Pre-pregnancy counseling, lifestyle changes, and prenatal screening can help women in their 40s have healthy babies.
Dr. Ha Thi Hong Cuc, Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7, said that healthy women after the age of 40 only have a 5% chance of getting pregnant in each menstrual cycle, with the possibility of miscarriage. Pregnancy increases with age. Pregnancy and childbirth after the age of 40 pose many potential risks to the pregnant woman and the fetus. Women in their 40s expecting children should note the following things to have a healthy pregnancy and safe labor.
Change your lifestyle
Women need to exercise to improve their health, stay away from toxic substances, stimulants and tobacco, and do not drink alcohol. If a woman has a successful pregnancy, she can gain 10-15 kg. Women who are overweight or obese during pregnancy have a high risk of pregnancy complications such as diabetes, preeclampsia, premature birth… Therefore, women need to control their weight before planning to have children. suitable weight.
Pre-pregnancy consultation
Health examination and consultation before preparing for pregnancy help women evaluate their health, fertility, and detect the risk of genetic diseases. Among them, sexually transmitted and infectious diseases can affect the fetus such as hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis, rubella, chickenpox…
In some cases, genetic screening may be required if the family has relatives who are infertile, stillborn, have recurrent miscarriages, have children with birth defects or mental retardation, schizophrenia, autism, or mental retardation. hemophilia, congenital hemolysis.
Doctor Hong Cuc advises women in their 40s on second pregnancy planning. Image: Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7
Prenatal screening
Pregnant women in their 40s can face many risks, putting the fetus at risk. Therefore, women need to perform prenatal screening measures such as ultrasound and NIPT testing. NIPT test stands for Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing technique, used to screen before birth for birth defects related to genetic inheritance and chromosomes.
Some abnormal cases require chorionic villus biopsy, amniocentesis… for examination. If the pregnancy is successful, the pregnant woman needs to follow the prenatal check-up schedule as prescribed by the doctor to help detect abnormalities early in pregnancy so that intervention can be performed such as polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, slow fetal growth, large fetus, and fetal growth. Deformities, risk of premature birth…
Proper nutrition
The fetus develops well thanks to the nutrition provided by the mother. Pregnant women need to eat a balanced diet with enough starch, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Before and during pregnancy, you need to supplement iron, calcium, folic acid…
Plan your birth accordingly
“The process of labor and childbirth after the age of 40 is more difficult than for young women,” said Dr. Hong Cuc, adding that the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, embolism, acute fetal distress… can be threatening. threaten the lives of mother and baby. However, if women proactively take care of their health according to the doctor’s advice, they can minimize the risks and have healthy children.