Pregnancy And Baby Care Articles During Pregnancy

... Further, even Down's syndrome is found to be more common in babies who are conceived by women over the age of 30.

Also, the chances of conceiving twins or multiple babies are higher when you are older. This, in turn, increases the chances of preterm labor. Moreover, babies who are delivered early may be plagued by several health issues in the long run as their organs may not have been fully developed at the time of delivery. Often, if the mother is likely to have preterm labor, she may be put on medication and bed rest to delay the delivery process.

Additionally, in older mothers, the chances of preeclampsia and diabetes also increase; both these can increase the risk of losing the baby and also put the mother's life at risk. In such cases, mothers may be put on medication in order to control the blood pressure and diabetes and will be monitored closely throughout the pregnancy.

Pregnant older women may also require more frequent prenatal tests. There are two types of prenatal tests. The first is chorionic villi sampling, or CVS, in which a needle is inserted either through the cervix or through your abdomen to obtain a sample of the placental tissue. This test can cause infection, bleeding, and can rupture the amniotic sac, increasing the chances of a possible miscarriage. This procedure can also harm your baby. However, this test is necessary when you are old, and it is done to determine genetic abnormalities in the baby. The second test is amniocentesis. This is also done to determine genetic defects. Here again, a needle is inserted through the abdomen to get a sample of the fluid from the amniotic sac. This test also carries the same risks as the CVS test.

In sum, conceiving at an earlier age not only saves you the hassle of multiple tests but also reduces the risk of complications.

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