What is a geriatric pregnancy? A geriatric pregnancy is a pregnancy in a women that is 35 years or older. It is now extremely common, with the most recent statistics showing that about One in Five women are having their first baby as a geriatric pregnancy.

What Are the Risks?

The risk to both mother and child increase with increasing maternal and paternal age, with the lowest risks being for a younger mother. Accordingly to physiology/biology alone the safest age to have a baby is probably below 25 years. The chances of falling pregnant greatly decrease as we get older. Let’s say at the age of 30 years your chance of getting pregnant with each cycle is about 20%, this decreases to 5% at the age of 40. During the late forties as the woman heads towards menopause the body produces a spike in oestrogen levels in a last ditch attempt to impregnate and reproduce this may in some women lead to a spike in their fertility.   With a GERIATRIC pregnancy the woman carrying the baby and the baby itself have a higher risk of health difficulties.

During GERIATRIC pregnancy there is greater risk of:

• High blood pressure and Eclampsia

• Diabetes in pregnancy

• Twin pregnancies

• Miscarriage

• Stillbirth

• Premature birth

• Caesarean section

• Abnormal placental position

• Chromosomal abnormalities like downs’ syndrome.

• Depression

How to manage the risks

Women that have babies later in life are often looked after differently than those who have them younger; they are often offered tests that can look for chromosomal abnormalities. These test are called Amniocentesis or a Chorionic Villus sampling ( CVS). Unfortunately there is about a 1% miscarriage rate with these interventions but the benefits often outweigh the risks. For example; the risk of Down’s syndrome increases significantly for women having babies later in life. At the age of 25, the risk of Down’s syndrome is about 1: 1250, and at 40 it is about 1:100 and at the age of 49 it is about 1:10! Preparation The most important time in any pregnancy is actually prior to conception! The health of the woman and the man in the THREE months prior to conception can greatly impact the health of the baby. However if you didn’t the chance to focus on that because you got pregnant by surprise as many do,  there is still a lot that can be done to enhance the health of your unborn baby. A healthy lifestyle and healthy mental state will impact on the baby throughout pregnancy, breast feeding and beyond. And it’s not just the women that need to prepare for pregnancy! The health of the sperm is of equal importance to the health of the egg. The sperm is the most delicate cell in the human body and when it comes to the journey to the egg, it is said to be the equivalent to a human swimming to the moon. This tiny cell has to swim nonstop for 48 hours and race about 19,999,999 other sperm to reach the great prize of the egg. The head of the sperm carries the genetic material and is also full of energetic nutrients. It makes sense to prime our men too. Manage your Stress levels Keep your stress levels to a minimum. Women with higher levels of adrenaline in their systems have a lower pregnancy rate. Stress during pregnancy has been associated with lots of different problems including risk of miscarriage, birth interventions, and even behavioural issues in the off-spring. Stress is all about the reaction we have to the outside world. Seek help if you feel that you can’t manage your stress well. Yoga and meditation are really effective strategies for helping calm the mind and the body. Sometimes we need to change our perspective on things; try a philosophy course and/or join a support group. My favourite saying is ‘nothing changes, if nothing changes” by Earnie Larson. Too often people keep going around the round about the same way, complaining about the same things and not doing anything about it. If you are stressed, something has to change! If you feel there is an issue, you got to do something different to help yourself. Sometimes managing stress is just about allowing ourselves some humour and some fun. Laughter has been shown to decrease our inflammatory markers and stimulate our immune system and our reproductive system. When we get stressed we get pretty serious about things and that takes its toll. Try going for a long nature experience; a walk, surf, ski, paddle, bike ride. Look all around and be mindful of the beauty and the peace that is there, it is often a great way to get perspective and remember we are a part of something greater than just us! Exercise, tai chi, massage, spending time with friends or animals and things like acupuncture all help to lower stress levels and are extremely safe in pregnancy. Exercise Keeping fit before and after your get pregnant is great for you and the baby. It helps to manage blood pressure issues, improves oxygenation of the tissues- this means it will also promote blood flow to the placenta. It also supports mental health and helps prepare you for labour. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine Acupuncture has been found to hold merit for supporting both men and women in their fertility.  Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, but these fertility issues are quite new when compared to the traditional uses of acupuncture in the past. However it has some good research for increasing the chances of pregnancy and is also good for those undergoing IVF therapy. I undertook a lot of acupuncture during my first pregnancy for a whole range of reasons; stress management, energy levels, indigestion and back pain. Make sure you go to an experienced provider and tell them if you are pregnant, as there a few points you need to avoid during pregnancy. Beyond Diet Most of us know about the need for folic acid prior to conceiving.

The reason that Folic Acid is important is because it helps to protect the DNA and genetic material. But there are some other nutrients that we should consider too. In fact, the most important thing you can do to manage the risks associated with pregnancy is to make sure your body has optimal amounts of nutrients on board.

• Zinc (it helps to protect the DNA and supports cellular growth). About 80% of Australian women are low in zinc.

• Selenium ( it helps support thyroid function and plays a role in preventing miscarriage and stillbirth). It is commonly deficient in Australian soils. Please see a doctor or naturopath before taking selenium as too much can have a ill effect. 

• Iodine (it is essential for thyroid function- which is imperative for fertility and pregnancy). It is one of the most commonly deficient minerals in Australian men and women.

• Vitamin D – an essential hormone like vitamin that comes from the sun. It is commonly deficient since the strong ‘slip slop slap’ campaign. It has about 500 roles to play in human health. Deficiency impacts the bone health and brain health of the child. It has been associated with increased risk of schizophrenia and heart disease in the offspring. It is very easy to have checked at your local doctors.

• Vitamin C- the amount of vitamin c commonly found in fruits and vegetables has decreased significantly over the past few decades. An orange used to have 80mg of Vitamin C, it now commonly has about 40mg per serve. Vitamin c protects our cells from toxins; be they in our food supply, air supply or water. It is essential for connective tissue production; i.e. the stuff that holds all our cells in place. An increase in toxic load (i.e. smoking), infection, inflammation and age all use up our vitamin c supply. 

• Magnesium - is such a common deficiency due our high amounts of sugar, processed food, coffee, alcohol and stress in our lives. It helps with energy utilisation, glucose metabolism, fluid balance and muscle relaxation. Without energy things don’t grow so well. Reduce Toxin Exposure We are all exposed to toxins at a level never seen before in human history. But there is heaps we can do to reduce our load and take the pressure of our bodies at this very important time.

• Keep your alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, sugar, food chemicals and drugs to a minimum for both partners.

• Decrease your use and exposure to cleaning chemicals

• Eat organically as much as you can.

• Decrease your plastic exposure; watch for BPA lining in canned foods; don’t microwave in plastic containers, avoid wrapping food in plastic wrap. Avoid drinking out of plastic bottles.

• Be careful of where you carry your mobile phone and don’t rest your laptop on your belly or your partner’s.