A pregnancy after 35 is indeed labeled as "advanced maternal age." But despite common misconceptions, you can still have a smooth pregnancy and a healthy baby after 35.
Juli Fraga, PsyD, a San Francisco-based psychologist specializing in reproductive health, says it's normal to be concerned about later-age pregnancy. Yet, people aged 35 are generally healthy and can have babies. "Even with fertility issues, there are many ways to help families have children, through IVF, donor eggs, or surrogacy," she adds.
In 2023, Kourtney Kardashian Barker detailed her IVF journey and pregnancy at age 44 in her family's reality TV show The Kardashians. Plenty of other celebs have also had pregnancies after age 40, including Michelle Williams, Hilary Swank, Eva Longoria, and Christina Ricci.
This goes against the old cultural message that people over 35 should no longer bear children, which is not true in most cases. "This pre-pregnancy-related anxiety about one's fertility being finished is more of a worry than a reality," reassures Dr. Fraga.
Still, pregnancy after peak reproductive years does carry a greater risk of complications, ranging from preeclampsia to miscarriage. The good news is modern medicine can help people overcome many problems. Here's what science says about pregnancy after 35.
Pregnancy After 35 Is Common
Celebrities aren't the only people getting pregnant later in life. More and more people are delaying having children until later ages, which is a trend that is likely to continue. According to an article in the Journal of Family and Reproductive Health, the fastest-growing birthrates are the over-35 age group.
Pew Research Center points out that the age of people giving birth has increased since the 1990s. According to data from 2018, the median age for becoming a parent in the US was 26—up from 23 in 1994. In addition, it found that in 1994, 53% of people in their early 40s had become parents by age 24; by 2014, only 39% had.
Even more recently—in 2020—19% of all pregnancies and 11% of first-time pregnancies occurred in people over 35.
Pregnancy After 35 May Come With More Risks
Even though pregnancy after 35 is common and generally safe, increasing age does come with additional risks. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes that 35 is an "arbitrary threshold," and that the risk of some of the complications associated with older age may not meaningfully increase until closer to 40 and beyond.
Pregnancy complications that become more likely as you age include:
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Congenital malformations
- Gestational diabetes
- Preeclampsia
- Difficult or obstructed labor
- Cesarean delivery
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Preterm birth
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission
- Low birth weight
It is because of these increased risks that additional screenings are recommended for pregnant people over the age of 35. With this additional care, it's more likely that complications can be caught early and treated should they arise.
Pregnancy After 35 Is Safe
Safety is one of the biggest fears around advanced maternal age pregnancies. And while it's true that conceiving after 35 comes with an increased risk of complications—like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and even miscarriage or stillbirth—most people go on to deliver healthy babies.
The good news is you can take steps to increase your odds of a healthy pregnancy. ACOG recommends the following prevention and screening guidelines for pregnancy after 35:
- Prenatal genetic screening
- Low-dose aspirin to reduce the risk of preeclampsiafor those with at least one other risk factor besides age
- First-trimester ultrasound to screen for multiples
- Third-trimester ultrasound to screen for fetal size for those over 40
In addition, eating nutritiously, maintaining a regular exercise routine, not smoking, and managing existing health problems can all increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy at any age.
Pregnancy After 35 Comes With Benefits
While a person's risk of certain pregnancy complications increases with age, there are also some benefits with a pregnancy after 35. Some, like better prenatal care, make sense: After all, people in their 30s are more likely to be more financially stable with access to better health insurance. But some benefits may surprise you.
You might have a better pregnancy outcome
According to a study published in December 2021 in JAMA Health Forum, expectant parents who just turned 35 experience better overall prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes than younger pregnant people. That might partly be because older patients receive more attention throughout their pregnancy, thanks to their advanced maternal age.
You might live longer
Maybe there is some truth to the saying that having kids keeps you young! A 2020 study in Menopause found that older maternal age was associated with longer telomere length. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome. They protect chromosomes and keep genetic material stable. Longer telomeres are a marker of long life.
This study builds on a 2015 study in the same journal that found that older age at their last child's birth was associated with longer life. Specifically, researchers found that those who had their last child after age 33 had twice the odds of exceptionally long life compared to those who had their last child before 29.
It might make you smarter
Pregnancy can be a wild ride for the human body, and it's easy to think that the lasting effects may be limited to stretch marks or weight gain. But as it turns out, the hormonal aspect can have surprising impacts later in life.
One study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that people who have birthed children can benefit from the hormones that flood the body and brain during pregnancy. Specifically, a last pregnancy after 35 was positively associated with verbal memory later in life.
Key Takeaways
Gone are the days when a pregnancy after 35 was considered unheard of. Though getting pregnant later in life doesn't come without risks, it is still considered safe. With proper support and medical care, people over 35 have every reason to believe they can have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.
