Definition of elder childbearing
Elderly childbearing refers to women's pregnancy and childbirth after the age of 35. With the change of society's concept of marriage and childbearing, more and more women choose to postpone childbearing, leading to the gradual popularization of the phenomenon of elderly childbearing.
However, whether the elderly childbearing brings risks has become the focus of attention. The following will elaborate from four aspects: physiology, psychology, medical treatment and society.
1. Physiological risk
With the growth of age, women's ovarian function gradually declined, and the number and quality of follicles also decreased. This makes the chance of pregnancy smaller, and the incidence of infertility also increases. At the same time, the risk of elderly women suffering from reproductive system diseases after pregnancy will also increase, such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, etc. In addition, older women are more likely to have pregnancy complications, such as premature delivery, placental abruption, etc.
In addition, the fetus of elderly women also faces more risks. The fetus of elderly mothers may have chromosomal abnormalities, such as the incidence of Down syndrome is greatly increased. In addition, the fetus of elderly women is also prone to low birth weight, neonatal death and other problems.
2. Psychological risk
The challenge of elderly pregnancy to women's mental health cannot be ignored. As women grow older, they may face anxiety and pressure about childbirth. Due to the limitation in the process of childbirth, older women may feel the pressure of time and fertility. In addition, elderly childbearing may also have an impact on family stability and self-identity.
Women may also face more social judgments and pressure after they become pregnant at an advanced age. Because of the prejudice and doubt of the society on the elderly childbearing, women may feel that they are not accepted and understood. This may increase their psychological burden, and even lead to mental health problems.
3. Medical risks
Older women need more careful medical management and monitoring during pregnancy and childbirth. For elderly women, prenatal examination and screening are essential to detect and deal with possible pregnancy complications in a timely manner.
At the same time, as the physical condition of elderly women is generally inferior to that of young women, more medical intervention and treatment may be required. This may include medication, surgical intervention and special obstetric procedures. In addition, the delivery of elderly women may need more manual intervention, such as induced labor, caesarean section, etc.
However, although the development of medical technology has reduced the risk of elderly childbearing, the medical risk of elderly childbearing cannot be completely excluded.
4. Social Risks
Older childbearing may bring changes and pressure on women's social roles. As the elderly women have been relatively stable in their family and career, they need to pay more time and energy to get pregnant and raise babies. This may affect their career development and personal growth.
In addition, elderly childbearing may also bring economic pressure to families. More expenses need to be paid for raising children, such as education, health care and daily living expenses. However, elderly couples may be in the stage of retirement or near retirement in terms of economic income, and it is difficult to cope with these pressures.
To sum up, the upper limit of elder childbearing depends on the individual's physical condition and the development of medical technology. In any case, childbirth at an advanced age will increase the physical, psychological, medical and social risks. Therefore, when considering elderly childbearing, we should be cautious and follow the doctor's advice, and make decisions based on the actual situation of individuals and families.
Finally, for those women who wish to postpone childbearing, they should improve their understanding of assisted reproductive technologies such as egg freezing, so as to increase the chances of pregnancy in the future and reduce the related risks.
