Women have been cautioned for years about their biological clock and the risks of pregnancy past age 35. While women do need to be aware of certain factors, the fertility door by no means closes at age 35. As shared in the article Getting Pregnant Past Age 35 – Steps To Take And Fertility Facts:
“The majority of women ages 35 and older have normal, healthy pregnancies,” says Dr. Danae Steele, the Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist with Fox Valley Perinatology. “Especially if there are no pre-existing conditions and the woman is healthy overall. If you’re over 35 and would like to start trying to conceive, I recommend the following:
- See an OB/GYN to see if there are any pre-existing conditions or health concerns that could lead to a more complicated or high risk pregnancy.
- Start taking 400 mg of folic acid daily for at least one month before trying to conceive.
- Take control of your health and get things like your blood sugars and weight at healthy levels.
- Stop smoking, drinking alcohol and taking illegal drugs.
- If you’ve been trying for six months and are not yet pregnant, get in touch with your OB/GYN to see if there are any underlying issues.
Dr. Steele notes that there are risks to waiting to get pregnant, but that she sees plenty of women that are over the age of 35 that have healthy pregnancies. Dr. Steele also shares general facts regarding fertility and maintaining a healthy pregnancy in the full article. The OB/GYN physicians at Women’s Health Specialists work in partnership with Fox Valley Perinatology when our patients are considered high risk to help ensure the safest outcome for both mother and baby.
If you’re 35 or older and have decided it’s time to start growing your family, schedule an appointment with one of our physicians to help boost your chances of a healthy and successful pregnancy. Our OB/GYN doctors see patients at Encircle Health, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center – Appleton and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center – Neenah.