How Mom's Age Impacts Pregnancy Complications

Time waits for no one – including women who hope to have families. More moms are waiting – the average age of first-time moms in the U.S. is now 27 – but with the wait can come complications. So what is the ideal childbearing age?

“The best age for a woman to get pregnant is when she is ready,” said Catherine Schiltz, DO, Avera Medical Group Obstetrics/Gynecology. “With that in mind, a woman should know her ability to conceive goes down as she ages. Potential pregnancy complications go up, too.”

Factors for Healthy Pregnancy Other Than Age

Most chronic conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol come later in life, not just for women, but everyone. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease tend to develop later in the 20s or in the early 30s.

“No single factor is most important or the most serious threat,” she said. “It’s best to achieve pregnancy at optimal health, and many things figure into optimal health.”

Working with a health care provider can help ensure that ideal level of health is closer for women who want to have a child.

Ability to Conceive Changes with Age, Too

Most women who are 25 have about a 25% chance of getting pregnant during each menstrual cycle. As they age, the chances decrease. The decline increases every five years:

• 20% at age 30
• 12% at age 35
• Less than 5% at age 40

These numbers are a general guideline and can vary, Schiltz said. Regular checkups with your provider, along with healthy lifestyle choices, add up for the better health of mom and baby she said. Other factors that can reduce the chance of pregnancy include:

• Smoking or tobacco use
• Cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy
• Pelvic infections

Why Age 35 Is Often a Benchmark

When women reach 35, they reach advanced maternal age and several complication risks increase.

“Age 35 is when the risk of having a baby affected by Down syndrome and the risks associated with genetic testing procedures converge," said Javier Kovacs, MD, Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist physician with Avera Medical Group Maternal Fetal Medicine Sioux Falls. "Women over 35 will have increased risks of many complications."

Those can include the following, listed by the trimester in which they are most likely to show up:

• Early pregnancy: Miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and chromosomal abnormalities
• Late pregnancy: Hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, growth restriction, placenta previa, cesarean delivery and stillbirth

How to Prepare for Pregnancy

See your provider for a preconception visit to increase the likelihood of a safe, healthy pregnancy. If scheduled properly, it’s something you can do during an annual checkup.

“A preconception visit is really about taking a thorough history to review past medical, surgical, social and family history,” said Schiltz. “It’s an opportunity to discuss patient-specific, pregnancy-related risks and concerns.”

She said moms working with their doctors can collaborate to modify some changeable things. This visit is a good time to:

• Talk about nutrients, including taking folic acid for healthy development of the fetus' nervous system
• Ask questions about labor and delivery
• Discuss patient-specific risks and concerns
• Ensure safe habits, including stopping smoking and alcohol use
• Discuss body weight and your healthy body mass index (BMI)
• Make sure vaccines are up to date
• Discuss exercise options