Pregnancy is one of the most important stages in a female’s life. Thus it is important that good care of the body is done during pregnancy. Pregnancy is the time when many ailments happen to a female’s body and one should keep a tap of these ailments so that they can get cured as soon as possible. The body becomes sensitive and one needs to be careful while pregnancy. There are huge loads of things that happen in the body and one should be aware of how to deal with them. Here is everything you need to know about geriatric pregnancy:
In this article:
What is Considered a Geriatric Pregnancy?
Is Geriatric Pregnancy High Risk?
Conceiving after the Age of Thirty-Five
Potential Geriatric Pregnancy Problems and Complications
Geriatric Pregnancy Testing Benefits
When to See a Doctor?
All You Need to Know About Geriatric Pregnancy
What is Considered a Geriatric Pregnancy?
Geriatric pregnancy is a term that’s meaning is not known by the majority of people. Geriatric pregnancy is the medical term for the pregnancy that happens after the age of 35 or it can be said the late 30s. These pregnancies are full of a huge load of problems and complications. As people are becoming more career-oriented it is very important for them to know the facts about geriatric pregnancy. Couples these days prefer to have a baby late because they want to focus on their career and work. Late marriages and post 30 pregnancies make geriatric pregnancy information really important. Once couples are settled they think about having a baby thus it is important to understand what geriatric pregnancy is and how to deal with it?
Is Geriatric Pregnancy High Risk?
Geriatric pregnancy is not risky most of the time but it has been derived that usually, it is risky in some cases. There can be many things that can act as a risk factor:
Premature Birth
When a child is born two to three weeks before the date that was estimated by the doctor which is usually 9 months is known as premature birth. Premature babies are prone to complications and can have serious and life-threatening complications. There are chances that in a geriatric pregnancy a premature baby is born. Usually, premature babies are delicate and have fewer chances of survival than the babies which are born after 9 months. In geriatric pregnancies, the body becomes incapable of handling the baby and its nutrient supply because a woman’s body after an age starts to lose it’s nutrients and becomes weak.
Birth Defects
In a geriatric pregnancy, the body can be slightly incapable of supplying the right amount of nutrients to the fetus. There can be chances that the body has some ailments which can hamper the growth of the baby.
Body Ailments and Diseases
When a woman’s body reaches its late 30s the body becomes prone to many ailments and diseases like hypertension, anxiety, diabetes, asthma, and thyroid. These diseases can affect the fetus also and there are more chances that the baby might also suffer from these ailments. Most of the time the baby is born prematurely it needs to be operated. Geriatric pregnancy can be tiring, risky and can drain all the body’s energy and nutrients. It is risky for both the fetus and the mother most of the time.
Conceiving after the Age of Thirty-Five
Conceiving after the age of 35 can be really disturbing for the body of a woman. It can also have many complications in the body. There are chances of miscarriage because maybe the body is not able to conceive the baby after a few months and the pressure might become unbearable. If the body of the expecting mother is having any disease or illness then there are chances that those diseases will transfer to the baby. Ailments like asthma, diabetes, thyroid, and blood pressure can affect the fetus. These ailments can also lead to abnormalities in the fetus and birth defects in the baby. It can also be physically and emotionally exhausting for the mother.
Potential Geriatric Pregnancy Problems and Complications
Problems that can cause complications while pregnancy,
Pre-Existing Diabetes
Many people and women have diabetes after a certain age. Diabetes leads to an increase in the glucose and sugar content in the body. This can be really harmful to the body and leads to many ailments and complications. There are chances of weight gain and if a woman has diabetes before she gets pregnant there are chances that the fetus will also inherit and the growth and development of the baby will be hampered.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension is something which is really common in people these days. Most people have hypertension. This is the condition when the flow of blood increases in the blood vessels and starts pressing against the walls of the vessels. In this condition chances of heart attack increases. This condition can also hamper the growth of the baby.
Infertility
Infertility is something which is really common these days. This can also be a condition due to the fact that a female body has a limited amount of eggs in them. Most girls don’t get the right nutrients in their childhood and the food items these days are full of chemicals so no one is getting the real nutrients. The increase in the consumption of junk food, caffeine, and unhealthy items sometimes adds to the problem of infertility.
Gestational Diabetes
This is a condition when the mother starts to develop or have signs and symptoms of diabetes after she is pregnant. This is the type of Diabetes that develops during pregnancy or during the gestation period. It can have really a huge bunch of problem and complications in the baby.
Preeclampsia
A condition in which the body parts and organs collapse during the period when the mother is conceiving the baby. In most cases, the kidney, the liver or even the pancreas stops functioning properly. This condition can have a huge impact on the body as the mother will not be able to process normally in a healthy way and so the child will have malnutrition and will be lacking with some minerals, nutrients, and vitamins. This will ultimately hamper the growth of the child and increase the chances of abnormalities in the child.
Complications that can result due to the above problems,
Miscarriage
In a geriatric pregnancy, there are more chances of defects and problems in the baby because the mother might be suffering from some. As the baby is not in a condition to get the required nutrients so there are chances that the baby might die so there are chances of miscarriage.
Still Birth
It is a condition in which the baby dies in the womb before the delivery. This is a very delicate condition and full of grief but it can happen in geriatric pregnancy if there is malfunctioning in the body parts of the mother who is conceiving and a lack in the supply of the required nutrients.
Caesarean Birth
It is a condition in which the baby is born with the help of a cut on the stomach because the chances of giving birth to the baby with the help of the uterus can be highly unbearable and risky.
Birth Defects
Birth defects can be a really disturbing thing. It is a condition in which the body parts stop working or have some abnormalities in them.
Low Birth Weight
Low birth weight is very common in babies born through geriatric pregnancy. It is a condition in which the baby weighs less than 5 pounds just after the delivery. Then there is a need to keep the baby in the incubator. Low birth weight also ultimately results in the death of the baby if not handled properly.
Geriatric Pregnancy Testing Benefits
Testing during pregnancy can be really beneficial especially if it is during the late 30s. In geriatric pregnancy, testing can play a major role in bringing out the problems that can be treated and the testing becomes beneficial.
Maternal Blood Screening
It is a test that checks the flow of blood and tells if the baby has any birth defects or problems. It tells the abnormalities early so that they can be treated accordingly and the further procedures are done by keeping in mind the results of the tests.
A Cell-Free Fetal DNA Test
This test also examines the baby to find out any abnormalities or risks that the baby and the mother might have in the future. This test examines the baby in detail and helps in taking precautions.
Prenatal Chronic Villus Sampling
Prenatal Chronic Villus Sampling is a test that finds out if there are any genetic disease or birth defects in the baby. It is done by taking out the villus sample from the placenta. It can be very beneficial as it helps in finding out the problems a bit early.
Amniocentesis
Amniocentesis is a test in which the amniotic liquid is taken out of the uterus so as to find out the condition of the developing fetus. It is also done to check the defects and abnormalities in the baby. It can be a really helpful pre-natal test as it can stop many diseases.
When to See a Doctor?
In geriatric pregnancy, the woman should consult the doctor as frequently as possible. Before conceiving if a woman is planning to get pregnant and have a baby, it is necessary for her to talk to her health consultant or the specific doctor. This consultation will help the woman so that she can take care of the food she has to eat to function properly, the changes the body will go through, the concerns that she might have for the baby and the needs that are required for a healthy baby.
In geriatric pregnancy, it is advised to take a prenatal test frequently. This will help the doctor to monitor the health of the baby and the mother. Doing these prenatal tests will make the baby secure and safe this is because of the fact that if there will be any defect pr abnormalities the baby can be saved from future complications.
In a geriatric pregnancy, the mother should consult the doctor in case of incapacitating pain or the secretion of huge quantity of blood from the fetus.
Thus the prenatal test is important and it is really important to see a doctor frequently during a geriatric pregnancy.
Source
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/
https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/
