For a lot of health reasons, it is safer for both the woman (and the baby) to conceive a child earlier in life. However, for financial (and sometimes emotional) reasons a lot of women agree that conceiving a child later in life is the smarter choice to make. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
As more and more women continue to move forward with this realm of thinking, more women want to know: what are the risks in relation to birth defects when having a child after the age of 35? The unfortunate truth is that the risk of having a child with birth defects does increase with age. This is because as a woman grows older, their eggs become less and less healthy.
Down Syndrome is one of the more frequent birth defects to occur in children born of women who are over the age of 35. In fact, women over the age of 35 have a one in four hundred chance of having a child with Down Syndrome.
A child with Down Syndrome has additional chromosomes present which can lead to both mental retardation and physical problems for the child. Fortunately, there are various birth defect tests that can be done before a child is born. So, women over the age of 35 do not have to go through their entire pregnancy wondering what may happen when their child is born.
Keep in mind, while these tests are considered to be fairly accurate, there is still some chance they are wrong. This is why some women decide not to get the test. Some women prefer to let nature take its course and let what happens happen.
There are lots of other chromosomal birth defects that a child can have when born from a woman who is over the age of 35. However, Down Syndrome is the most common and well known one. Fortunately, if you are concerned with having a child with birth defects, there is no reason why you cannot discuss this with your gynecologist or obstetrician. They can provide you with solutions, alternatives and information to ease your fears.
It is important for you to realize that just because you are over the age of 35, it does not mean you cannot have a baby. In fact, there are tons of women getting pregnant after 35 who have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies every single day. It is just important for you to be informed that birth defects can happen to your child and the risk increases with age.
However, it is not something you should spend a ton of time worrying about. Regardless of how old or young you are, you need to eat a healthy diet, exercise, avoid smoking and avoid drinking – these things are going to help make sure you have a healthy pregnancy and child.
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