The Cost of Postponing Childbirth

by Candice Z. Watters

New moms seem to be getting older. For some, it's due to the reality of getting married later in life. Others put children on hold in order to pursue their education and get their careers going. Some think financial security must come before baby does. Whatever the reasons, the average first time mom is 25, nearly three years older than in 1970. 1

This comes as no surprise to a culture known for ambitious women. Women have more opportunities available than ever before, and large numbers are taking advantage of them. According to economist Lester Thurow, "the years between 25 and 35 are the prime years for establishing a successful career." 2 What women must not forget, however, is that those same years are the most fertile in terms of childbearing.

So what happens to the women who focus on career building and then try to beat the biological clock? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Creating a Life, conducted a survey of such women and found that:

Among high-achieving women aged 28-40, 33 percent are childless at age 40. 3Among those aged 41-55, "only 1 percent had a first child after age 39." 4Maybe you're thinking that all those childless women didn't take advantage of the miracles of assisted reproductive technology (ART). And there are many types: IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, donor eggs and more. The promise of ART can lull women into delaying childbearing. But the promises are often empty and many women learn too late that fertility is finite. Having babies after age 35 is no guarantee and not without risks.

Health

Pregnancy gets more difficult the older you are, especially if it's your first baby. Among the physical challenges are the increased risks of:

Birth defects including Down syndrome At 25, a woman has about 1 chance in 1,250 of having a baby with Down syndrome; at age 30, a 1-in-1,000 chance; at age 35, a 1-in-400 chance; at age 40, a 1-in-100 chance; and at 45, a 1-in-30- chance. 5

High blood pressure and diabetes Women who have their first baby after age 35 have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure and diabetes after age 50. Both are of particular concern for women with a family history of heart disease. 6 Also, women over 35 are twice as likely as women in their 20s to develop high blood pressure and diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. Women age 40 and older are almost three times as likely to develop diabetes, and almost twice as likely to develop high blood pressure as women in their 20s. Both conditions can create additional complications for pregnancy. 7

Miscarriage Only 9 percent of recognized pregnancies for women aged 20 to 24 end in miscarriage; 15 percent of women aged 25-30 miscarry; 40 percent of women over 40 do and more than 50 percent miscarry at 42 years of age. 8

Stillbirth Occurs more often in women over age 35 than in women aged 20 to 35. 9

Low birth weight babies (weighing less than 5 1/2 lbs.) Women over age 35 were 20 to 40 percent more likely than younger women to have a low birth weight baby, and 20 percent more likely to have a premature delivery. 10

Cesarean delivery First-time mothers over age 35 have about a 40 percent chance of a C-section and first-time mothers over 40 have a 43 percent chance, compared to an approximately 14 percent chance for first-time mothers in their 20s. 11

Fertility

Women are most fertile between the ages of 20 and 30. Fertility drops 20 percent after 30, 50 percent after 35 and 95 percent after 40. 12 For all the splashy tabloid and morning news show stories about older first-time moms, ART holds little promise for most women.

It's statistically improbable According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), women in their early 40s have, on average, only a 3-5 percent chance of having a baby through in vitro fertilization. 13

It's expensive IVF accounts for over 90 percent of late-in-life pregnancies and can cost anywhere from $10,000-$100,000. The average cost of one IVF cycle in America is $7,800.14

It's dangerous Though the evidence is inconclusive, many experts believe there is some link between infertility treatments and ovarian cancer. 15

Energy

For women who beat the odds and bear a child late in life, or for those who succeed in adopting, motherhood after 40 is a special challenge.

Ask any new mother, regardless of her age, what she misses most about her pre-baby days and she'll likely answer with one word sleep. It's no secret: motherhood is exhausting. And the declining energy levels that come with age make sleep deprivation, toddler chasing and between-nap marathons even more challenging.

And mom's not the only one who's exhausted. The older the parents are when a child arrives, the older the grandparents. Most grandparents not only want to get on the floor to play with their grandbabies, they want to be limber enough to get back up.

Many of the factors surrounding pregnancy and motherhood are out of our human control. Still, the decisions women make can increase their ability to start their families when it will be most beneficial to their bodies and their babies. When it's up to you, remember, there are good reasons to have your children early.

  1. http://wdc.gov/nchs/releases/02news/ameriwomen.htm
  2. Lester C. Thurow, "63 Cents to the Dollar: The Earnings Gap Doesn't Go Away," Working Mother, October, 1984, p. 42.
  3. High-Achieving Women, 2001. New York: National Parenting Association, April, 0202. http://www.parentsunite.org/resources/hawreport.html.
  4. Ibid.
  5. http://www.marchofdimes.com
  6. http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/researchnews/archive/chldbear.htm
  7. http://www.marchofdimes.com; see also: http://www.mayoclinic.com
  8. http://www.marchofdimes.com
  9. http://www.medem.com
  10. http://www.marchofdimes.com
  11. Ibid.
  12. Karen Springen, Julie Scelfo and Ellise Pierce, "Should You Have Your Baby Now?" Newsweek, August 13, 2001, pp. 40-49. See also: http://www.marchofdimes.com/
  13. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Creating a Life: Professional Women and the Quest for Children. Talk Miramax Books. New York, NY, 2002. p. 205.
  14. http://www.asrm.org/Patients/faqs.html - Q6:
  15. Asher Shushan and Neri Laufer, "Fertility Drugs and Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Practical Implications of the Ongoing Debte?" Fertility and Sterility, vol. 74, no. I., July 2000. See also: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/3_6.htm
Copyright © 2003 Candice Z. Watters. Used by permission.

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