Getting pregnant in your 30s

There are all sorts of reasons why you may choose to have a baby in your 30s. You may have wanted to spend a few years building your career. Or perhaps it's taken you a while to find the right person to have babies with!

What are my chances of getting pregnant in my 30s?

Your chances are good. In the UK, most babies are born to women aged between 30 and 34.

It's worth knowing that it's much easier to get pregnant in your early 30s than your late 30s. So it's best not to wait too long before trying for a baby, especially if you want more than one child. About 20 per cent of women aged 35 will still be trying to conceive after a year of regular sex .

What are the pros and cons of having a baby in my 30s?

Pros

There are many advantages to becoming a mum in your 30s. You're more likely to be secure in your career and in your relationship. Both will provide a firm foundation for your growing family.

If you return to work, you're likely to be able to maintain your earnings well. Having babies earlier can reduce your earnings over your lifetime.

In terms of taking a break from work, you may have more flexibility than you would have in your 40s. Once you're over 40 it can be harder to interrupt a well-established career to have a child.

Hopefully, you and your partner will have had some adventures together before embarking on parenthood, the greatest adventure of all.

New mums in their 30s also have a lot of stamina and resilience, qualities that come in handy for parenting young children. Everyone's different, of course, but you're likely to know yourself better than you did when you were in your 20s. You're also likely to be more flexible than you will be in your 40s.

You may be able to complete your family in one pregnancy if you conceive in your 30s! You're more likely to have twins, even without the fertility treatments that raise the odds for multiple births.

 

Compare the figures, and you'll see how the chances of hearing the pattering of several tiny feet jumps:

• for mums in their 20s, one in 16 pregnancies results in twins
• for mums aged 35 to 39, one in five pregnancies results in twins

It's all in the hormones. Your levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), released during your menstrual cycle, increase as you age. When this hormonal surge occurs, there's a chance that you may release more than one egg, upping the odds of a multiple birth.

Cons

The good news is that you're very likely conceive naturally and have a healthy baby in your 30s. However, time does start to run out for you, especially after the age of 35, as the quality of your eggs declines.

In your early 30s, your chances of getting pregnant are only slightly lower than in your late 20s.

If you conceive when you're over 35, sadly, your chances of having a successful pregnancy are lower. Miscarriage rates do rise slowly but steadily in relation to age.

If you're a mum-to-be over 35 you are also more likely to experience complications with your pregnancy. These can include:

• an ectopic pregnancy
• placenta praevia
• a premature birth
• a low-birth-weight baby

Age 35 is also the point when Down's syndrome and other conditions become more of a concern. At 30 to 34 years of age, your chances of having a baby with Down's is about one in 1,200. When you're aged between 35 and 39, your chances rise to about one in 700.

All women are offered screening tests in pregnancy for genetic conditions, such as Down's syndrome. Your age will be factored in to the result to give you a risk of your baby having a problem. So you may find that if you become pregnant at this age or later, extra diagnostic tests may be recommended for you. These tests include:

• amniocentesis, which involves taking a sample of amniotic fluid from your uterus (womb)
• chorionic villus sampling, which involves taking a fragment of tissue from your placenta

We know that caesarean rates are also higher for women over 35. First-time mums this age have a 40 per cent chance of a caesarean delivery, compared to 14 per cent of first-time mums in their 20s.

What we don't know is why the caesarean rate is higher for older mothers. It could be partly because doctors tend to assume older mums need more care, even if their pregnancy is going well.

If you find you need help to conceive a baby, it's also better to start in your early 30s. Treatments, such as donor insemination and IVF, are more successful in women aged between 30 to 35 years.

What can I do to get pregnant now?

Age aside, there are steps you can take to give yourself the best chance for a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby. Read our tips to help you prepare for pregnancy.

If you are 35 years or under and have been having regular sex for a year, without getting pregnant, it’s time to see your GP. She can carry out blood tests to see if there are any medical reasons why you are not conceiving . If you're 36 years or over, you do not have to keep trying for a year before you see your GP , as the sooner you seek help the better.

Some medical problems can make it harder to conceive. See your doctor sooner rather than later if you're trying for a baby and you have or have had:

• irregular periods
• polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• sexually transmitted diseases

Your and your partner should also see your doctor sooner if your partner has a known fertility problem

Culled from babycentre.co.uk