Childbirth after forty: what you need to know about late pregnancy and how to prepare for it

The other day, on March 7, the famous TV presenter Vasilisa Frolova gave birth to a son, Rodion. She wrote about this on her page in social networks. Vasilisa is 43 years old, and this is her first child. In connection with this event, we decided to talk about the late pregnancy. Have Ukrainian women begun to give birth more often at a more mature age? Is it true that childbirth after forty can be more severe? Doctors answered these and other popular questions about late pregnancy.

BIRTH AFTER FORTY BECAME MORE

This is not true. Today, they give birth more often not after forty, but after 30-35, experts say.

“Literally this week we had mothers - the first birth, 31 and 38 years old”,

- gives an example Natalia Knyazeva, obstetrician of the medical center "Mother and Child."

"But those who become a mother for the first time after forty years old, a stable small percentage"

- Natalya Silina, Ph.D. D., gynecologist-endocrinologist, founder of “dr. Silina School of Women's Health ". By the way, she works for two countries - Ukraine and England. And here there is a similar situation: many give birth for the first time after the thirty-year milestone, and only a few - after forty. And the state encourages not to hesitate with pregnancy. “In England, a woman diagnosed with infertility can participate in a free government program for ECO only up to 40 years of age, ”the gynecologist says.

IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO GET PREGNANT WITH AGE

True. After 35 years, female fertility falls (the ability to reproduce healthy offspring). How is this expressed? “A girl is born with a certain supply of follicles in the ovaries (the so-called ovulatory reserve). And from the first menstruation she begins to lose them, - explains Natalya Silina. - In addition, with age, the quality of eggs decreases, ovulation does not occur every cycle, worsens patency of the fallopian tubes and the state of the endometrium of the uterus (the ovum is worse attached to its walls). " All this together reduces the chances of getting pregnant. Interestingly, for women of the same age, these chances are different.

“It all depends on the ovulatory reserve,” explains Natalia Knyazeva. “For some, it can be exhausted at 50, and for others, at thirty.”

But you can reduce the consumption of eggs by prolonging your fertility.

"They are not" wasted "during pregnancy, breastfeeding, while there is no period, and also when taking oral contraceptives when a woman is not ovulating."

- the doctor explains.

You can predict how long you are still able to get pregnant using an anti-Müllerian test. hormone. “Also on the 7-8th day of the cycle, you can do an ultrasound and count the antral follicles. Until the age of forty, the norm is not less than 12 pieces, after forty - 8 pieces, - says Natalya Silina. - In addition to the anti-Müllerian hormone, it is worth determining the follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol on the 3-5th day of the menstrual cycle. And also look at the concentration of estrogen metabolites in daily urine. "

LATE PREGNANCY REJUVES

Not certainly in that way. «Yes, indeed, a woman experiences a bunch of positive emotions, she releases hormones of happiness, endorphins, when she learns about the long-awaited pregnancywhen she bears her normally, she gives birth, ”says Natalya Knyazeva. - Her eyes are shining with happiness and she can look younger. But it all depends on the biological age, on the general state of health. A woman of forty can be gorgeous: she looks great, carries, gives birth, recovers after childbirth. And there are women who enter pregnancy with a whole bunch of health problems, which can be aggravated by the increased load on the body. "

HARDER DELIVERY

Not true. It does not depend on the age of the mother, but on her psycho-emotional state and preparation. “If a mother, at least at 25, at least at 45, is in a state of convulsion throughout her pregnancy, then it’s ridiculous to expect that she will fully enter into labor and give birth normally. In childbirth, the preparation and work of the mother is important, ”says Natalya Knyazeva. “If a woman approaches motherhood consciously, prepares for childbirth, then everything goes well, regardless of age,” says Tamara Zeynalli. - I'll tell you the story of a woman who first became a mother at the age of 46. She had been waiting for the man of her dreams for a long time, and when she finally met him, she decided on a child. Have IVF done. The pregnancy was going well, we agreed to be accompanied in childbirth. And then, three days before the New Year, dark green waters recede from her. There is no labor, and a decision is made to have a cesarean section. She goes to the hospital. There, the doctor examines her: there is still no disclosure - an operation needs to be performed. While the doctor was preparing, while the Doppler was being written, while the anesthesiologists came, it took about half an hour. And then the woman in labor felt a strong urge to defecate. She says to the doctor: "Can I go to the toilet and then we will have the operation?" He decided to examine her again (such urges accompany attempts) - and saw full disclosure and that she was grieving. That is, the disclosure of her cervix took only half an hour and was painless. She gave birth to a healthy baby on the operating table without a single break. This woman very consciously approached pregnancy, seriously prepared for it and childbirth - and such a wonderful result was obtained. "

AFTER 40 HIGHER RISKS OF GIVING A SICK CHILD

Yes. When it comes to natural pregnancy.

"Indeed, with age, the risk of having a child, for example, with Down syndrome, increases."

, - confirms Natalia Silina.

"At forty, genetic breakdowns in the fetus are more common than at 25"

, - says Natalya Knyazeva. But if a couple resorts to IVF, then these risks are minimized. “Only high-quality embryos are implanted with this procedure,” comments Tamara Zeynall, psychologist, doula, and founder of the Happy Parents course in preparing for childbirth.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR LATE PREGNANCY: 5 STEPS

If the mother, having weighed all the pros and cons, still decides on a late pregnancy, you need to carefully prepare for it. Natalia Knyazeva told how.

1. In addition to a gynecologist, consultation of related specialists is needed if there are chronic diseases. It is especially necessary to check the functioning of the liver and biliary system, because this is a biochemical factory. This is where the metabolism of hormones takes place. A visit to an endocrinologist is required to check how healthy the thyroid gland is. Now among pregnant women, regardless of age, there are many cases of hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis. A professional examination by a therapist is important: control of pressure, sugar levels.
2. Rehabilitation of the oral cavity is needed.
3. Complete rejection of nicotine, alcohol, folic acid intake (three months before conception, because the egg is formed during this period).
4. If there are no antibodies to rubella, you need to get vaccinated against rubella.
5. Natalia Silina also advises chronic stress management, because it is he who kills the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and ovaries. According to the expert, they can have a full 6-8 hours from 11 p.m. in an absolutely dark room (this is how one fully rests the brain, which regulates all processes in our body) and meditation (it relieves the increased excitability of the brain brain).

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