Pregnancy After 40: What You Need to Know

There’s a growing trend here in the United States, and around the world — the average age of first-time moms is increasing. Today, the average age in the US is 27.5, a big difference from the average age of 21.4 in 1970.

Some of this increase in birth age is fueled by new moms aged 35 and older, which have increased by about 25% since 2016.

If you’re contemplating pregnancy in your 40s, the team of skilled obstetric specialists at North Atlanta OB/GYN wants to share a few important points about advanced maternal age. Let’s take a look.

Challenges of getting pregnant after 40 

Did you know that you’re born with a certain number of eggs that you carry through your reproductive life? This fact means you’re working with a finite number of eggs that can age along with you.

How this affects your goal of having kids in your 40s is that your fertility can drop by quite a lot toward the end of your reproductive stage. As an example, 1 in 4 women in their late 20s and early 30s will get pregnant during any one menstrual cycle, compared to just 1 in 10 after the age of 40. This decline is largely due to a decrease in the number of viable eggs.

Another issue is that the quality of your eggs in your 40s generally degenerates. When you’re born, your eggs are really only half-formed, and they stay in this state until you ovulate them decades later. The longer these eggs stay in this paused, half-formed state, the more vulnerable they become to chromosomal abnormalities, which can affect your pregnancy and the child.

There are other heightened risks associated with an advanced age in the birth mother, such as increased risks for miscarriage, pre-term delivery, and Cesarean section. Women who are pregnant in their 40s are also more susceptible to complications like preeclampsia.

Pregnancy after 40 is still very much possible

Now we want to take this discussion in a more positive direction. The reality is that plenty of women have babies later in life, and 20% of first babies are born to mothers aged 35 and older in the US.

So, we don’t want the earlier information to discourage you, but we do want you to be aware that pregnancy in your 40s is more challenging, but still very possible.

When we counsel patients who are of advanced maternal age who are trying to get pregnant, we typically stress a few key points:

• It’s important to be in good health, which means that any pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, are well-managed
• It’s helpful to have your weight within normal ranges, as weight can influence pregnancy and fertility
• Take prenatal vitamins, namely folic acid
• Quit smoking and drinking
• Sit down with us for prenatal counseling

And if you are successful in getting pregnant, you can expect that your prenatal care will be more involved, and we may recommend additional testing to ensure mom and baby are healthy throughout.

The bottom line is that many mothers have kids in their 40s, and we’re here to help you reach this goal if it’s possible.

If you have more questions about pregnancy after 40 or you’d like to schedule a prenatal evaluation, don’t hesitate to contact us by phone or online today to schedule an appointment at one of our offices in Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Marietta, Georgia.