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It's no secret that more than ever women are now incredibly career minded and driven, and as a result of us ladies striving for success studies have recently shown an increase in women over the age of 40 giving birth. Did you know that almost 1 in 5 births are to women over the age of 35?
For the first time in over 70 years, more women over the age of 40 are choosing to start a family than those in their 20's. Statistics also show that teenage pregnancies are continuing to decline and the average age to have a baby is now 30.3 years old!
Most women have very healthy pregnancies and babies, but being older can sometimes increase your chances of complications. Unfortunately the older you are the more likely you're to have diabetes or high blood pressure. You'll also see statistics show that ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage are more common in older women. Miscarrying can increase to a one in two chance once you reach the age of 45 and over, if you have conceived naturally.
If you conceive over the age of 35, you may be asked to complete extra tests to avoid complications.
How can being older affect your baby?
Being an older Mum unfortunately does increase your chances of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality such as Downs syndrome.
How age can affect your chances (with thanks to the NHS):
20 years of age has a chance of one in 1,500
30 years of age has a chance of one in 800
35 years of age has a chance of one in 270
40 years of age has a chance of one in 100
45 years of age has a chance of one in 50 or greater
At Premier Scans we offer the NIPT (Non-invasive prenatal testing).
What is non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)?
It has been discovered that a simple blood sample from the mother at any time from 10 weeks of pregnancy can be analysed for cell free fetal DNA, which is essentially a marker in the mother’s blood of the DNA of the baby. This has come to be known as ‘non-invasive prenatal testing’ (NIPT). Although NIPT is not diagnostic, large scale studies have shown the test has a detection rate of more than 99.9% for Down’s syndrome (Trisomy 21); 98% with Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13) and 95% for Turner syndrome. This is great news as it reduces the need for invasive testing such as CVS or amniocentesis and the associated risk of miscarriage.
NIPT can be carried out for most pregnancies including IVF, singleton and twins. I can be performed on women who have conceived via assisted reproductive technology including the use of a donor egg.
To book an NIPT or to find out more, please visit us online.
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