pregnant after 35

Hi all.  This is premature for me, but one of my girlfriends just told me over the weekend she is preggers.  she and I are months apart in age, she is almost 37.  I was asking her about the risks involved in having a child after 35. 

I just met Rich in February and he is ten years younger than me.  Both of us are not in a hurry to have kids because we want to spend all our time together, since we haven't had that option yet!  But I started thinking about my "old eggs"!  And how much harder it must be on our bodies the older we get.

And again, Im not ready but maybe the end of next year.  That would put me at 37. 

Any stories, advice etc greatly appreciated!
Jenn 

Well, my mother gave to birth to me at the age of 40 and my sister gave birth to her first child at 41.

My sister had no problems in that pregnancy and gave birth - by C-section - to a very healthy boy.

However, I have often wondered if my loooooong list of health problems were not due to my mother having me at 40.  I don't think anyone can tell me whether that was a factor or not, but it is something I worry about the older I get, since my husband and I , despite the miscarriage, would still like to have a child of our own.   

I got pregnant at 35, my first baby. We were told of the risks of Downs Syndrome, because of the age factor, the older you are, the higher the risk. There's a test they can do to determine if your baby has it, and we had that test done, and the wait was just awful. Everything was fine, and we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Lots of women nowadays are having children in their late thirties, or early forties. Look at Madonna, Cherie Blair, Susan Sarrandon, Jane Seymore, Jerry Hall,  the list goes on. All of these women were over 40.

I too was 35 when I was pregnant with my son, nearly 36 when I gave birth.  The medical profession does treat  expectant mothers of 35+ as high risk.  In the UK they will offer you an amniocentisis to screen for Downs Syndrome (I didn't have it, having worked out the risk of miscarriage from an amnio was greater than the chances of Downs Syndrome) ) as well as the nuchal fold test which is part of the 12 week scan.  If your mother and female relatives on your mother's side had unproblematic pregnancies, the chances are you will too, even if you are older than they were.  Do be prepared for the tiredness factor though. I was very very tired during my pregnancy, although I am not sure how much of that is down to age.  And it is definitely very tiring chasing after a little one all day and my back and knees feel very creaky! Good luck whatever you decide! I can understand you not wanting to rush into parenthood when your relationship is so young - we had only been married 3 months when I got pregnant and it did seem very soon. Wouldn't change it for the wrold though, best thing I ever did.

I had Jack when I was 37. Physically it was harder than it was when I had my first ten years prior but he was a big, healthy boy.

My mom had me at 34, and she says I was her easiest pregnancy. 

Just a comment. Statistics on women having kids over 35 includes all women who have had kids after they are 35, not just women who had their first kid after 35.

So it includes women who have many children, having been pregnant many times since their twenties or even their teens.The body of a 40 year old woman who has already had six or seven kids is not going to be the same as the body of a 40 year old woman who's never been pregnant before.

I do have to agree w/Britwife about the tiredness factor.  I'm 34 and due to give birth to our second child in December.  I can tell the difference between this and the last pregnancy - at 32.  Maybe it's having a toddler to look after as well, but tbh I'm looking forward to having completed our family once this one has arrived safely.  I definitely tire more easily these days.

Hats off to those ladies who can do it in their late 30s and 40s! 

I had three singletons in my early/mid 20's...and then the twins at age 35...BIG difference! NOT in the pregnancy per se...in fact I felt great even though it is much harder with a multiple pregnancy...but now, at age 40 I find myself MENTALLY more tired than I was with my first three. I am tired and sometimes think "been there, done that" which makes me feel soooo guilty at times! But, I think women are very strong and can do what they have to...a lot has to do with your outlook...if you feel confident and excited at the prospect of being a mother at an "older" age, well, I don't think you have anything to worry about! Good luck when/if the time comes!

Hi jennredd

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. Our marriage is very young, im 35 now, we both want to have a child but not right away, but i can feel the clock ticking. I remember what it was like when i had my son 10 years ago...tiring and hard work lol so i know what to expect there, i just don't know by what factor to multiply it by    Big difference this time being that i will have a loving, caring husband/father by my side instead of a useless, selfish, lazy, good for nothing.....I think i will leave it there lol

LOL Ratpack! You sound like me!


Our first son together was a wedding night baby.