Perimenopausal Pregnancy: What Are the Odds and Risks When You’re Over 35 Years Old?

A woman’s body undergoes so many changes in a woman’s life. Often times, these changes and symptoms indicate a woman’s age or the transitional stages she cleverly goes through: When a girl reaches adolescence, she experiences menstruation, indicating that her body is ready to have children. When a woman reaches her 30s and older, she experiences the first signs of perimenopause, which is defined as the process of change a woman experiences that leads to menopause. Perimenopause lasts no less than two years to more than eight years. Then, at age 50, a woman goes through menopause, which is the end of her menstrual period. So the various phases a woman’s body goes through cannot contradict her actual age.

Perimenopause is the period when a woman’s body experiences a decrease in egg production (supply of eggs) in both quantity and quality. This results in a change in hormones and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms that are more intense or of a different nature than previously felt. Perimenopause marks the beginning of the end-beginning of the decline of a woman’s fertile stage.

What are the chances of a woman getting pregnant when she is over 35 years old?

A woman’s ovulation and menstruation become irregular as the woman’s supply of eggs or eggs continues to decline. The decrease in a woman’s egg supply results in decreased fertility and is most noticeable after the mid-30s.

In her 40s, a woman’s menstrual cycle becomes irregular and can continue until menopause, and this also compromises fertility. Health-conscious women in this age group often do not seek prenatal care when they become pregnant; they often assume that the missed period, which is the first sign of pregnancy, is instead the first sign of menopause.

What are the risks of a woman getting pregnant when she is over 35 years old?

As a result of irregular hormone production, perimenopausal pregnancy becomes high risk; officially, pregnancies at age 35 are high risk. However, if a woman is fit and healthy, she can enjoy the energy generally associated with a younger woman, as long as she gets pregnant at 35 or older. Doctors say that a woman’s physical well-being during pregnancy depends more on who she is than on her age. However, a woman should be aware of chronic conditions that complicate pregnancy where it first becomes apparent. These chronic conditions can be diabetes or high blood pressure. Also, even if one is in top shape, starting at age 35, there is an increased risk of pregnancy-specific diseases, including gestational diabetes.

Pregnancies from the age of 35 have the chance of giving birth to a baby with a chromosome problem such as Down syndrome, where a baby is born with an extra chromosome. Getting pregnant during perimenopause also carries the risk of miscarriage due to amniocentesis, which is a diagnostic test done to look for chromosome defects by examining the amniotic fluid. This test requires fluid to be drawn through a needle that is inserted into the mother’s abdomen. Although the risk is still minimal, the risk is significantly higher compared to a woman in her twenties. Another risk that a woman may encounter during perimenopausal pregnancy is the placenta previa, where the placenta grows close to the cervix and causes bleeding.

Perimenopausal pregnancy when you are over 35 and over 40, medically speaking, is the most difficult age for pregnancy. In this decade, a woman has depleted the highest quality eggs, slowing down conception. The eggs that are now left in the body take the longest to respond to the body’s signals for release and also do not work well during fertilization. This condition or state of the eggs further increases the risk of chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage.

However, it is interesting to note that while it is now more difficult to get pregnant at this age, the likelihood of having multiples, itself another high-risk pregnancy, even without medical intervention is not far off. One possible reason could be that the change in hormone levels during menopause stimulates the release of more than one egg at the time of ovulation, like a natural fertility drug.

Standard pregnancy tests become risky when administered to pregnant women over 35 years of age, as they involve removal of tissue from the placenta with risk of miscarriage, albeit at a low level.

Pregnancy after age 35 can worsen chronic conditions, as well as the first signs of aging, such as stiff and sore joints. Varicose veins can multiply and get worse. A slower metabolism can result in a lot of weight gain, lethargy, and lethargy.

So would you dare to defy the odds and face the risks and get pregnant when you are over 35?
Subsequent pregnancies have physical drawbacks, as doctors are quick to point out, but a list of other benefits outweighs the risks. For starters, greater financial stability can allow you to focus more on motherhood. After proving their professional worth, women in their 30s and older can be more flexible and patient as they have faced more challenges throughout their lives.