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Regularly monitoring the reproductive health and consultation with the fertility specialist can help make the journey of pregnancy and fertility filled with love, care and confidence.
The personal choice of conceiving at a later age due to any factors comes with risks. Hopefully, the advancements in the medical science can help improve the journey of pregnancy for the parents
In recent years, the career-oriented couples often delay parenthood. The decision of delaying parenthood does give couples the advantage of planning and strengthening the financial stability but leaves a severe impact on the fertility and health of their future children. According to research, women above 35 and men above 50 have the increased risk of birth defects but not all the cases result in complications. The risk factors are yet to be discovered, as the research is ongoing on this topic. Dr Pallavi Prasad, Fertility Specialist, Nova IVF Fertility, Basaveshwarnagar, Bangalore shares all you need to know:
How parental aging can cause birth defects
The decrease of the eggs with the increasing age leads to the chromosomal defects of the embryo among the women. A condition common in the pregnancies of older mothers known as Down’s syndrome is usually caused by extra chromosome. Similarly, conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and certain rare genetic disorders may be caused by genetic mutation in sperm of the older fathers. Even though these kinds of risks are quite rare but still it increases with age. While planning a child, regular medical consultation can eliminate the chances of complications during pregnancies among the older parents.
Prevention option for individuals and couples planning to delay parenthood:
Before trying to conceive, consultation with a fertility specialist provides valuable information. The process involves discussion on the history of family illness, birth rate and options for gene tests. The chances of passing down the potential hereditary risk by the parents can be determined by genetic tests such as carrier screening. Advanced methods like Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies (PGT-A) can be used during in vitro fertilization (IVF) to select embryos with the correct number of chromosomes for problems like chromosomal abnormalities. In order to preserve the quality of the eggs or sperms, it is usually freeze by the younger people who consider delaying pregnancy as the method of freezing also reduces the risk of genetic problems. Doctors usually recommend adopting healthy habits like a proper diet, exercise, and taking nutritional supplement like folic acid to eliminate the risk of neutral tube defects in babies leading to safe pregnancy. Advanced monitoring and IVF techniques help older parents in conceiving.
Embracing an Informed Journey:
The personal choice of conceiving at a later age due to any factors comes with risks. Hopefully, the advancements in the medical science can help improve the journey of pregnancy for the parents. Regularly monitoring the reproductive health and consultation with the fertility specialist can help make the journey of pregnancy and fertility filled with love, care and confidence.
