Is there a higher risk having children in your 40s?

Ellen Fitzpatrick

Following the news that Kourtney Kardashian is expecting her fourth child at the age of 44, many have questions about the potential risks associated with having children in your 40s.

For years we’ve been told that any pregnancy over the age of 35 comes with far more risks and has a lot of negative connotations surrounding it.

While it is true that a pregnancy for someone over the age of 35 does come with more potential risks to the mother’s health and the baby’s development, it is still very possible to have a smooth and normal pregnancy.

With advancements in medicine and healthcare, the notion that it is unsafe to have children in your 40s is no longer true. Of course, the older we get the higher the risks are, but this does not mean it is completely unsafe to start a family later on in life.

A study from the Department of Pediatrics and Maternal Health, University Hospital, Siena, Italy, found that the fastest-growing age group of birthing people becoming parents is the “over-35s” category.

Pew Research Center has also found that since the 1990s, those having children for the first time are gradually getting older, noting that “the median age at which women become mothers in the U.S. is 26, up from 23 in 1994.”

According to think tank: “In 1994, more than half (53%) of women in their early 40s had become mothers by age 24; by 2014, this share had fallen to 39%.”

Is it safe?

The main question everyone has when it comes to pregnancies in those over the age of 35 is; “is it safe?”

There are still a host of complications that are of risk, including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, miscarriage and stillbirth, but many go on to welcome completely healthy babies following a normal pregnancy.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are ways to help boost a healthy pregnancy. This includes healthy eating, getting regular exercise, no smoking, managing any medical problems and attending all pregnancy screenings.

And in a study in JAMA Health Forum in December 2021, it found that expectant mothers over 35 have better overall prenatal care than those who are younger. This could be due to older patients being paid closer attention and monitoring during their pregnancy.

According to Juli Fraga, Psy.D., a San Francisco-based psychologist who specialises in reproductive health, it is completely normal to be concerned about a pregnancy later in life, but it is not as risky as it once was.

“Even with fertility issues, there are many ways to help families have children, through IVF, donor eggs, or surrogacy,” she said. “This pre-pregnancy-related anxiety about one’s fertility being finished is more of a worry than a reality.”