So why is 35 the "magic" number?

[mumoffive]

Well when i was 38 and fell pregnant with my dd, noone treated me any differently. Now im past 40..43 to be precise, i definetly have more care but thats it. I havent experienced any negative attitudes ever.

 

[knitbit]

The fetal medicine foundation has a great 11-13 weeks scan video that explains it. 35 doesn't really mean much anymore, since so many moms are older. It's not like you wake up at 35 and suddenly you are high risk. Risks increase gradually, but back when they started doing amnios, the 35 year old cutoff gave then the best cost-benefit profile. At 35, the risk of a chromosomal problem is roughly equal to the risk of amnio complications. (I'm a nerd, lol)

 

[willyandcourt]

I'm glad to hear we are not letting our age get in the way of fulfilling our dreams of achieving a life goal.

 

[Dinnerlady74]

Being over 35 is considered a 'risk' factor in our maternity notes in the UK. It can make the difference between being under consultant care or not (usually in addition to at least 2 other factors). Have been told by my midwife and GP in both pregnancies that they personally dont consider it a risk factor as it is so common for women to start their families at 35+ these days... This is my second pregnancy over 35 and my age has never been an issue...

Hi Emma,having a nosey like you suggested! lol x

 

[Springtime]

I've been told my a friend who is a medical student that 35 is based on the graph of risk factors to age; at 35 the line begins to incline at a slightly sharper rate; there's a more dramatic rise at 40. But to say that statistically pregnancies at 35 are slightly riskier than at 34 is not to say that every 35+ mom is high risk, and most doctors and midwives will judge based on the individual. I'm still classed as low risk at 35, and my nuchal screening test came back with my risk factors equivalent of a 20 year old.

Thats such splendid news! Gives me hope! Thank you for this post. I am 35 and will be 36 by the time I deliver. Ive been worrying about my age too, but hey there are lots more of us these days!

 

[Jellybean0k]

I always thought it was 40+ not 35

 

[hellywelly]

Jellybean you are correct. When I have been talking to doctors midwives etc - the new black is 40 so to speak - no longer 35 they are changing their criteria - also a lot of women are choosing to have children (like me) later on in life so i would imagine there is an NHS saving initiative in that somewhere xx

 

[K123]

I was 34 when I became pregnant and am now 35. I am viewed as high risk because of a number of factors, but my age has never been mentioned.

 

[Elski]

I'm a midwife and although technically 35 is classed as a 'risk factor' in itself, we wouldn't automatically class somebody as high risk because of their age. It just means that women 35+ are at increased risk for various complications

 

[mafiamom]

i had my first baby at 34 so i JUST snuck in this baby is due and i am a whooping 40 years old. all over all of my charts you see AMA (advanced maternal age )

 

[chinasoap]

I live in China (though I'm Canadian) and the doctor at the hospital who confirmed my pregnancy looked at me like I was an alien when she realized my age and that it was my first pregnancy--LOL! In this culture, I'm considered ANCIENT! I just laughed at her. I know this is the perfect time for me to be pregnant. I'm keeping a blog here, if anyone's interested: https://preggersinchina.blogspot.com By the way, I'm 36 and my due date is January 1st, 2012. I'll be 37 then!