What to know about pregnancy after 35

While there is nothing magical about being 35 that makes you 'at high risk', it was chosen as the cutoff because the risk of having a child with a chromosomal disorder was higher than the threshold. risk of miscarriage associated with amniocentesis at this age (an invasive procedure available in the second trimester that diagnoses chromosomal disorders in the fetus). Women should be offered amniocentesis during pregnancy if they are 35 years old. However, circumstances have changed and all women, regardless of age, are now routinely offered amniocentesis as well as additional screening and diagnostic options.

Because of the way women's eggs are created, stored, and ovulated, the risk of conceiving a child with a chromosomal abnormality increases somewhat each year as we get older. When a woman is still a fetus, her eggs begin to mature and are then put on hold until she reaches puberty. During each ovulation cycle after adolescence, an egg matures, divides, and is released. As a woman ages, her eggs are held in suspension for longer, which increases the risk that the genetic material inside the egg (chromosomes) will not divide properly when the egg divides. If this egg is fertilized, the resulting embryo may have an extra or missing chromosome, resulting in Down syndrome, trisomy 18, trisomy 13, or other problems that frequently lead to miscarriage. A woman who is 35 years old when she is due has a 0.5% chance of having a child with a chromosomal problem. This risk is around 1.6% for women over 40.

Please contact for the baby scan at Bump2Baby Scans by calling (116) 403-0211 if you would like more information on prenatal genetic screening and testing or make an appointment.