LIVE TV
India
Recommended Stories
London: Doctors often warn couples not to wait too long to have a baby. Now, a new study has found that women in their late thirties are six times more likely to suffer from fertility problems.
It warned that older parents who are making it harder for themselves to have children are actually increasing the likelihood of serious medical complications for both mother and baby, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the report, men`s fertility also declines rapidly from the age of 25 and it`s estimated that the average 40-year-old takes two years to get his partner pregnant -- even if she is in her twenties.
The research, which looked at several major studies on fertility, found that up to 30 per cent of 35-year-olds take longer than a year to get pregnant, compared to only five per cent of 25-year-olds.
It also found that expectant mothers in their late thirties and forties are at greater risk of complications such as pre-eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or stillbirth and they are also more likely to need a Caesarean.
Babies born to them are more likely to be premature, smaller or have Down`s Syndrome and other genetic disorders, it said.
Despite major breakthroughs in recent years, the study found that fertility treatments has a 3 per cent success rate for women over the age of 44.
More than half of those having such treatment in their forties use donor eggs, because their own supply has declined or the quality of those remaining is not good enough, said the study published in the medical journal Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.
David Utting, co-author of the study, said: "Clear facts on fertility need to be made available to women of all ages to remind them that the most secure age for childbearing remains 20-35.
"However women and doctors should remain vigilant to prevent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies."
Jason Waugh, consultant in obstetrics and editor in chief of the Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said: "This review highlights the problems associated with later maternal age.
"There are a number of reasons why women are leaving it later to start a family, for example, career concerns, financial reasons and finding a suitable partner.
"However, women should be given more information on the unpredictability of pregnancy and the problems that can occur in older mothers.
