14 DAY TRIAL // Celebrity culture seems to have made a powerful impact again on how us, regular people, perceive many aspects of our daily life. Motherhood later in life seems to be one of those things about which women have changed their mind over the past couple of years. In doing so, they have literally exposed themselves and their baby to unnecessary risk, as doctors warn pregnancy should not be pushed back for longer than 35 years old, as the Daily Mail can confirm.
At this point in time, most developed countries are dealing with what has come to be known as the “30s pregnancy pandemics,” where women decide to wait until late 30s or early 40s before becoming pregnant, for reasons that can range from financial considerations to those pertaining to their personal life. The risks inherent to such a decision are birth complications and health issues that can alter both mother and child’s life for ever.
To avoid all this, women are advised to have children between the recommended ages of 20 and 35, experts with the NHS say for the Mail. “New evidence from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says it is increasingly difficult for women to become pregnant after the age of 35. Those who do face a higher risk of miscarriage. The College specifies the ‘optimum age’ for childbearing is between 20 and 35. […] The country’s leading obstetricians and fertility specialists have often warned that women who put off having children until their 30s are ‘defying nature’.” the Mail writes following the warning issued by the College.
With mothers starting to be older, the NHS also finds itself unprepared for the complications that may arise, it is further being said. Even more worrying is that the number of women who have a baby after 35 has more than doubled over just a couple of years, reaching 19%, which means that this is becoming an ever more present phenomenon. When making the decision of waiting past a certain age before having a baby, no matter the reasons, women should at least be properly informed about the potential consequences of said decision, including miscarriage or complications at birth, experts also say.
“Pregnancy complications can be more common in older women. They have higher rates of induction of labor and caesarean births, which present greater risks to both mother and baby. Despite this, we support a woman’s decision to choose when to embark upon a pregnancy. Many women feel that they must delay pregnancy until their circumstances in employment allow. The key issue is that they should receive sound information about the risks of giving birth later in life.” Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, states for the Mail.