The number of women giving birth after 40 is on the rise due to more women concentrating on their career and starting families later. But is this modern trend really advisable?
A study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that women who delay starting a family are more likely to have a stroke or heart attack later in life.
The researchers who looked at data from 72,221 women who were tracked for 12 years found that women who give birth after the age of 40 are two-thirds more likely to die of cardiovascular disease when compared to those who become mothers earlier.
According to a Daily Mail report, Lead researcher Professor Adnan Qureshi said:
“We already knew older women were more likely than younger women to experience health problems during their pregnancy.
“Now we know the consequences of that later pregnancy stretch years into the future.”
The researchers also noted that most of the increased risk was because older women are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol when they become pregnant which increases the risk of problems down the line.
Women are encouraged to start families earlier as the risk of complications during pregnancy increases with later motherhood and babies born to older women have a higher chance of birth defects.
The research was presented at the American Stroke Association Meeting in Los Angeles.
S.O.Z