Does older women's childbearing increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants?
In recent years, with the development of social economy and the change of women's marriage concept, more and more women choose to postpone childbearing. However, it has always been a matter of concern whether women's elderly childbearing will increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants. This article will analyze the risk of women's elderly childbearing on infant chromosome abnormalities from four aspects: physiological causes, scientific research, statistical data and medical practice.
1、 Physiological cause
The number of female eggs is limited, and gradually decreases with age. At the same time, the growth of age will also lead to the decline of egg quality. The main reason for chromosomal abnormalities is that the eggs make mistakes during meiosis, and aging will increase the probability of such mistakes. Therefore, women's old childbearing does increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants.
In addition, when a woman is pregnant at an advanced age, her body has experienced physiological changes for many years, including changes in hormone levels and decline in metabolic function. These physiological changes may affect the development of the fetus and increase the probability of chromosomal abnormalities in infants.
2、 Scientific research
A large number of scientific studies have shown that women's elderly childbearing does increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women over 35 are twice as likely to have chromosomal abnormalities in their children as women under 30. In addition, a research report published in the New England Journal of Medicine pointed out that the probability of chromosomal abnormalities in babies born to women over 40 years old was as high as 5%.
Other studies have also found that chromosome abnormalities are mainly concentrated in trisomy syndrome (Down syndrome) and sex chromosome abnormalities on chromosome 21, especially X chromosome abnormalities. These results further confirmed the risk of abnormal chromosome in infants caused by women's elderly childbearing.
3、 Statistics
The statistical data in medical practice also supports the view that women's elderly childbearing increases the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in infants. Take the United States as an example. According to the data, women over 40 years old are 40 times more likely to have a baby with Down syndrome than women under 30 years old.
Similarly, in a study conducted by a medical center in China, women over 40 years of age were followed up for a long time, and it was found that nearly 40% of infants had chromosomal abnormalities, far higher than the rate of chromosomal abnormalities in infants born to younger women.
4、 Medical Practice
In the practice of obstetrics and gynecology, doctors generally believe that women's elderly childbearing does increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants. Therefore, for older pregnant women, doctors will pay more attention to the screening and diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Common methods include ultrasound, amniocentesis and non-invasive prenatal gene detection.
In addition, doctors usually carry out a comprehensive prenatal examination for elderly pregnant women, and formulate appropriate prenatal care programs based on the examination results to reduce the occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities. For example, reasonable nutrition supplementation, active control of pregnancy diseases and avoidance of exposure to harmful substances can reduce the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants.
Summary
To sum up, from the four aspects of physiological causes, scientific research, statistical data and medical practice, women's elderly childbearing does increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in infants. With the change of women's fertility concept, we should strengthen the health education of older pregnant women, improve their fertility concept and fertility planning, so as to reduce the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities and ensure the healthy development of infants.
