Pregnancy after age 40 is always considered high risk even if the mother has no illness at all. In this age group, the likelihood of abortions is much higher and women are more likely to have conditions that can complicate pregnancy, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Risks to mother
The risks of getting pregnant after 40 years for the mother are:
- Abortion;
- Higher chance of preterm birth;
- Loss of blood;
- Ectopic pregnancy;
- Placental abruption;
- Uterine rupture;
- Premature rupture of membranes;
- Hypertension in pregnancy;
- Hellp syndrome;
- Long-term labor.
Signs to go to the doctor
Thus, warning signs that should not be ignored are:
- Loss of live red blood through the vagina;
- Dark discharge even in small amounts;
- Bleeding of dark red color or similar to discharge;
- Pain in the foot of the belly, as if it were a colic.
If any of these signs or symptoms are present the woman should go to the doctor so that it can be evaluated and perform an ultrasound because the doctor can verify that everything is okay.
Although it is normal to have small bleeding and cramps, especially in early pregnancy, these symptoms should be told to the obstetrician.
Risks for the baby
The risks to the babies are more related to chromosomal malformations, which lead to the development of genetic diseases, mainly Down Syndrome. Babies can be born prematurely, increasing health risks after birth.
Women over the age of 40 who wish to become pregnant should seek medical advice and perform tests to confirm their physical condition, thus ensuring a healthy pregnancy from start to finish.
How is prenatal at age 40?
Prenatal care is a bit different from women who get pregnant under the age of 35 because more regular consultations and more specific exams are needed. According to the need the doctor can request tests such as more frequent ultrasonography, blood tests to identify toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus, HIV type 1 and 2, glucose test.
More specific tests to know if the baby has Down's syndrome are chorionic villi collection, amniocentesis, cordocentesis, nuchal translucency, ultrasound that measures the length of the baby's neck and the Maternal Biochemical Profile.
How is the delivery at age 40?
As long as the woman and baby are healthy there are no contraindications to the normal birth and this is a possibility, especially if the woman has been a mother before and is pregnant with the second, third or fourth child. But if she has already had a previous cesarean section, the doctor may suggest a new cesarean section because the previous cesarean scar can hinder labor and increase the risk of uterine rupture during labor. Therefore, each case should be discussed in person with the obstetrician who will perform the delivery.
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