QUESTION
I’m approaching 30 and am still nowhere
near getting married and having children. What is the truth about
our biological clock and is it any different for Indian women?
ANSWER
In December, the oldest recorded pregnancy, a 67-year
old teacher with twins,
was recorded in Russia. Needless to say, women are having children
at a later age than many ever dreamed possible. Many women wait
until they are financially ready, have finished their education
or established their careers to have children. While you need not
worry about your Indian biological clock being different from other
women's--women’s reproductive organs function the same way,
regardless of ethnicity--there are some basic facts and statistics
to consider as you get older.
A woman is born with a set amount of eggs. As you
age, your eggs age with you. It makes sense then that older eggs
may harbor abnormalities. The age of 35 is referred to as “advanced
maternal age” or AMA. At this age, the risk of chromosomal
abnormalities substantially increases. To put it in perspective,
a 30-year-old woman has a one in 885 chance of giving birth to a
baby with Down’s syndrome. This risk jumps to one in 365 at
the age of 35. Because of these increased risks of chromosomal abnormalities,
women who are due to deliver at or above the age of 35 are offered
genetics counseling and the option to undergo tests to diagnose
genetic abnormalities before the birth. Women can undergo amniocentesis,
the removal of a small amount amniotic fluid from around the fetus,
at 14 to 16 weeks of the pregnancy. This fluid can then undergo
chromosome analysis. Some women choose to have chorionic villi sampling
(CVS) even earlier in their pregnancies, at about 9 weeks. This
procedure involves the sampling of the developing placenta on which
further chromosomal studies are done.
Additionally, as women get older, they have an increased chance
of becoming infertile due to irregular ovulation. Drugs such as
clomid, an estrogen agonist, or injectable gonadotropin hormones
can regulate monthly ovulation and increase the number of ovarian
follicles available for fertilization. Another concern is the increasing
number of illnesses that occur as we age, such as diabetes and high
blood pressure. These could make a normally low-risk pregnancy become
high-risk.
There are, however, benefits to having children later in life.
Often, parents are more financially stable or may feel they have
experienced life without children to the fullest. Some older parents
feel more prepared to devote their lives to their children. If you
are considering having children after 35, make sure you talk to
your doctor and fully understand the risks beforehand.
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