I want to be a mom after 35, should I be concerned?
Is it really that risky to be a mom after 35? Is it true that as soon as you turn 35 your eggs automatically start to die quickly? Find out how much of what you've been told is a lie, or at least an exaggeration.
All women (regardless of whether we want to be mothers or not) have endured all kinds of comments about our "biological clock" at some point. From the "you must get married before you are 30" said by nosy family, friends, and coworkers, to the "better marry me, you're past a certain age", said by that unwanted suitor. Those who make those comments usually claim to have a "scientific" basis for giving you what they think to be good advice (even if you didn't ask for it).
The effects of this cultural pressure on decisions that women make about their motherhood are evident: in a country like Colombia, for example, only in a little more than 11% of births the mother is over 35 years old, while teenage pregnancy (mothers under 19 years of age, most of whom have not completed secondary education) results in more than 18% of births. The figures contrast with countries like the United States, where more than 47% of births are to mothers over 30 years of age, who have a higher probability of having a high level of education and greater economic resources for parenting.
All this leads many women to ask themselves some questions, such as: What if I want to be a mother and I am 35 years old or older? What if I want to be a mom but I'm single and I would like to wait a little longer to find a partner? And if I don't want to be a mom at this point in my life, is being a mom after 35 viable for me?
What matters most is not how old you are, but your general health and physical condition
In a study(1) conducted at two fertility clinics in New England, Massachusetts, between 1989 and 2014, it was found that women under 35 years of age had a 34% chance of having children after fertility treatment, while women under the age of 35 had a 34% chance of having children after fertility treatment. women over 35 years of age the success rate was 23%. However, the mothers' age was not the most important factor in the success of the treatments, but their body weight: women with a BMI less than 25 (that is, they were not overweight or obese) had a success rate of 40%, while for overweight or obese women it was only 16%.
We can conclude that when it comes to having a healthy pregnancy, being in good physical shape is much more important than your age. Of course, for most of humanity, age brings changes that deteriorate health, but this has much more to do with the accumulation of damage in the body after decades of bad habits, than with the simple fact of having birthdays. If you smoke, for example, it is clear that your body will be more deteriorated when you´re 30 than when you´re 20. The same applies to habits such as a sedentary lifestyle, which tend to worsen as people advance in their careers and adopt desk jobs or have more work occupations that prevent them from exercising properly.
Although the statistics indicate that there is a decrease in the fertility of women after they turn 30 and especially, after they turn 35 years old, it is particularly important to remember that you are not a statistic, but an individual case. If you are experiencing health problems, you may have trouble getting pregnant in your 20s and need fertility treatment to conceive anyway. Or you can also be the opposite case and be completely fertile at 40 years old. What's the best thing to do if you want to be a mom after 35 (or at any age, really)? The most important thing is to know your body and your health condition.
Consult with your gynecologist and get tested
The best thing to do is to always consult your doctor. He or she can give you a general check-up to review your health and send you specific tests to see how your fertility is. Some of these tests can be:
-Blood tests to evaluate lipid profile, thyroid hormone (TSH), glycemia, antibodies, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), etc.
-Transvaginal pelvic ultrasound to detect possible fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and other alterations. They can also perform an antral follicle count to find out if your ovaries are producing eggs normally and what your expected fertility may be.
-Tests necessary before deciding about fertility procedures. If you've considered the option of freezing your eggs for an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, the sooner you see a fertility specialist, the better.
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