The birth of a child is the next step, a new life, which is full of happiness, joy and pleasant worries. But what if you did not have time, could not, did not meet the same person, did not allow your health or financial condition to give birth to the first, second or fifth desired baby earlier? What to do if a pregnancy is threatened at 38? The opinion of doctors is ambiguous. Weigh the pros and cons.
Pregnancy and age
Physiologically, pregnancy becomes possible in girls from the beginning of the first menstruation - at the age of 11-13 years. Fortunately, today it is more a terrible exception than a rule - the days of early marriage and the absence of contraception methods have passed.
Long before the final cessation of menstruation in women, fertility drops sharply. And with the onset of menopause, usually after 55 years, the ability to conceive is reduced to zero.
Early birth
By the age of eighteen to twenty years, the girl’s reproductive system is fully prepared for bearing and having a baby. But the lack of psychological readiness to become a mother prevents most expectant mothers from taking such a serious step. More than 80 percent of all pregnancies at a young age are accidental and unplanned. Often such a mistake leads the girls to an abortion, which inevitably affects the future reproductive function of the body. Those who decided to leave the child at 18-20 years old often have pregnancy complications associated with hormonal imbalance, an anatomically narrow pelvis, and immaturity of the uterine muscle layer.
The correct, according to doctors, age for pregnancy and childbirth
The ideal age for the birth of the firstborn is 20-30 years. It is during this period that a large share of all planned pregnancies and childbirths falls. The woman’s body has not yet had time to acquire serious chronic diseases and is completely ready for procreation. Psychologically, young mothers and fathers are inclined to have children, age-related crises have already passed, and there are still a lot of forces for night rises and moral overloads.
Late pregnancy
After 30-35 years, women usually give birth to a second or third child. But thanks to the achievements of medicine, it is increasingly possible at this age to become a first-born mother. After all, not everyone manages to get pregnant from the first time up to 30 years. Career, financial instability, lack of a reliable partner and living space, problems in gynecology, incompatibility of spouses, chronic miscarriage, tubal ligation, difficulties with conception - these are common problems that lead to the first pregnancy at 38 years old.
The opinion of doctors about conception at this age is uncertain. On the one hand, it is wonderful that medicine today actively uses in vitro fertilization (IVF), it has a huge arsenal of tools to stimulate pregnancy, maintain it, the possibility of thorough intrauterine diagnosis of pathologies, timely and safe delivery, resuscitation and treatment of newborns. But we must not forget that with age, the risks of genetic disorders and malformations in a child increase, the woman’s body is more difficult to tolerate pregnancy, childbirth is less natural and often traumatic. In addition, after 30 years, it is more difficult to physically cope with a newborn baby.
First pregnancy at 38
The opinion of doctors is debatable. Many argue that carrying a child at this age can adversely affect the state of health of the mother, cause fetal abnormalities and complicate the birth process. But practice shows that careful preparation for conception, serious control of pregnancy and timely correction of possible complications help to bear and give birth to healthy and strong babies at any age.
The planned first pregnancy at 38 years is first of all preparation of an organism. Often it takes a lot of time to pass tests and correct violations, which is already completely gone. By the age of 40, fertility is getting lower and problems with conception often arise.
How to conceive a child after 35
The first pregnancy in 38 years is a great success. The chances of getting pregnant naturally by the age of 40 are greatly reduced. Indeed, the ability to conceive (fertility) is already significantly lower than that of a twenty-year-old girl. According to statistics, with regular sex (at least three times a week), 70 percent of women become pregnant during the year.
How to help the body?
- Take vitamin complexes for pregnant women.
- Get enough sleep and relax in any free minute.
- Drink plenty of clean water.
- Do not be nervous, get rid of stress.
- Eat healthy and wholesome food cooked in the oven or steamed, do not overeat.
- Include legumes, nuts, dairy products in the diet, eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Get rid of bad habits (smoking, alcohol, coffee drinks - all this adversely affects sperm motility and can prevent ovulation).
- Lose weight if necessary, or get better. Lack of weight or its excess adversely affect the possibility of conception and the course of pregnancy.
Re-birth at 38
If at the family council it was decided that one child is not enough for you, a second pregnancy of 38 years is waiting for you. The opinion of doctors is as follows: the second and subsequent pregnancies after 30 go much better than the first. A woman knows what awaits her, and the body has already gone through all the stages during the bearing of the previous child. Therefore, neither the second nor the third pregnancy at 38 years of age should scare future parents. The opinion of doctors should be considered only in case of serious health problems and high risks of complications for mother and child.
Complications and Risks
After thirty-five years, doctors warn of the possibility of the following complications:
- Genetic disorders (chromosomal pathology). The chances of abnormalities in the fetal chromosome set increase. These errors can be eliminated with high probability by passing a quality screening examination at the 11-12th week of pregnancy.
- Miscarriage. This happens in women of any age. But due to the lack of hormones in women of old age, such cases are much more common. This can be prevented if the doctor sees the problem on time and prescribes the appropriate medications (Utrozhestan, Dufaston).
- Placenta previa. Incorrect placement of the placenta during pregnancy can lead to complications during childbirth or detachment during pregnancy. This condition requires special observation and may be an indication for caesarean section.
- Diabetes and gestosis. Due to overweight and instability of blood pressure, gestational diabetes can develop. Such a complication sometimes forces doctors to resort to emergency caesarean section to exclude chronic fetal hypoxia, nephropathy and stillbirth.
- Preterm birth and lack of body weight of the newborn. Very often, children in mothers after 35 are born prematurely and, accordingly, have a small weight of about 2.5 kilograms. With proper care, such babies have a good prognosis for later life.
Of course, when pregnancy begins at 38 years old, the risks cannot be excluded. You can only reduce their likelihood with the help of careful training and supervision by good specialists.
Pros of late pregnancy
What is good if there was a late pregnancy, childbirth? 38 years is a respectable age, which has its advantages. So what are the benefits of late pregnancy?
- Stability. Most likely, your family has already reached that minimum of material wealth, which allows you to breathe calmly and not think that tomorrow there is nothing to eat. So, it will not be your career and early exit to work that will bother you, but only your own child.
- Confidence in the spouse. Usually at this age all the passions of the young have calmed down and you and your husband are in the calm and good relations that are so needed by the pregnant woman and her child.
- Rejuvenation of the body. Everyone knows that motherhood colors a woman, and the production of female hormones and collagen helps smooth wrinkles, makes the look bright and glowing from the inside.
- Mindfulness. Only now, when you are in no hurry and are on the verge of understanding the meaning of life, you can completely give yourself to the baby and enjoy every day with him.
So all women should look positively at 38 years old. The pros and cons of each will find its own. But still, if you have already decided on this step, try to think about the good and not be afraid of anything.
What do doctors advise
There are several rules that can help prevent complications when a pregnancy of 38 years is planned. The opinion of doctors and their advice is as follows:
- Pass all necessary tests: urine, blood, and other standard tests for medical examination. Check the condition of chronic diseases and examine the genitals.
- Treat all possible diseases before pregnancy.
- During planning, start drinking special vitamins containing an increased dose of folic acid. This vitamin can reduce the risks of pathology of the development of the neural tube.
- Get tested for sex hormones. Such a study allows you to know in advance or from the first weeks of pregnancy about the need to adjust the hormonal background.
- Check sperm quality. Not only a woman needs to prepare for pregnancy. The quality of the paternal material can greatly affect the pathologies of fetal development. The daily routine, giving up bad habits, good nutrition and an active lifestyle will improve the quality of seed material.
- Adjust nutrition, monitor weight and get rid of bad habits. A healthy lifestyle can improve the condition of the body and facilitate the course of pregnancy.
- Do not use medicines and dietary supplements without consulting a doctor. For example, an excess of vitamins D and A increases the risks of developing anomalies in a child.
Pregnancy Indicated
Sometimes it happens that doctors strongly recommend a woman over 30 in the near future to become a mother. List of main indications:
- polycystic ovary;
- uterine fibroids;
- hyperandrogenism;
- fibrocystic mastopathy;
- endometriosis;
- breast fibroadenoma ;
- vegetovascular dystonia.
Doctors give such recommendations not in vain. There are a number of studies proving the healing effects of pregnancy and childbirth on cysts and fibroids. Breastfeeding often leads to resorption of mastopathy. But even if pregnancy cannot improve health, the sooner it occurs, the less likely a woman to remain childless due to chronic diseases.
Late birth
If the first pregnancy at 38 years of age has arrived and passed safely, the opinion of the doctors will be as follows: there is yet another important and difficult stage ahead - childbirth.
Care must be taken in preparing for this important day. Courses teaching breathing techniques and pain relief, literature, fitness for pregnant women - all this will help the expectant mother to feel more confident and control the process.
When pregnancy is 38 years old, the opinion of doctors often sounds like this: a woman herself will not be able to give birth. Then a diagnosis of “weak labor” is made and a cesarean section is recommended. If the doctor recommends this method of delivery, do not panic or refuse surgery. This is most likely the safest way to bring your baby into the world.
Pregnancy at 38: reviews
Many mothers say that childbirth and pregnancy at 38 years old (the opinion of doctors here is very different from the feelings of women) left only the best impressions about themselves. Often at this age, awareness of one’s position and willingness to become a mother makes a woman absolutely happy and peaceful, life again becomes meaningful and filled with joy.