Expert: Catherine Beier MS CBE - 8/15/2008

Question
Dear Catherine

My husband and I are planning on starting our family.  I have just turned 30 and my husband is about to turn 29.  We have often heard that a woman should have her first child before 30, but we decided to wait for other reasons.  At this point too we are in the midst of planning a shift of locations, change of work etc., but would like to start our family soon too.  

We just wanted to know: what is the actual increase in risk post 30?  Is 30 a sharp defining line - meaning does the risk go up very sharply after 30 - or would waiting six months to a year more not have much effect?  Also, what kind of risks increase?  Is it just infertility or other potential problems?  We were particularly worried about whether there is an increased risk to the child's health.

Could you let us know?  It would be an immense help in planning our lives over the next year or so.  Thank you so much for your time and for your assistance,

Sincerely
Priya

Answer
Priya,

In general, the risk increase you're referring to would be that a woman's fertility decreases in her mid-thirties moreso than risks to the baby.  


The older a woman is, the higher the incidence of some complications like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, etc due to the strain pregnancy can place on your body.  The older you get, the harder it is for your body to adjust to these changes.


That being said, at 30, your risks are still very low.  Generally, after 36 more complications are seen.  The biggest factor that comes into play at your age would be difficulty conceiving.  Since a woman is born with all the eggs she'll ever have, they age as she ages whereas a man produces new sperm throughout his life.


So, I wouldn't get too worked up at this point.  If you were 40 and starting a family, then you may have more to worry about, but at 30, you're still young and the odds are very much with you that everything will go right.



Best,
Catherine