Genetic risk of elder childbearing
With the development of society and the improvement of people's living standards, more and more women choose to postpone childbearing in order to pursue career and economic independence. However, there are also a series of genetic risks associated with elderly childbearing. This article will elaborate on the genetic risks of elderly childbearing from four aspects: embryo malformations, genetic diseases, chromosome abnormalities and maternal complications.
1. Embryonic malformation
With the growth of age, the quality of female eggs gradually declines, leading to the quality of fertilized eggs will also be affected. Studies have shown that the aging of the reproductive system of elderly pregnant women will lead to the reduction of the number of fertilized eggs in the ovary, and increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities of fertilized eggs and embryonic development abnormalities. For example, the incidence of congenital malformations such as Down's syndrome and congenital heart disease has increased significantly.
In addition, older pregnant women also have a higher risk of miscarriage. Due to the decline in egg quality, the abortion rate of older pregnant women is higher than that of younger pregnant women, which means that the health of their embryos is also more vulnerable to impact.
2. Genetic diseases
Older childbearing is also associated with the risk of some genetic diseases. Some genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and congenital muscular dystrophy, are caused by specific gene mutations. The increase of female age may lead to the accumulation of gene mutations, thus increasing the possibility of children suffering from genetic diseases.
In addition, some chromosomal genetic diseases are also related to elder childbearing. The common chromosomal abnormality disease is Down syndrome, which is caused by trisomy 21, and the elderly childbearing people have a higher risk of Down syndrome.
3. Chromosome abnormalities
The risk of chromosomal abnormalities is also high in the elderly child-bearing people, which is caused by the decline of egg quality. Studies have shown that the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in eggs is also on the rise with the growth of women's age. The most obvious is the abnormal number of chromosomes, especially the Down syndrome caused by trisomy 21.
In addition, some other chromosome number abnormalities, such as male or female polyploid, are also associated with aging. These chromosomal abnormalities will lead to abnormal embryonic development, which will affect the health of infants.
4. Maternal complications
Due to physiological aging and other reasons, the risk of some pregnancy complications for elderly pregnant women will also increase. For example, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, etc. These complications may affect the health of the fetus and increase the risk of birth defects and premature delivery.
In addition, due to the increase in age, women's immunity will decline, and they are prone to infection with viruses and bacteria, which also increases the risk of maternal morbidity, and the impact on the fetus can not be ignored.
summary
The genetic risk of elderly childbearing mainly includes the increase of embryo malformation, the increase of genetic disease risk, the increase of chromosome abnormality and the increase of maternal complications. With the growth of age, the risks of pregnancy and fetal health will increase. Therefore, when giving birth at an advanced age, we should fully understand the genetic risks and actively take corresponding preventive measures, such as genetic counseling and prenatal screening, to ensure the health of mothers and infants.
