
The risks of a late pregnancy
What are the risks associated with a pregnancy at the age of 43?
Doctors put the risks into two categories. Medical risks include conception difficulties, due to falling fertility; a higher risk of deformation of the foetus and genetic diseases and difficulties during labour, especially for overweight or unfit women. All these risks are very well-monitored by the medical profession, but if you are at all worried, it is important that you see your doctor and ask for tests. Psychological risks are less easy to evaluate, but commonly include over-cautiousness and nervousness during pregnancy, over-protection of the child once it is born, or conversely, a lack of patience as it gets older. Bringing up a child can be very demanding, especially when the 'child' gets to 18 and the parents are over 60! Just because it's difficult however, doesn't make it impossible.
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