Pregnancy And Baby Care Articles During Pregnancy

• ...problem for older women. Women ovulate less frequently after they cross the age of 30 and therefore the number of opportunities for fertilization reduces as every year passes. For example, if a woman ovulates 13 times a year at the age of 30, she will probably ovulate only 5 or 6 times a year, at the age of 40. Moreover, women who are older have a higher risk of problems related to the reproductive organs, which could hamper their chances of getting pregnant. Conditions like uterine fibroids or extensive endometriosis can make the chances of getting pregnant virtually impossible.
• Birth defects: Women who conceive after they cross the age of 35 are at an increased risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects, which are the result of abnormalities in the child's chromosomes. The most common problem related to chromosome abnormalities is Down Syndrome.
• Prenatal care: The prenatal care and treatments required by older women is much higher, as compared to others, mainly in order to check and control the possibilities of pregnancy complications for older women. If the woman also has a medical history of diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic conditions, the prenatal checkups and office visits required for her will be a lot more, especially towards the third trimester. Mothers-to-be, who are over the ages of 35 are advised to undergo a prenatal test, to check for the presence of any chromosome abnormality in the fetus. This test is performed between the 16th and 18th week of pregnancy. In case any abnormalities are discovered, the mother has the option to terminate the pregnancy.
• Chronic illness: Older people have a higher chance of developing chronic diseases, as compared to younger people. Illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and glandular disorders may pose no threat at all, to a woman, who is not pregnant. However, these conditions can cause pregnancy complications for older women, as they intensify and worsen in such cases. Some chronic diseases are also associated with the risks of miscarriage and stillbirth.
• Labor and delivery: While it is possible for older women to have normal deliveries, there are several birth-related problems associated with the older age group, like placental abruption. Therefore the rate of C-sections is much higher in older women.

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