Pregnancy after 35
**disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, if you have questions or concerns regarding the health of you or your baby, please reach out to your medical care provider.
What is it called?
One would think that being pregnant in your mid to late 30’s would be no different that being pregnant and any other age. However, as research becomes more and more advanced, it turns out that being 35 and older does carry a few more risk factors. Pregnancy after 35 is now referred to as “advanced maternal age” and thank goodness for that because it used to be called a “geriatric pregnancy.”
Benefits to waiting until later in life to have a baby
Education and career opportunities
Solid partner relationship
Travel opportunities
Financial considerations
Concerns that providers may have based on maternal age
Being 35 or older does not automatically put you in the high risk box. If you live a healthy lifestyle, it is still very possible you will have a smooth healthy pregnancy.
However, the concerns are still there that may not be for a younger pregnant person. The most basic explanation being, the older you are, the older you uterus is, and the higher the chances are that you have put your body through more illnesses or have been exposed to more environmental hazards.
Other issues that may arise being of “advanced maternal age are:
Preterm labor
Gestational diabetes
High blood pressure
Issues with the placenta
Labor complications
Support/resources for pregnancy over 35
The best thing you can do for yourself as a pregnant person, even more so if you are over 35 is to take care of yourself! Eat clean, exercise, rest!
Some great places to check out are:
Fourth Trimester Fitness- 4tm.com
West Asheville Yoga Studio- westashevilleyoga.com
MAHEC (OB recommendation for high risk pregnancy)- mahec.net
Appalachian Doulas- appalachiandoulas.com (Hey that’s me! Your doula is full of useful information and can answer so many of your questions! I am also happy to help set up an exercise or meal plan to best fit your pregnancy nutritional needs either prenatally or during postpartum.)
