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Babies Later in Life

Pregnancy at 35 and Older

By Jill Eggleton Brett

An OB/GYN may refer couples to a genetic counselor after conception, but gathering information beforehand could help couples make an informed choice about parenthood.

There are unique risks to the baby and the mother for women who conceive at 35 or older. For mom, there is an increased risk of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia (pregnancy induced high blood pressure) and vaginal bleeding. For baby, the risks are higher for placenta previa, placental abruption, low birth weight, premature birth and miscarriage.

Placenta previa occurs when the placenta covers part or all of the opening of the cervix, and placental abruption is when the placenta partly peels away from the wall of the uterus before delivery. Both can cause severe bleeding during delivery, which can endanger mother and baby. Fortunately, complications are usually prevented with a Cesarean delivery.

Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester for women of all ages. However, the risk of miscarriage for a woman in her 20s is 12 to 15 percent, while women 40 and older have a 25 percent risk. The increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities contributes to the age-related risk of miscarriage.

One of the most common chromosomal abnormalities that occurs because of the mother's increased age is Down syndrome. A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and the older a woman gets, the older her eggs get as well. And sadly, older eggs do sometimes develop problems solely due to their age.

Down syndrome results in a combination of mental retardation and physical abnormalities due to an extra chromosome 21. The risk of a 25-year-old woman having a child with Down syndrome is 1 in 1,250; for a 35-year-old woman it's 1 in 378; and for a 45-year-old it's 1 in 30.

Want to see more?

• Considering Pregnancy Later in Life
• How Old is Too Old to Give Birth?
• One and Only: How to Know When – and If – You Should Try for Another Child
• Talk about it