over 43 and pregnant, are you taking extra precautions? - Page 2

[dot1]

Yes, anything good for mama has to be good for babe! :)

I'm doing great, thanks.  25 weeks along, good blood pressure and feeling good.

Nice to hear your pregnancies are going well too :)

[serenbat]

I had my second at 44- (had one in my 20's) and the only things that the "experts" were pushing was that I had an "un-proven uterus" - meaning code for --"automatic C-section" 

I stopped going after the 2nd apt and found a Dr that didn't feel that way and had a natural-no intervention birth

it's still NEW to "new" Dr.s (younger ones) to deal with over 40!!! so find an old one they tend to know far more and don't see age like other do

when you look at the rates between the risks at 35 and those over 40, it really isn't that much bigger- so deal with someone that doesn't view it as that big of a deal

[contactmaya]

Well, at almost 10 weeks, im feeling aweful. Nauseous, and  when not nauseous have this constant hunger that feels like ive fasted for days, but have just eaten :-(  But thats good isnt it! I mean, they say that nausea is a sign of a healthy pregnancy....of course, lack thereof does not mean an unhealthy one.

When i go for walks, it really helps. Im just counting the days till i make it to the 2nd trimester.

Serenbat, isnt it ironic? Either your uterus is too used, or not used enough.

Such an interesting  discussion about the significance of bloodflow and age. I must look more into that. Also, im beginning to wonder if the age of the egg, versus the age of the sperm might have different consequences. For eg, there seems to be a correlation between childhood cancer and older fathers.

I wonder if research exists on something like that. For eg, is the risk of down syndrome greater if the man is older, or the woman is older, or both?

[serenbat]

For eg, is the risk of down syndrome greater if the man is older, or the woman is older, or both?

not that I know the answer but when you look at all the babies that are born to those UNDER 35 and have downs you really need to look at the number of those having babies, yes it is more under 35 but they still are having downs and no one addresses this (I know one mother late 20's and so was the father- big surprise at birth) under 35 they don't even tell you have a chance but go over 35 and they flip-out at you

I did a CVS and I had bad bleeding after (they nicked a fibroid) I went back to the hosp the following day and was checked and a specialist who saw me was acting "strange" towards me---he was from England and started to "hint" things and it took awhile for us to catch on to what he was going at-but what he did was show me the different parts and told me "some view this", etc. he had seen everything was alright and saw more and couldn't tell me!!!!!!

----long story short what he was getting at was they KNEW prior to me having a CVS that my DS did not have downs yet here in the US we do amino or CVS and carry high risks when it takes a simply look to rule out MOST cases--but we don't do that, we want $$$, risk and possable loss and weeks of waiting-ahhhhhhhhhh  

I dealt with a major hosp group in a fairly large city too!

nuchal fold screening - my insurance won't even had paid for it and it wasn't even offered!-SUCKS!

 

Edited by serenbat - 6/28/11 at 10:32am

[greenmama66]

Originally Posted by contactmaya 

Well, at almost 10 weeks, im feeling aweful. Nauseous, and  when not nauseous have this constant hunger that feels like ive fasted for days, but have just eaten :-(  But thats good isnt it! I mean, they say that nausea is a sign of a healthy pregnancy....of course, lack thereof does not mean an unhealthy one.

When i go for walks, it really helps. Im just counting the days till i make it to the 2nd trimester.

Serenbat, isnt it ironic? Either your uterus is too used, or not used enough.

Such an interesting  discussion about the significance of bloodflow and age. I must look more into that. Also, im beginning to wonder if the age of the egg, versus the age of the sperm might have different consequences. For eg, there seems to be a correlation between childhood cancer and older fathers.

I wonder if research exists on something like that. For eg, is the risk of down syndrome greater if the man is older, or the woman is older, or both?

The genetic Dr. I saw for my nuchal and amnio did say this- about older men etc;

[bossmare707]

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post, I just had to chime in on this one!  I was 1 month shy of my 46th bday when I had my first baby.  I had the most uneventful pregnancy ever.  I did take supplemental progesterone to "hold" my pregnancy for the first and part of the second trimester.  Other than that I did nothing special other than take really good car of my self and eat right.  My OB said I was much healthier than many of his patients in their 20s.  I was never considered high risk.  I did have a difficult labor but it had nothing to do with my age and that can happen to anyone.

I read one post that said their OB mentioned that women have been having babies in their 40s for thousands of years.  This is indeed true.  It is only in modern times that our society considers it "abnormal" to have babies at this age. 

I wouldn't change a thing about having waited so long to be a mom.  I am so much more mature than my younger days and was totally prepared for the self sacrifice that goes along with being a good parent.  My daughter is the greatest blessing of my life.

Congratulations to all you well-ripened mamas to be! 

[contactmaya]

Wow Bossmare, 46! Thanks for sharing.

[sundaya]

Wow bossmare, that is so cool. You give me hope for one more after this one!

[mambera]

Originally Posted by contactmaya 

Such an interesting  discussion about the significance of bloodflow and age. I must look more into that. Also, im beginning to wonder if the age of the egg, versus the age of the sperm might have different consequences. For eg, there seems to be a correlation between childhood cancer and older fathers.

I wonder if research exists on something like that. For eg, is the risk of down syndrome greater if the man is older, or the woman is older, or both? 

(Thread crashing to offer information):

This is usually specific to the particular genetic disorder.  E.g., the risk of Down's syndrome is specifically related to the age of the mother.  The risk of achondroplasia is specifically related to the age of the father.  The major exception that I know of is autism-spectrum disorders, which increase in relation to the age of both parents (and it's not clear to what degree the reason for that is genetic vs environmental).

[contactmaya]

Wow, thats interesting. Thanks for crashing!

[serenbat]

 E.g., the risk of Down's syndrome is specifically related to the age of the mother. 

http://www.marchofdimes.com/birthdefects_downsyndrome.html

"Even though the risk is greater as the mother’s age increases, about 80 percent of babies with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35."

[contactmaya]

Its interesting to me that the risk derives from the egg rather than the sperm. Even more interesting is the statistic you cited Serenbat. Nonetheless, I would be interested to know what  risks particular to older sperm is. I wonder if these sort of things have been studied

[mambera]

Originally Posted by serenbat 

http://www.marchofdimes.com/birthdefects_downsyndrome.html

"Even though the risk is greater as the mother’s age increases, about 80 percent of babies with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35."

That is because the large majority of all babies are born to women under age 35.  A woman's personal risk for having a Down's baby is still most strongly related to her age.  (Additionally, since women over 35 are more routinely screened for Down's, they are more likely to have the option to terminate, which something like 90% of them will take IIRC.  Younger women are less likely to have the screening that would detect a Down's fetus, and so more of the Down's babies conceived by younger women will actually make it to term.)

I would be interested to know what  risks particular to older sperm is.

Here is an article about the risks attached to older sperm (I found it on a fast google so don't vouch for its accuracy):

http://www.mothers35plus.co.uk/older-fathers.htm

[contactmaya]

Thanks for the article Mambera.

It does say that down syndrome is also a risk from older men regardless of the womans age. Thats a suprising fact.

 

<<……..research published in November 2005, reveals that men aged 50 and above were more than four times more likely to have a child with Down syndrome……….>>>

 

 

 It also mentions that risk of miscarriage goes up for older men

 regardless of the womans age.

 

<<.....the risk of miscarriage appeared to rise along with the father's age, regardless of how old the mother was…

 

The risk of losing a baby was 60 per cent higher when the father was aged 40 or over, compared to when he was 25 to 29 years old. It was also about three times greater when the man was aged between 35 and 39 years of age, than if he were younger than 25…………>>

 

 

[Blair Keener]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!  I understand why you would be worried.  As Sundaya pointed out - people who had a difficult time are more likely to want to connect on forums and share stories.  I just wanted to address a couple things you are worrying about that may have nothing to do with age.  First of all, the time it took you to conceive is more likely due to hormonal changes in your body and may be related to breastfeeding.  Although repressed fertility due to breastfeeding is less likely when baby starts solids and frequency of breastfeeding had slowed, it may still have effected your body's 'willingness to conceive.'  I personally doubt that your egg quality would change in a few years more than your hormones.  Just a thought.

Also, with regards to higher direct connections between maternal age, as far as strength  of the placenta, uterus, ovaries, is concerned, and reading that placental abruption can happen more easily because, well, its weaker in an older woman….I doubt it is age as much as health.  Many people in their forties experience (often unknowingly) a drop in HCL acid levels in the stomach.  This is why older people have a higher instance of acid reflux, and may be related to a harder time with growth and repair.  HCL acid is essential for digesting protein.  We are what we digest…not what we eat!  If a woman has low HCL acid levels and therefore isn't digesting protein effectively, it absolutely could lead to a weaker and less effective uterus and placenta.  It could also be related to the body's ability to make enough blood.  A woman's blood volume doubles during pregnancy, with the most dramatic increases happening toward the end of pregnancy.  This requires more protein and iron to build up blood supplies.  I've also seen in my nutrition research, increase instances of low levels of calcium and magnesium as we age, which are essential nutrients for building a baby.  But, all these changes are simply more likely in older people, and I would add, older people who don't take care of themselves and aren't in the best of health.  Poor habits due tend to catch up to you eventually.  (Also, its usually talked about in the over 50 crowd, instead of the over forty crowd)

Other things to be aware of are the health of the liver.  Liver health is absolutely essential in pregnancy, since a normal pregnancy does place extra strain on the liver (processing huge amounts of hormones.)  Let me quote an expert (and, I apologize this will be a long entry!)  

"Your liver performs 500 metabolic functions!  One of those functions is to purify and detoxify your blood. For example, during pregnancy your placenta produces high levels of female and pregnancy hormones; by the end of pregnancy, progesterone is a hundred times greater than the amount contained in birth control pills. During pregnancy, your liver must work at peak efficiency to regulate the level of hormones in the body by metabolizing and excreting extras. 

Think of your liver as a metabolic factory where nutrients from the food you eat are carried directly to the liver where they undergo changes and combinations so that they can be used by your body for new cell growth and repair, boosting your immune system, and giving you energy. One of the special proteins your liver synthesizes is albumin, which plays a critical role in blood volume expansion.

During the latter half of pregnancy, your blood volume must expand by 40-50% to send enough blood through the placenta to meet your growing baby’s needs and to store extra fluid in your body to prevent shock from blood loss during delivery. Your blood volume will not expand automatically just because you are pregnant; this change is dependent on an increased intake of protein and salt—and the production of albumin.

Albumin is synthesized in your liver by combining specific amino acids from the food you eat. Albumin acts like little sponges in your bloodstream drawing water from the tissues into the blood vessels.  Increased blood volume means increased perfusion of the placenta: your baby gets more oxygen, nutrients and hormones.

When a pregnant woman’s diet is protein deficient, her liver cannot produce enough albumin. When her albumin level is too low, fluid leaks out of her blood vessels into her tissues causing excess swelling and elevated blood pressure. Here’s why:

If the blood volume does not expand during the second half of pregnancy, the body will try to compensate in order to preserve circulation to all internal organs and the placenta by trying to increase the blood volume by re-absorbing sodium (salt) and water. However, if there is not enough albumin in the blood to absorb that extra water, it just leaks into the tissues and causes swelling, usually of the feet, and eventually of the hands and face.  

Salt to Taste to Maintain a Healthy Expanded Blood Volume

Every cell in your body, and your baby’s body, is bathed in salty fluid; your baby is bathed in salty amniotic water. You need extra salt in pregnancy to retain the extra water needed to expand your blood volume. Muscles depend on salt to function properly; leg cramps can be a sign of sodium deficiency.

How much salt do you need in pregnancy? The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends you salt your food-to taste (unless you have heart or kidney disease).  Don’t worry: you can’t ingest too much salt in pregnancy, anything extra will be excreted."  -Pam England

 I must admit I am a nutritionist and tend to see nutrition as the biggest factor related to health, even though I know its not the only one.  I recommend having a nutritional consultation, getting a diet analysis and seeing where you stand.  Pregnancy is a great time to make even an already healthy diet healthier.  Unfortunately many doctors and midwives don't have extensive education related to nutrition and may not look at diet much because they don't know what to do with it.  Don't let that lead you to believe nutrition isn't important, because it certainly it.  

There is always risks and unknowns when it comes to pregnancy and birth, but instead of being frozen by fear (so to speak), you can use it as a motivation to do what you can to increase health and wellness!  Good luck to you on your journey! 

Blessings,

Blair

[mambera]

Originally Posted by contactmaya 

Thanks for the article Mambera.

It does say that down syndrome is also a risk from older men regardless of the womans age. Thats a suprising fact.

 

So like I said, I didn't vouch for accuracy. ;)

You are right that I slightly oversimplified when I said there is *no* relation to paternal age, but I think the bottom line is the maternal age effect is far more important, and there is still ongoing debate about whether there is a small paternal age effect or not.  Some studies say yes, some studies say no.  It's difficult to do this work because you need a lot of data (fewer than 10% of DS children have a paternally derived extra chromosome) and there is a very strong statistical association of older fathers with older mothers, so a small effect of age in the father but not the mother is difficult to tease out.  Some studies found that the age of the father only becomes important given an older mother.

Here is a recent meta-analysis that found a small effect - it did not reach significance given the size of their dataset, which is kind of like saying they can't reliably say the effect was actually there - of paternal age.  It found a 13% increase in risk for each 10-year increment in the age of the father.  Compare that to a tenfold (1000%) increase in risk for a mother age 40 vs 30.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19449414

[contactmaya]

Thanks Blair. When you say older people are more likely to have acid reflux due to a drop in HCL levels, i feel reassured. Before pregnancy, i never experienced acid reflux, so  i hope thats a good indication that at least this much is working in my favor. (and perhaps others on this thread)

Mambera, thanks for the new link.