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Women tend to bear children at a later age. Most people go to school longer nowadays and enjoy their freedom and make far travels. At a certain time, one does want to get pregnant, but is already over 35 years old.
In that case you start worrying whether you are not too old to get pregnant. Will you still be able to bring a healthy baby into the world?
There is no turning back the biological clock and that is a fact. However, even a person of 35 years of age or older can still give birth to equally healthy babies as 25-year-old mothers. It is simply important to be alert to problems which are more current when you are over 35 and want to get pregnant.
• It can take longer before you actually get pregnant. When you are born, you have a certain number of egg cells at your disposal and that is not replenished. Once you are over thirty, the egg cells tend to lose quality. You no longer ovulate each month, eventhough you still have your monthly menstruation. That does not necessarily signify you can no longer get pregnant. Getting pregnant will simply need to be planned better, and the timing will have to be well observed.
• A greater chance of having multiple birth. Hormonal changes in your thirties cause your ovary to release often more than one egg cell at the ovulation. Naturally, that increases your chance of twins when you are trying to get pregnant at that time. The other way round is certain medication sometimes admitted to stimulate ovulation. Not ovulating anymore is indeed a quite common problem with women over 35. In that case, the medication increases the chance of having multiple birth.
• Women over 35 are more likely to have pregnancy diabetes. In terms of percentage, there are more cases of pregnancy diabetes with pregnant women who are older. Not that that is a grave problems, since it usually goes away spontaneously after giving birth. Even during your pregnancy, that diabetes may disappear, provided that you pay attention to your food and take enough exercise.
• More difficult delivery. Once you are pregnant, the chance of high blood pressure, diabetes and placenta praevia (a complication in which the placenta has attached to the uterine wall in such a way that it blocks the birth canal) is higher with women over 35. As a result, delivery may be much harder than normal. Older women often give birth through a Caesarean, especially when it is a matter of twins, triplets etc.
• The chance of chromosomal defects with the baby. When trying to get pregnant, you should take into account that the chances of chromosomal defects with the baby, such as Down’s syndrome, are higher.
• Increased chance of miscarriage. Not only is getting pregnant more difficult, but once you are actually pregnant, chances of miscarriage are higher than with a younger pregnant woman.
The tips mentioned below may reduce the risks involved in pregnancy at an older age, which were mentioned in the previous article. If these are taken into account, you will worry less and will be less afraid of getting pregnant.
Schedule an appointment with your doctor. It is best to plan pregnancy beforehand. The reason is that your body is not always in optimal condition, so that getting pregnant does not always go that smoothly. That is why you should have your doctor perform a complete body check to find out what needs to be polished up. Certain dietary habits may need adjusting or you may need to take more exercise. Anyway, it is an important preparation for getting pregnant and it does promote the chances of a smooth pregnancy.
Visit the doctor regularly during your pregnancy. Once you are pregnant, it is important to visit the gynaecologist frequently. That way, the condition of both the baby and yourself may be monitored closely and if necessary, doctors can intervene very quickly. At the consultations, it is important to mention everything you have noticed, eventhough you think it may be silly, unimportant things.
Eat healthy. Getting pregnant is more likely if you have a sound mind in a sound body. Therefore it is advisable to get used to certain eating habits a while before you want to get pregnant. Avoid alcohol, coffee and tobacco. Eat many vegetables and fruit and less sugar. Try maintaining those healthy dietary habits throughout your pregnancy, since your baby will definitely benefit from that.
Keep your weight increase under control. If you see to it that you do not gain too much weight during your pregnancy, it will do your baby the world of good and afterwards it will be easier to get back to normal weight. When you are pregnant, a weight increase of 20 to 30 pounds is perfectly normal. It goes without saying that that will be more if you are expecting twins or triplets.
Keep exercising. If you want to get pregnant, a good physical condition is very important. Even when you are pregnant, it is advisable to continue doing sports, unless you are confined to bed by doctor’s orders. Body exercise strengthens the muscles and can enable you to give birth quite smoothly.
Avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs completely. Even a little bit of alcohol can influence the foetal development. Smoking increases the risk of miscarriage, placental problems and a low birth weight. Drugs end up directly in your bloodstream and are consequently transferred to the baby. After the delivery the baby may have to deal with withdrawal symptoms.
If you are physically in good shape and if you are having trouble getting pregnant, Bach flowers can help you. Read more by clicking “getting pregnant”.
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