There are many varied reasons as to why some women in their 40s never had any children. It could be that they were too caught up in their career or could not meet the right partner. Whatever be the reasons, it is always a daunting factor for women in their 40s to start a family. Not only does the age factor cause doubts but the niggling fear that it might be too late or it may lead to health complications. These often lead to a lot of mental and emotional struggle for women in their 40s which again is not a good thing. With menopause symptoms on the appearance, it becomes an obstacle in the ability to conceive for most older women. It must be understood that the fertility level and the quality of the eggs begin to decline. Most often chromosomal abnormalities, high risk of miscarriage and birth defects are some complications more common in 40 plus women.
Benefits of getting pregnant at 40
One good factor of having a baby in the 40s is the fact that a woman is financially stable and emotionally ready for the task. A woman at that age has lived and seen enough of the world and want for something more than just financial security and comfort.
If you are already married or with a long term partner then you would have achieved a certain degree of emotional security and stability. This zone of security can be a great catalyst for starting a family. There will be mutual desire and understanding on the part of both the partners to facilitate the process of having a baby.
With all the worldly knowledge that you have acquired, you are more likely to be a wise and firm parent. All the experiences in life would enable you to be more confident toward bringing up your child. Besides, older mothers are more likely to breastfeed their child which is going to be healthy and beneficial for both mother and child.
Having been able to establish yourself in a good career, you will be financially stable enough to bring up a child. Your pregnancy and childbirth can in no way deter your getting back to work, perhaps even on a higher salary than earlier.
Being financially secure would mean that you can dole out the estimated yearly 13,000 pound sterling for rearing children between the age group of 0-4 years. Cost of bringing up a child aside, in your 40s, you will be only too happy to focus all the attention on your baby rather than on your own selfish, personal needs.
Downsides of pregnancy at 40
At this age, a woman would definitely require close monitoring as the chances of risks are more high.
If during the course of pregnancy you run into health problems, the doctors will classify your case as high risk case. This simply means that you will be specially monitored to ensure that your baby and you are kept safe.
During the course of pregnancy, an older woman may have more acute experiences of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, placenta abruption where the placenta peels off the wall of the uterus and placenta praevia or low lying placenta.
For older women, even the actual birth process may be more complicated leading to caesarean section, awkward birthing position of baby, pre-mature birth and baby being born under weight.
The chances of giving birth at 40 is also affected by chromosomal changes. This will lead to the birth defect called Down’s Syndrome where abnormalities in the baby is present. Women are generally given screening tests in pregnancies to detect genetic conditions. At 40 plus, a woman may need to do amniocentensis or chronionic villus sampling to check chromosomal problems that causes risk to the baby.
With increased chromosomal problems there is the increase risk of miscarriage which is a rising figure in 40 plus women. All these factors however, need not be a cause for undue worry because there are women in the 40s who have had babies without any trouble.
All said and done, it is not just the age factor but on how you take care of yourself if you want a healthy baby. You will need to change your lifestyle by staying fit and healthy. You need to cut down or eliminate alcohol, smoking and improving your diet. You need to consult specialists who can guide you better and put you through series of tests if you are unable to conceive.
