America is experiencing an older-mom baby boom. The number of births to women ages 35-39 has risen 43 percent since 1990 — a dramatic shift in the average woman’s childbearing timeline, according to the National Vital Statistics Report by the U.S. Census Bureau. The last available report (compiled in 2003) estimates this percentage to grow 3 percent per year.
Compared to women who conceive around age 25-30, mothers with “advanced maternal age,” as phrased by physicians, may experience a more challenging pregnancy.
“The chances are high that these moms already had existing medical conditions when they conceived, such as diabetes,” says Dr. Jon Rosnes, a maternal and fetal medicine expert in Dallas-Fort Worth. Rosnes says he sees a large number of mothers with advanced maternal age, specifically for prenatal genetic testing and treatment for hypertension, high blood pressure, placental abruption and preeclampsia.
But are there ways for women to lessen the effects of age on their pregnancy? “There is no way to avoid the genetic risk of abnormalities in children born to women with advanced maternal age,” explains Rosnes. Older moms can benefit from a healthy lifestyle, but, adds Rosnes, women should understand that their pregnancy will require the attention of a specialized physician who is trained to deal with higher-risk pregnancies.
