What age group is considered as elder childbearing?
Elderly childbearing refers to the phenomenon that women become pregnant and give birth at a later age (relative to the normal childbearing age). However, which age group is considered as the oldest child? The following is detailed from several aspects.
Physiological angle
From a physiological point of view, female reproductive capacity gradually decreases with the increase of age. Generally speaking, women between 25 and 35 years old have the most ideal fertility. At this stage, women have better ovarian function, higher egg quality and higher probability of pregnancy. However, with the increase of age, the quality of female eggs declines, and the ovarian function declines, leading to difficulties in pregnancy and increased risk of miscarriage.
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, women over 35 years of age are considered as elderly childbearing. In China, some hospitals can classify women under 35 years of age as young childbearing, women between 35 and 40 years of age as middle-aged childbearing, and women over 40 years of age as elderly childbearing.
However, it is worth noting that each woman's physical condition and reproductive capacity are different. Some women can still conceive naturally and give birth smoothly even when they are older, and some women may have fertility problems at a younger age. Therefore, the elderly childbearing cannot be measured by age alone.
Medical risks
The medical risks of pregnancy and childbirth increase with age. Older women are prone to fetal chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, which will increase the risk of fetal development disorders and birth defects. In addition, elderly women are also prone to pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes, pregnancy hypertension, etc. At the same time, complications during childbirth and postpartum recovery will also be affected.
In order to reduce medical risks, some hospitals will take more careful and meticulous measures for elderly mothers, such as conducting more frequent prenatal examinations during pregnancy, guiding mothers to eat more rationally and exercise, and conducting more detailed obstetric consultation.
Psychological pressure
Compared with young mothers, older mothers may bear greater psychological pressure. The changes in social environment and values have led to an unprecedented increase in the pressure on childbearing age. Older mothers may face various expectations and doubts from their families, relatives, friends and colleagues, as well as self doubt and anxiety. This emotional pressure may have a certain impact on the physical and mental health during pregnancy and postpartum.
Therefore, the elderly puerpera need to pay attention to mental health, adjust their emotions reasonably, and actively communicate and support with medical staff and their families during pregnancy.
Social support and legal protection
Senior childbearing also needs adequate social support and legal protection. The society should provide necessary reproductive services and medical support, and provide proper guidance and help for the elderly mothers in prenatal examination, post natal rehabilitation and infant care. At the same time, the law should also provide a reasonable maternity leave policy and labor rights protection for elderly mothers to ensure that they can better balance family and work.
To sum up, elder childbearing refers to the phenomenon of women's pregnancy and childbirth at a later age. From the perspective of physiology, medical risks, psychological pressure and social support, women over 35 years old can be considered as elderly childbearing. However, each woman's physical condition and reproductive capacity are different, so the elderly childbearing cannot be measured only by age.
