Pregnancy at 40: What you need to know

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Although in their 40s, the chances of getting pregnant are much lower, but there are still many women at this age who get pregnant naturally or use assisted reproductive methods. At any age there are certain advantages and disadvantages to pregnancy.

1. Benefits of getting pregnant at 40

Being pregnant at the age of 40 has certain undeniable benefits such as:
Experienced mother: this is the biggest benefit of being pregnant at the age of 40. The mother is of a certain age, has enough life experience, has financial management skills and a relatively solid career. In the husband and wife relationship, the two seem to have understanding and harmony to jointly build a family and raise children. More mature mothers: this is obvious, and normally, older mothers are more likely to be better mothers than younger mothers. They tend to want to breastfeed their babies, and according to a study published above. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, they often choose foods that are good for the child, such as fruit instead of sweets. Financial stability: mothers who do not have children too soon will have more stable finances and better financial management skills.


Although the best time to get pregnant and give birth is from the late 20s to early 30s
Although the best time to get pregnant and give birth is from the late 20s to early 30s

While the best time to get pregnant and give birth is in the late 20s to early 30s, those who decide to have children at an older age have their own advantages, although their bodies are no longer full. energy like when they were young but they have a lot of life experience, they are no longer happy, they are patient, less financial pressure creates conditions for them to take care of their children more, share more with their children than.

2. Problems encountered during pregnancy after 40 years old

Getting pregnant after the age of 40 also has serious problems:
Difficulty getting pregnant: getting pregnant becomes more difficult, and as you age, it becomes evidently more difficult to get pregnant. The number of eggs decreases sharply with age, and the quality of eggs is not as good as before, so along with difficulty getting pregnant is the risk of fetal malformations or miscarriage. A fertility and infertility study found that after the age of 40, the chances of getting pregnant decrease significantly with each passing year. The researchers found that 40-year-old women undergoing infertility treatment had a 25 percent chance of becoming pregnant with their own eggs, but by the age of 43, this chance drops dramatically to just 10 percent, and to 44 years old only 1.6%.
Among pregnant women, the miscarriage rate in 40-year-olds is 24%, 38% for 43-year-olds and increases to 54% by age 44. Your chances of having an egg pregnancy by age 45 is very rare, and if you are 46 years old it is almost never happening (the solution is to use donor eggs).
Pregnancy is more difficult: in your 40s, pregnancy complications occur more (such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes), placental problems as well as birth complications as well. meet more. The risk of preterm birth, low birth weight: the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, even stillbirth is higher, besides the rate of congenital diseases in children is also higher (such as diabetes mellitus). type 1, high blood pressure,...) The quality of the husband's sperm is not good: although a man can still father a father at the age of 60 or 70, sperm quality declines markedly with age, leading to risk of birth defects in the fetus. Long-term financial problems: although at the age of 40, financial pressure is no longer as heavy as when it was young, but in the long run, problems arise, because near the time of retirement and after retirement, if financial not accumulate enough will become a very serious problem in raising children.

3. Chances of getting pregnant at 40


Possibility of getting pregnant at age 40
Possibility of getting pregnant at age 40

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of women over the age of 40 have fertility problems.
At the age of 40, the chance of getting pregnant in a year is about 40 to 50% (while in the mid-30s it is 75%). By the age of 43, the chance of getting pregnant is only 1-2%, an extremely slim rate.
While the likelihood of pregnancy declines, the miscarriage rate increases steeply after the age of 40. Specifically, at the age of 40 the miscarriage rate is 34%, while at the age of 45 it increases to 53%. Along with that is an increased risk of facing complications during pregnancy such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
The problem of genetic disorders is also a concern during pregnancy at 40. For example, Down syndrome, at the age of 40, the risk of a child being born with the disease is 1 in 100, by the age of 45, this rate increases sharply to 1 in 30. Therefore, screening for birth defects such as ultrasound, acellular DNA testing, amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling should be performed.
Nearly 50% of pregnancies after the age of 40 require a cesarean section, along with a high risk of possible complications such as low birth weight or stillbirth.
Although the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has plummeted for women over 35 using their own eggs, with donor eggs the success rate is still quite high (approx. 50%) even though the pregnant woman is in her late 40s, because the risk of miscarriage and genetic disorders depends on the age of the egg donor.

4. How to get pregnant after 40

For the best chance of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby, keep in mind:
If you just turned 40 and haven't gotten pregnant after a period of 6 months (2-3 times per week, don't use it). contraception) see a specialist. Other reasons to see a doctor are: irregular periods, missed periods, problems with ovaries, sperm quality, etc. A specialist will conduct an examination to find out the cause of difficulty getting pregnant and give advice. determine the appropriate treatment based on the specific clinical.
Vinmec Fertility Center is the leading modern center in Vietnam, built and applied a treatment process that coordinates comprehensive examination, combining both male and female obstetrics and gynecology to offer the optimal plan. for each patient case.
Center gathers a team of leading experts in the field of obstetrics and gynecology in the country and abroad, trained at leading centers in the world such as in the US, Singapore, Japan, Australia and Support centers famous breed in the world. With a high level of expertise and experience, the Center's expert team is capable of synchronously and comprehensively deploying the most advanced assisted reproductive techniques today, helping infertile families, infertility, pregnancy at the age of 40,...helping to realize the dream of becoming a parent of hundreds of families across the country.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Article referenced source: babycenter.com

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