Menu Close

Risks of Pregnancy Over the Age of 35

doctor using stethoscope white examining pregnant woman in clinic

For many, pregnancy is a beautiful thing to behold. That beauty can come with danger, according to the experts at Sigelman Associates — birth injury attorneys in San Diego — should the woman in question be over the age of 35. 

Becoming pregnant at an older age holds many risks, including some which can affect the baby. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the potential downsides of becoming pregnant when you are older so that you can make a more informed decision about whether or not you deem the complications to be worth it.

What Happens During “Older” Pregnancies?

While it’s true that women between 35 and 45 still have a good chance of having normal pregnancies, it’s also true that there are certain complications that become more likely as women age. It’s important to start paying attention to these after the age of 35 and get the necessary screenings to mitigate their effects:

  • Gestational Diabetes — Pregnancy can induce diabetes, and pregnancies in women over the age of 35 or more likely to do so.
  • High Blood Pressure — Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure puts you at greater risk of having heart attacks and heart failure. What’s more, high blood pressure during pregnancy can be indicative of  Preeclampsia, a condition where the internal organs aren’t working as they should be.
  • Premature Birth — Babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks) can be at risk for all manner of health issues, and have lower survival rates than children born at a normal time.
  • Low Birth Weight — Because babies born of older women are more likely to be born prematurely, they’re also more likely to be born underweight, which comes with its own host of wide-reaching health problems.
  • Birth Defects — Speaking of birth defects, children born of women older than 35 are more likely to have conditions such as down syndrome.
  • Miscarriage/Stillbirth — Miscarriage refers to situations where a baby dies before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Stillbirth refers to when a baby dies after 20 weeks. Both are more likely during pregnancies in women over 35.

Screening And Maintaining Your Health

Because of these potential issues, pregnancy after 35 can come with a legion of personal problems, including the dissolution of a relationship, says Strange Law, divorce attorney in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s best to maintain your health (and your marriage), so if you are planning on having a baby after 35, make sure you do everything you can to ensure the health of all parties involved, including consistent screening for potential issues with yourself and your new child.