDs. You need to choose which is more important. We've already discused that once I reach 33 we will not try to concieve anymore children as he will be 38 years old. That is our personal boundry.

I am going as far as to say that any couple who tries to have children after the mother has reached forty years old are selfish. People at that age should consider being foster parents as these children just need someone to take care of them temporarily. That way once the couple becomes too ill to look after children they can just stop accepting new cases.

Answer 5

As long as you are producing eggs, you can get pregnant, so there really is no age (number) limit. There are alot more risk when you get pregnant later in life, (over 35 years of age); your body will start to "lose" the best eggs due to aging, thus chances of Down Syndrome, lots of things could go wrong, medical term, AMA, advance maternal age, good luck

Answer 6

Experts say that there are higher risks of birth defects and other serious complications if your 35 and older. But the maximum limit to get pregnant is when your body says it's time.

Answer 7

About 60s

Answer 8

A lot of women these days are having children when they are older but there are still many risk factors that come into play. A person of that age has a much higher chance of having a baby with down syndrome and other birth defects. I recommend thoroughly talking with a doctor.

Answer 9

Early thirties could still be good, but late thirties is difficult, especially if it is the first baby. Women need strength to give birth. And pregnancy occuring at a very late age - say late 40's- have complications.

Answer 10

Well, after 35, your chances to have a baby with Down Syndrome or other birth defects go way up...but there is no set age limit to have a baby.

Answer 11

well as there have been couple examples that a old lady can give birth around age of 60 that to without any complication. so it seems that a lady should not have any problem in age group35-40. the lady should be strong enough andhave capacity to bear the pains but nowdays girls don't seem to be intersted in having kids and wants to live lonely life.