Talk about old pregnancy, and useful tips!

a couple in love

Wouldn't it be harmful to pregnancy because there's a big age difference between a couple?

The mother of a pregnant woman who met in the doctor's office asks anxiously. According to the medical records, the son-in-law was about 10 years older than his daughter. On the other hand, some pregnant women are worried because they are older than their husbands.

What is the ideal age difference in marriage age? Some sociologists believe that men are three years older than men because of the high level of marital satisfaction on both sides. Some sociologists argue that the age difference between the ages of 5 and 7 is good. The difference between the ages of 5 and 7 is that there is less self-conflict, so marriage can be better harmonized. Interestingly, the average age difference between U.S. presidential couples is seven years old, and the fact that the couple have been through various rough paths together during their public life also supports their claim.

Then, how different is the emotional maturity of men and women? Although it is not an official study, a survey of men and women on a British TV channel in 2013 showed that men were about 10 years later than women. In other words, women generally reached appropriate emotional maturity at age 32, but men answered themselves that they reached that point at age 43.

So what is the age gap between Korean couples now? According to the results of the National Statistical Office in 2020, the average age of first marriage is 33.2 years for men and 30.8 years for women, a difference of 2.4 years. Currently, the average difference in people in their 60s and 70s is one year less than the 3.4 year old surveyed. In other words, the age gap between these generations gradually decreases compared to their parents or seniors. Looking further at the statistics, 66 percent of couples married in Seoul in 2020, 16 percent of whom were the same age as men, and 18 percent of whom were older.

What is characteristic is that the number of younger husbands is increasing, and in the early 90s, it has already recorded 25% in the United States and 16% in Japan, so the increase in younger husbands seems to be a global trend. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in Korea, the first to third place among spouse selection conditions were personality, trust and love, and health in men, while women were personality, economic power, trust and love. Age is lower in both men and women. Age seems to have been pushed back by parents' concerns rather than their own.

Usually, it has been known that when it comes to reproduction in which humans reproduce their offspring, it is advantageous to meet men and young women. This explains why men were generally older than women among couples since ancient times. The average person falls in love with a person who has similar or better conditions than himself in various situations. Too many conditions, including personality, occupation, educational background, appearance, economic power, as well as spouse's family and health, are mobilized for spouse's choice. Of course, love and affection are fundamental elements.

In conclusion, there is no conclusion yet as to whether the biological or emotional maturity of men and women should be similar, whether the higher maturity of one side should be good for marriage, and furthermore, how many years apart is appropriate. In fact, it is not a matter to be concluded. There is a saying, "Age is just a number." If there is trust and love between couples and mental maturity and harmony, the age gap will not matter whether men or women are high. Even if one side is elderly and worried about pregnancy, it can be overcome enough with medical help.

Originally, marriage is a relationship between different people, so it can never be perfect, so even if there is any conflict due to age differences, it can be overcome with the wisdom of each couple. Someone cynically put it, "Marriage is the happiest mistake we're making on earth."However, in conclusion, I believe that faith, consideration, and continuous interest between couples are enough to make the age difference between couples meaningless as they become the driving forces of their lives.

Healthy birth and male age doesn't matter?

Among couples, the mother of course handles the difficulty of giving birth after pregnancy. However, half of the fertilized eggs implanted in the mother's womb come from her father, so the father's role in pregnancy is also very important. This time, we will talk about the age of a father suitable for pregnancy. If a man wants to have a healthy baby, he should know about the following three issues.

Is father's age related to reproductive ability, or the likelihood of pregnancy?

In women, age is the single biggest factor that affects their chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby, and women's fertility begins to decline in their early 30s and decreases more steeply after age 35.

Men's reproductive ability also decreases with age, thus reducing the overall likelihood of pregnancy and increasing the time it takes to conceive. Also, in old age, certain drug use may interfere with reproductive ability. Classifying the specific causes of infertility in couples shows that the proportion of men and women is close as women account for about 40% to 50% and men 30 to 40% and infertility accounts for 10 to 15% where the cause cannot be found. Therefore, men should also pay a lot of attention to their fertility.

Does a father's age have a bad effect on pregnancy outcomes and the baby's health?

Studies show that the higher the father's age, the higher the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes and baby health. There is a slight increase in the risk of natural miscarriage and stillbirth, and there are many underweight children as well as premature births, and in newborns, birth defects of the skull, limbs and heart, and a slight increase in autism. There are also studies showing that it is also related to an increase in gestational diabetes in pregnant women.

Then, how old is the elderly father based on?

Medical standards for this have certainly not yet been established, but there are many opinions in academia to consider those aged 40 or older as elderly fathers. The background came from genetic research. The increase in father's age is related to the risk of new mutations in babies, which gradually increases linearly with age increase after age 40.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest man with a child was surprisingly 92 years old. Celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Mick Jagger, and Kim Yong-gun also gave birth to healthy babies at twilight. However, the medical fact is that the quality of sperm deteriorates with age. Along with a decrease in the number of healthy sperm, the number of damaged sperm increases and sperm motility tends to decrease. It is easy to assume that if both couples are older, it may be more difficult to conceive and that the outcome of pregnancy will not be as good as that of the younger couple.

Then what should elderly fathers do?

There is a way.

First of all, eat healthy
Second, quit smoking
Third, you have to cut down on alcohol
Fourth, keeping your groin cool can improve the quality of sperm
Fifth, you need to minimize stress

This alone can improve problems to some extent. Currently, there is room for medical problems such as mutant outbreaks to be solved with medical development in the future, and obstetricians are also working hard with responsibility, so I hope you don't be disappointed with your old age. Of course, elderly pregnant women should also have the hope that they can give birth to healthy enough children if they take good care of their childbirth along with proper rehabilitation efforts.

Misconceptions and Truths about 'Aged Pregnancy'

As women entered society actively, the number of married women increased and the age of childbirth also increased. According to data from the Korea National Statistical Office, the number of elderly mothers aged 35 or older has more than doubled from 10 years ago, accounting for one in five mothers. The World Health Organization and the International Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology classify women over the age of 35 as elderly pregnant women regardless of whether they have first childbirth or not. Usually, women of this age should be careful about prenatal care, but they don't have to be blindly anxious.

It's hard to give birth naturally?

It's not necessarily hard. Although the natural delivery rate of elderly pregnant women is slightly lower than that of their early 30s, the actual success rate of natural delivery in their 20s and 30s is similar. Natural childbirth is sufficiently possible through thorough prenatal examination and complication management. For natural delivery, the pelvic and fetal sizes must be appropriate. You should control your diet and exercise steadily so that the size of the fetus does not become too large. Yoga or stretching that promotes blood circulation is good, and breathing training should not be neglected.

The birth rate of deformed babies is high?

It is reported that the older pregnant women are, the higher the birth rate of deformed children such as Down syndrome, but it is an increase in relative risk with age, not an absolute risk. It is recommended to take 400μg of folic acid per day from 3 months of pregnancy to at least 12 weeks of pregnancy, which is effective in preventing neural tube defects in the fetus and reducing the occurrence of deformities. Folic acid is abundant in green vegetables, cabbage, mushrooms, beans, and walnuts. Taking folic acid or nutritional supplements with high folic acid content is also a method.

Old husband doesn't matter?

Men also gradually decrease in the amount of semen and motility from the age of 35, making their condition worse than before. The older the father gets, the more likely the fetus is to have abnormalities. Giving birth to a healthy child requires the efforts of all spouses. If you plan to get pregnant, your husband should also correct his lifestyle three months before considering the time when sperm is formed and matured. In addition to quitting smoking and quitting drinking, it is recommended to avoid stress as much as possible and provide enough nutrients such as vitamins.

Amniotic fluid test is mandatory?

Many mothers wonder if they must undergo expensive amniotic fluid tests. Chorionic or amiotic fluid tests can diagnose chromosomal diseases such as Down syndrome by more than 99%. It is recommended that deformed children's tests through maternal blood have developed dramatically and are selectively taken when the deformed child test is abnormal for those under the age of 40. Even if the test for deformed children shows positive for Down syndrome, most of them are normal when tested for villi or amniotic fluid.

Is there a high risk of pregnancy addiction?

Pregnancy addiction causes swelling, high blood pressure, and proteinuria throughout the body. Obesity, diabetes, and genetic factors affect the mother. Edema is accompanied by sudden weight gain. Weight changes during pregnancy should be checked daily. If you gain more than 1 kg of weight per week, you should consult your doctor first. In order to prevent pregnancy addiction, the possibility of pregnancy addiction should be prevented by thorough health care before pregnancy and thorough prenatal care from the beginning of pregnancy. The whole family needs support so that they don't get much stress in the early stages of pregnancy.

There is no need to worry recklessly

If the mother is older, she can be exposed to many dangerous situations more, so various prenatal tests are recommended, so there is no need to worry blindly. Even an elderly pregnancy can give birth to a healthy child as much as a young mother if you check your health before pregnancy, pay attention to steady exercise and weight control, and get a good prenatal checkup after pregnancy.