People kept reminding me of everything that could go wrong. Every conversation focused on risks rather than hope (Photo: Gemini)
Later-life pregnancy is becoming common as more women choose to start or grow their families after the age of 35.
But the outdated term “geriatric pregnancy” often fuels unnecessary fear. Today, healthcare professionals prefer the term advanced maternal age (AMA), recognising that while pregnancy later in life carries certain risks, modern prenatal care has made healthy pregnancies and births more achievable than ever.
For decades, age 35 was viewed as a reproductive turning point. That benchmark was established in the 1970s when the risk of chromosomal abnormalities began to outweigh the risks associated with amniocentesis.
Today, however, many women delay childbearing to pursue education, careers, financial stability, or wait for the right partner, making later-life pregnancies far more common than they once were.
