For many years, Polish women have been making decisions about late motherhood more and more often. Nobody is too surprised to see a pregnant woman after “30”, or even “40”, although in fact the optimal period for getting pregnant is much earlier. Dominika Trojnarska, MD, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist at the Superior Medical Center in Krakow, talks about what late pregnancy is associated with.
- The topic of highly mature motherhood has returned thanks to Katarzyna Sokołowska, who announced a few weeks ago that she was expecting a child
- A few days ago, in the “City of Women” program, she revealed that she got pregnant thanks to the IVF procedure
- “Of course, biology is biology, but medicine has also moved forward” – said Sokołowska on TVN Style
- – Even if we are dealing with a healthy, active, well-nourished and generally caring 50-year-old, without any additional diseases, age is certainly a risk factor – explains Dominika Trojnarska, MD, PhD.
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Katarzyna Sokołowska is 49 years old. A few weeks ago, she announced that she was expecting a baby. Last weekend, she was a guest on the “City of Women” program, where she revealed a bit more information. She also referred to the emotions her age aroused.
“Of course, biology is biology, but medicine has also made progress. Still, I hear the appraisal: ‘How come this baby is going to have an old mother?’ These are the words. I would rather say that it is mature. In these words, people judge me as unconscious, immature, unaware of what happened. They think I didn’t take care of certain situations. Such assessments have many negative consequences, ”she said in“ The City of Women ”. She also added that after losing her natural pregnancy, she opted for the in vitro procedure.
From time to time, the media gets loud about famous women deciding on late motherhood. Starting with examples from abroad (Janet Jackson – 50 years old or Halle Bery – 46 years old), ending with famous Polish women, such as Małgorzata Kożuchowska (43 years old) or Małgorzata Rozenek-Majdan (42 years old). As a rule, the same questions then arise. How it’s possible? Is it safe? What should a pregnant woman be afraid of at this age?
Is pregnancy in a 40-year-old safe?
– When deciding to get pregnant late, it all really depends on the woman’s health. Even if we are dealing with a healthy, active, well-nourished and generally caring 50-year-old, without any additional diseases, age is certainly a risk factor – explains Dominika Trojnarska, MD, PhD.
As the doctor points out, when it comes to pregnancy, age over 35 begins to be a risk factor. At the same time, nowadays, statistically women get pregnant later and later, so the age limit is starting to shift. It is worth remembering that theoretically, the best biological time to get pregnant is between the ages of 18 and 25. This is when the body is at the peak of its fertility, the ovarian reserve is still very large, which is why women usually then they have no problems with getting pregnant. The older a woman becomes, the more her ovarian reserve decreases, which may make getting pregnant even more difficult, explains CM Superior, a gynecologist-obstetrician.
Geriatric pregnancy
– In the case of the Top Model juror, it could be assumed that a woman became pregnant through assisted reproduction, because around the age of 50, women are already going into the perimenopausal period – comments Dominika Trojnarska, MD, PhD.
As the doctor says, pregnancy at this age can be called geriatric. It’s an unpleasant-sounding term that, understandably, women don’t like. The age limit from which this name can be used is getting higher, but it is now commonly used even after the age of 40.
The most feared pregnancy at this age is genetic defects, such as Down’s syndrome, which may appear during conception. At this age, already in the early stages of pregnancy, the risk of miscarriage is also increased – due to the fact that at this age the body is no longer prepared for pregnancy. There is also a greater number of diseases strictly related to pregnancy itself, such as gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia or even pregnancy-related eclampsia. These are serious obstetric conditions, the risk of which increases with the age of a woman.
Caring for a pregnant woman
Caring for a pregnant woman at this age is similar to caring for a young woman. However, this does not change the fact that more control visits are indicated. I, II and III trimester check-ups are also obligatory. Genetic tests and invasive prenatal diagnostics can also be considered, for example in the form of amniocentesis, i.e. collecting amniotic fluid for examination – in order to detect possible genetic defects in the fetus, to which it is more exposed (due to the quality of the genetic material contained in reproductive cells) – explains CM Superior specialist.
A very common question, especially at the end of late pregnancies, is whether the advanced age of the pregnant woman is an indication for caesarean section. In this regard, a very important fact is whether the woman has been pregnant before and whether she has given birth to children. If a woman gave birth earlier by force of nature, and for purely obstetric reasons, there are no contraindications to natural childbirth, yes, childbirth can take place this way. At the same time, however, I think that with the advanced age of the mother, most obstetricians tend to deliver planned delivery by caesarean section, because in such pregnancies the risk of intrauterine death at the end of pregnancy is also increased. Personally, I am also of the opinion that it is worth terminating such a pregnancy in this way – points out Dominika Trojnarska, MD, PhD.
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It is worth being aware that nowadays it is the norm that 50-year-olds are usually healthy and active people, for whom the term “prime of life” fits perfectly. Considering a woman who is actually healthy and is not receiving treatment for any chronic diseases, the course of pregnancy itself is unlikely to be overburdening her.. Perhaps such a woman will bear pregnancy a bit worse than a healthy twenty-something-year-old woman, but compared to, for example, an obese 30-year-old woman who treats hypertension, a healthy and fit XNUMX-year-old woman will probably endure the pregnancy herself better. It is also possible that the birth itself will go smoothly and the woman will become a happy mother.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to epigenetics. What is? How can we influence our genes? Do our elderly grandparents give us a chance for a long and healthy life? What is trauma inheritance and is it possible to somehow oppose this phenomenon? Listen: