1、 Age range
Elderly childbearing refers to women's behavior of pregnancy and childbirth at the age of 35 and above. This range is relative to the general childbearing age. In some countries and regions, the age of 35 is regarded as the starting age for elderly childbearing, while in other places, this starting age may be higher.
However, the elderly childbearing is not only the age of women, but also the age of men. Male fertility declines with age, although this effect is relatively small. Therefore, the age of men also needs to be taken into account in the elderly childbearing.
In actual childbearing, the scope of elderly childbearing mainly includes women aged 35 to 40 and women over 40. With the progress of medicine and technology, more and more women choose to conceive and give birth at this age.
2、 Selection of medical conditions
In order to ensure the health of elderly mothers and fetuses, elderly childbirth needs to be carried out in institutions with certain medical conditions. These institutions are usually large general hospitals or specialized reproductive hospitals.
First of all, these institutions need to have first-class medical equipment and technology to provide efficient and accurate diagnosis and treatment services. Secondly, the institution needs to be equipped with doctors and nurses with rich experience and professional knowledge to ensure that elderly mothers can receive scientific guidance and careful care. Finally, the institution's maternity ward and infant intensive care unit should have advanced facilities that can respond to possible complications in a timely manner.
For example, Peking Union Medical College Hospital is a comprehensive hospital with rich experience, in which gynecology and obstetrics provide professional services for elderly childbearing. The hospital has advanced medical equipment and technology, implements high standards of prenatal examination and pregnancy and childbirth management, and can provide comprehensive medical security for elderly mothers.
3、 Health assessment and risk assessment
Since the elderly childbearing is related to some potential health risks, a series of health assessments and risk assessments need to be carried out before the elderly childbearing is selected.
First, for women, it is necessary to assess whether they have normal structure and function of reproductive organs and whether they are healthy. When the age is over 40, women may face higher risks of pregnancy complications and birth defects.
Secondly, male reproductive capacity also needs to be assessed. Older men may have the problem of declining sperm quality, which affects the success rate of pregnancy.
In terms of risk assessment, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the complications and infant health problems that may occur during childbirth at an advanced age. This includes risks of multiple pregnancies, placental insufficiency and congenital malformations.
4、 Assisted reproductive technology and medical intervention
Due to the physiological limitation of elderly childbearing, more and more elderly mothers choose assisted reproductive technology to achieve pregnancy and delivery. Common assisted reproductive technologies include in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer.
In vitro fertilization is to inseminate female eggs and male sperm in vitro, cultivate embryos in the culture medium, and then transfer the embryos to the female uterus. This technique can improve the success rate of pregnancy, but it also needs to closely monitor and manage the pregnancy period.
Similarly, for high-risk pregnancies, medical intervention may be required, such as screening and diagnosis of fetal congenital malformations, prevention of preterm birth and other means. Medical intervention can help older women reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy and improve the chances of fetal health.
Summary
The scope of elderly childbearing mainly refers to women aged 35 and above, which may be higher in some regions. Medical conditions, health assessment, risk assessment, assisted reproductive technology, medical intervention and other factors should be taken into consideration when choosing to give birth at an advanced age. Some professional institutions such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital have rich experience and advanced facilities to provide comprehensive medical services for elderly mothers. However, elderly childbearing also needs to face many health risks. Therefore, mothers and families should fully understand their own health conditions and risks before making decisions, and reduce risks and improve the success rate through medical intervention and assisted reproductive technology.
