Pregnancy at 35 means high risk! Or does it? If you are nearing or over this age, you must be coming across a lot of confusing and contradictory information. It helps to read about the real experience of moms who have been there. I am sharing my own experiences on pregnancy after 35 to help you make up your mind.
Disclaimer: This article should not be construed as medical advice. Every woman and her physical history is different. I am merely stating my own experiences with my pregnancy at 35 years of age for other women who are looking to know about other women’s encounters with the situation.
Planning a Pregnancy at or after 35
Are you planning to welcome your little bundle of joy? Congratulations! It is one of the best things that will ever happen to you. I had my first pregnancy at the age of 25. After spacing the kids 5 years apart (unintentionally), I welcomed my 3rd child around my 35th birthday. That makes it possible to compare my pregnancies before and after 30 years of age. While I experienced none of the risks said to be associated with pregnancy at 35, I did notice many changes – new medical conditions to be specific! I will talk about all of them in this post.
Please remember that this was also my 3rd pregnancy. A 1st Pregnancy after 35 could be different/difficult but I am not qualified to comment on it.
Trouble Conceiving? No.
One of the major risks thought to be associated with late pregnancy is the difficulty in conceiving. While this is unfortunately true for many women (including several friends and relatives of mine), I faced no difficulty whatsoever in conceiving. In fact, I believe the hype of infertility due to age could be overrated. There are many other reasons that can cause infertility too.
Problems during Delivery? No.
I neither faced any problems during delivery and childbirth, nor did my baby. It was exactly the same as the previous two.
Increased Care and Caution? Yes.
We have efficient gynecologists who work with pregnant women throughout their pregnancy to ensure a good experience. Frequent check ups, blood tests to ward away any alarms and a close check to monitor the baby helped make my third pregnancy at 35 go smoothly.
Increased Blood Pressure? Yes.
I had NEVER had BP problems before (pregnant or not), but it did happen this time around. I was prescribed some medication for it and all passed well. I am back to my health blood pressure now, after giving birth.
Gestational Diabetes? No.
I do not have any genetic diabetes problems and it was not one of the issues during my pregnancy also. We did keep conducting regular tests for the same, though.
Thyroid? Yes
Hyperthyroidism was something new to me and I couldn’t believe I was suffering from it. But I was. I was prescribed a medicine for it and continued it throughout my pregnancy. No signs of it now. I do not require the medication any longer.
Twins? Triplets? No (Baah!!!!)
No such luck! My dream of having 4 babies had already been cut short by my gynecologist because I had had more C-sections that I had bargained for. I would have loved to have twins to complete my dream. But alas, this did not happen. I gave birth to a lovely baby girl 🙂
Fatigue? YES
This pregnancy was very, very tiring! I felt extremely fatigued at all times. EXHAUSTION should be the correct term here. Sometimes, I thought it was because I already had 2 kids to take care of, but in reality, my body was reacting to this pregnancy very differently. There was a vast amount of difference in my pregnancies before 30 and the one after 30. I had to deal with a lot of deficiencies that I managed to combat with supplements and diet changes. Iron and calcium, most of all.
Well Informed? Yes
In spite of all the new medical conditions and a tired body, I felt much more aware and informed. It wasn’t the same as the 25 year old me, not knowing what to do or how to act. I was super confident. Part of the reason for that was also the fact that I already had 2 kids. But the 35 year old me was much more decisive and good at taking care of myself. By the age of 35, I was knowledgeable enough to know that I needed to keep my daily lifestyle as active as possible without injuring or over-tiring myself. I was very careful not to skip any vitamins and supplements because I did not want to feel drained after childbirth. By the time I got pregnant for the third time, I was also experienced enough, by now, to bust some pregnancy myths.
Enjoyed Every Bit? Yes!
I no longer took pregnancy as an excuse to pause my entire life. I treated it like an important event in my life and always kept my future goals/life after pregnancy also in mind. In fact, I had a very fulfilling 9 months, where I enjoyed with my family, kept myself busy with work, ate right and exercised in moderation. I was also enlightened enough to accept the limitations of my body at 35 and worked accordingly. There was a whole lot of pampering and self-indulgence too…lol!
Would I Get Pregnant Again? Yes
I know my gynecologist does not agree with me and I do not wish to go against her. She has medical reasons and is thinking about my physical safety. But if you want to how I feel after a pregnancy at 35 and am I ready to go for it again, the answer is YES. I feel completely recovered. My fitness levels are good and I wouldn’t mind (actually I would Love!) getting pregnant to have my 4th as we had always wanted. I feel totally psyched up for it.
Final Thoughts
I do not wish to make light of the health risks associated with pregnancy after 35, but I do believe that age is not the only factor associated with pregnancy risks. It all depends upon other things such as fitness, lifestyle, genetics etc. Getting pregnant at a later age does come with some health issues, but they could happen without the pregnancy being in question as well. The medical conditions that I contacted, were not so bad and simple medications solved them all.
And finally, I place my trust in a much higher authority. When God chooses to bless you with a child, he takes care of everything else too. He did that for me and he will do so for you. And with all the good things happening in my life after giving birth to my 3rd, I can tell you my life just began at 35!
Lovely post , loved the way you have explained what you have gone through 🙂
Thanks Ghazala! Moms-to-be get such so much of contradictory advice, I thought they might want to hear from someone who has been there 🙂
very nice 🙂
Awwe superb post, great to hear your experience dear
Thanks Noopur! Just thought it would be a good idea to put it out there for others 🙂
I love this… I’m caught up between being indecisive.
My heart wants to my mind is questioning a lottt. I’m 37 and Ive always wanted to have 5 and I’ve only been blessed with boys. Your story is such a motivation, every time I think of conceiving my heart beats faster and I get more scared of what lies ahead. But I’ll keep on praying about it.
I Loved the God wala Part!!
Thanks for sharing your experience Lata!!
Thanks Udita 🙂 It all comes down to what God has in store for us, right?!
That’s so amazing, so well explained.
The best part was, “When God chooses”…..
Thanks Salma :). That is my favorite part too. After all, we can only propose. It is God who chooses to dispose 🙂
What a unique post!! Thank you for sharing your experience
Thanks Francesca 🙂
Great post Lata!!! All the myths cleared. I really hope and wish that whenever we plan our second child..I feel the confidence just the way you did!!
P.S. Please post more pictures!!
Thanks Monika :). Do you mean my pregnancy pics or random one? I will surely dig out some more!
Wow Lata, i so loved the posts as its quite informative and giving me all the strength to think about 2nd child soon..
Beautiful post… I always think of planning one after few years
Have a better insight to decide upon
This is a taboo breaker post Lata, I was already 31 when I had my kiddie, and everyone was already hyper with the notion of late pregnancy. But how can you have an alien developing happily inside when you don’t want it… my whole tenure was smooth but yes developed high blood pressure during the end, which I am still fighting with (4+yrs)
My Gyn says hypertensive & late pregnancy a risky combination….she’s pushing me big time for second one so are my parents!! But again i am not ready yet.
I loved the way you touched all thr major myths associated with late pregnancy, yes with developed medical science things are easy & possible now.
Great info….
Lata this is an awesome post. I need it as a guest post for my audience…. Please please
There are many myths prevailing in regards to pregnancy post 30 plus. Nowadays girls take time to settle down and become independent. I am sure this article will help them overcome fears.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I didn’t think pregnancy at 35 or even in early thirties would be any different if it wasn’t the first. It’s good to get info from a mom, always more reliable.
I hope you do fulfill your dream of 4 kids, and wish you the best of health. 🙂
You know I had book-marked this post to show it to my sister as it is so pertinent to today’s day and age.
My eldest sister got married at 28 and was waiting for the stork to visit her home ever since….. 4/5 years later she realized there was a medical problem as things just weren’t happening….nature wasn’t taking it’s course
Both my sis & her hubby got the relevant tests done
Sadly the tests revealed that it was my sister who had the problem
So, since she was 32 she started getting IVF
She went around consulting so many doctors …….so many cities……so many IVF cycles……..
When she came visiting me I used to see how she used to inject herself with hormones and it pained my heart
I personally visited ‘Tirupati’ & asked ‘mannat’ for her
During the treatment my sis discovered her eggs weren’t viable , hence the failed IVF cycles
So finally an egg donor + 14 years later…….at the ripe age of 44 my eldest sister is 5 months pregnant !
I showed her your blog & my sis found it so useful for a first time mommy
She esp. loved this article as it spoke of so many challenges women face during a ‘late’ pregnancy
We both read this post together and my sis could relate to many things like high BP and gestational diabetes
Not to mention the whole ‘taboo’ factor of being a late mom…….we were both wondering what exactly is a ‘late’ pregnancy !?! ……who wrote the rules on when a girl should get pregnant ? ! ……sadly none of those who shame women on becoming ‘late’ mothers actually do something constructive in helping them
I asked my sis to book-mark your blog as there are few Indian bloggers who give first hand accurate info reg. pregnanacy and child-rearing that too with so much class !
Your blog has become my sister’s go-to bible & I”m sure it’s her who’s responsible for the increased blog traffic !
That was such an inspiring account of late pregnancy, Jayanthi! Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It is sure to inspire many more moms out there 🙂