But, finally, it happened! The pregnancy test is positive, as indicated by two long-awaited strips. This means that you will soon become a mother for the most expensive person in the world. However, doctors are not as optimistic. How justified are their fears?
OFF, DOUBT!
Despite some risks, which you probably already scared in the women's consultation, experts note that the chances of bearing and giving birth to a healthy child in a middle-aged woman who is watching her health are no less than that of a future young mother. Careful planning of pregnancy, proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, as well as a positive attitude toward a favorable outcome of birth will help to produce a strong, healthy baby. In the arsenal of modern medicine, there are methods that allow you to trace how the fetus develops in the early stages of pregnancy, and if necessary, make adjustments. Genetics does not stand still. Scientists are studying methods of influencing the human genome and even the genes of "aging".
WHAT IS THE DANGER?
With the passage of the years, elasticity is lost in the tissues, and after thirty years the genital organs are not as mobile as in the twenty.
■ Physical deterioration of the body increases the likelihood of birth complications (ruptures and strains). Gestosis (the appearance of edema, high blood pressure) is an extremely frequent "companion" of pregnant women of middle age. In "age-old" pregnant women, according to statistics, miscarriages occur somewhat more frequently (in women 20 years-10%, 35 years-19%, and in 40 -35%). Possible complications of late delivery, according to medical practice, are hypoxia of the fetus (lack of oxygen in the child during childbirth), premature withdrawal of water, weakness of labor, the presence of bleeding. Such an abundance of negative factors increases the likelihood of having a cesarean section.
Remember! If in addition to age, no other indicators (pelvic dimensions, blood pressure, test data, number of heartbeats per minute) do not cause fear, the doctor decides about natural birth.
■ Weakened sexual functions. Long-term (for many years) reception of contraceptives containing hormones as a means of preventing pregnancy significantly worsens the activity and functional orientation of the ovaries. After thirty-five years, anovulatory cycles often occur, in which the egg does not ripen. Sometimes after the anovulatory cycle, maturation of several eggs can occur, which often leads to multiple pregnancies. The age of 35-39 years is determined by doctors, as the peak of the "twin" genera is considered.
■ Genetic risk. With the age of the mother, the risk of having a child with chromosomal pathologies increases. If in 20-year-old women the probability of having a child with Down's syndrome is 1: 1300, then by the age of 40 the indices are significantly increased: 1: 110. Changing the chromosomes in this case occurs under the influence of unfavorable ecology, chronic stresses and the range of diseases that the woman has already managed to recover to adulthood. The need for consultation with a geneticist at times increases when among relatives of one parent there is the presence of genetic disorders, if a woman in the past has had miscarriages and if the couple has been treated for a long time from infertility.
Remember! To be frightened ahead of time it is not necessary. If your health with your husband does not cause fear, in your family no one has had hereditary diseases, then the chance to give birth to a healthy baby after 35 years is quite high.
■ Exacerbation of chronic diseases. Late pregnancy can cause ischemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes. This can be a serious threat to the health of both the woman herself and her future child. Statistics say that after 35 years three times more often than before 30, there is a development of diabetes of pregnant women.
Remember! If you have previously had chronic diseases, you should definitely consult a doctor about effective preventive measures.
HEALTH MAY TAKE CARE
Your diet should contain a complex of all necessary vitamins and minerals. Do not forget to include in your menu persimmon and fruits of feijoa. They contain many useful substances: iron, iodine, potassium, vitamins C and E. It is necessary to walk a lot, generally as much as possible to be in the fresh air. Be sure to give time for physical training. Particular attention was paid to exercises that strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, abdominal wall. In advance (one month before conception) and during the first three months of pregnancy, you need to take folic acid. This drug reduces the risk of developing disorders of the fetal nervous system.
Remember! Try not to be nervous or overstrained. Mental balance and a positive attitude - a guarantee of your good health.
PLUSES OF GENES AFTER 35 YEARS
It is not true that childbirth in adulthood is associated with only risks! Of course no! Late births have many different advantages.
■ Firstly, scientists have long proven and justified that late children are more intellectually developed, they have many talents, and they are more psychologically and emotionally formed than their peers who were born by younger mothers. Why? It's very simple: "late" babies are given more attention and energy to their babies, because such children are desired and suffered. In addition to everything, mom and dad tend to have more free time. Great value is given to a stable financial situation, because usually at the time of the birth of the baby, parents of mature age stand firmly on their feet and the future of the child is more protected.
■ Secondly, mothers after 35 years are usually more serious and responsible for the process of pregnancy and childbirth. They are much less likely to fall into depression than young women. Psychologists 30 years of age is defined as a transition point, when the mother's instinct is given the leading place. He greatly prevails over material thoughts and plans. Having given birth to a child after 35 years, the woman begins to feel younger, because in her years she is in the status of not a grandmother, but a young mother.
■ Thirdly, late births have a number of purely medical advantages: the "old-born" moms have lowered cholesterol and significantly reduced the risk of getting a stroke, osteoporosis. They have easier menopause, the climax comes later, the body more easily accepts the natural aging processes. Such mothers are less likely to face risks of genitourinary infections.
Remember! There is a main incentive to give birth - a healthy child after 35 years of age helps a woman to preserve youth and beauty longer.
PAY ATTENTION
All future mothers, whose age exceeds 35 years, doctors recommend a detailed fetal examination, which includes ultrasound at 10-12 and 16-20 weeks and a "triple" test (blood test for alpha-fetoprotein, chorionic gonadotropin and free estriol) . If there are doubts based on the results, invasive (operational) methods are also used. In the first trimester it is a chorionic biopsy (examination of cells of the future placenta), in the second - amniocentesis (analysis of amniotic fluid) and cordocentesis (fetal blood sampling through the umbilical cord). Late pregnancy leads to a cardiotocography of the fetus - an analysis of the heartbeat and movements of the baby, which allows you to determine whether it has enough oxygen and nutrients.