Nicole is sitting in the doctor’s office for the first time. She is waiting patiently as the small round clock in the corner of the room ticks away at a snails pace. She suddenly hears footsteps coming from the other side of the door. Nicole puts her sweaty palms together as she sees the doctor enter the room with some blue papers in his hands. The doctor quickly looks at Nicole then turns away clearing his throat, “I have examined the test results that we just completed; you are pregnant but there are some complications.”
“Complications? What do you mean doctor? I’m healthy. I’ve been healthy all my life. I never had a problem getting pregnant. What could be the problem?”
“Well, you are pregnant with your first child at the age of 37. Therefore, you and your child are at a higher risk of many serious complications,” said the doctor.
Unfortunately, this scene took place in the lives of many well-educated healthy women in developed countries. “The rise of pregnancy rates among older women are far more dramatic today rather than in the past: rates for women ages 40 to 44 went up nearly 65 percent.”(DELL'ANTONIA) While many women today wait to finish school or start out a career then decide to get married, delaying their ability to have children until their late 30’s. Statistically, when a female is pregnant at an older age her medical condition needs to be monitored more closely. Older women having babies can cause complications before, during, and after birth, leading to a higher risk of miscarriages, chromosomal disorder, and Down syndrome.
“A miscarriage — in medical terms also called a spontaneous abortion — is the unplanned end of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation.” (" The Thinking Woman’s Website For Conception, Pre...
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...asting System, Inc, 22 Apr 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
DELL'ANTONIA, KJ. "Pregnancy Rates Rise for Women Over 40." Adventures in Parenting . The New York Times Co., 20 Jun 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Floridon, Charlotte, and Niels Lund. The Age Factor. 2013. Chart. Netdoctor, London. Web. 7 Nov 2013.
"How Chromosome Abnormalities Happen." How Chromosome Abnormalities Happen. University of Rochester Medical Center, 07 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
"Pregnancy Over Age 30." Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, n. d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Rodriguez, Monica. "Extra or Missing Chromosomes." The Tech Museum of Innovation. The Tech Museum of Innovation, 04 Oct 2007. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Miscarriage – What Is A Miscarriage And Why Do They Occur?." The Thinking Woman’s Website For Conception, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby. BellyBelly, n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Learning About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy." Learning About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. National Human Genome Research Institute, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.
Eden, Elizabeth. "HowStuffWorks "Pregnancy Complications in Older Mothers" HowStuffWorks. N.p., 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Stem Cell Transplant." Stem Cells: What They Are and What They Do. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
At some point in a woman's life, she may think of the idea of having a child. Some young girls are taught at a young age that when she grows up, someday she can have a family of her own if she chooses. When I was a child, I remember my mother and other womanly influences telling me that when I'm older, I might have a family of my own; and in result of this, ever since I was little, I have planned out how many children I want to have, and my expectations of my family life. However, while many women see themselves having children someday, and understand the process of carrying a child, some women might be in the dark about the complications that can come along with pregnancy. Life can throw curve balls, and everything that may have been planned, and thought out clearly might not go as smoothly as expected. There are many complications that can occur from pregnancy for mom and baby. In fact, one of the most common complications to occur is Down syndrome. And while Down syndrome may be very common, many women are making the decision to abort their fetuses once they are aware of the disability.
Why and How Hair Loss Happens. (2014, March 25). . Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/hair_loss
There are many complications that can occur during childbirth, one being premature birth. Premature birth is birth before 37 weeks of development. Each year more than 543,000 babies are born prematurely, (Science Daily, 02/2010). Although there are many causes and possible complications for premature birth, there are also preventions that can decrease the likelihood.
The most fertile ages for a woman are twenty to twenty four years of age. With that being said it more common for a younger woman to become pregnant. Having children or planning to have or not to have a family is one of the biggest decisions of a woman’s life. There is no such thing as perfect time to start a family. There are both disadvantages and advantages to giving birth at different stages. For instance, a woman in her 20’s would have more energy to run after and take care of a toddler but less of a financial budget. A woman of her 30’s or 40’s may be more established financially but does not have the energy to keep up with a toddler. Everyone does not think about these aspects when getting pregnant. It’s a heavy responsibility that comes with children. Americans have to ask themselves are they ready for this type of responsibility?
What exactly is abortion? According to InfoBase Learning, it is the termination of pregnancy and expulsion and death of the fetus generally before it is viable (capable of independent life). There are two types of abortions- spontaneous and induced. A spontaneous abortion is also known as a miscarriage,
Abortion is the untimely and early ending of pregnancy. Thirespondedss can be carried out by the will of an individual or can occur on its own because of any abnormality or disease. Abortion ending due to any abnormal condition is referred as ‘spontaneous abortion or miscarriage.' Abortion, as a term, is specifically used for the ending process of pregnancy by the will of the mother. This process can be carried out in a variety of ways depending upon the gestation period, the condition of the fetus inside and preference of involved mother.
What is Insomnia? What Causes Insomnia?. (n.d.). Medical News Today: Health News. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
In certain contexts, the “late-term” descriptor is applied to indicate fetal development that has advanced to the point where there is a high probability of survival outside the uterus. With this definition, all third trimester and some second trimester abortions are included since the contemporary age of viability is approximately 22-24 weeks. The authors of two articles published in 1998 in the same issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association could not agree on when in pregnancy an abortion should be considered late-term
Being healthy while pregnant is an important factor when considering carrying a baby. The risk of dying by giving birth is higher than having an abortion (ProCon). Not at women can handle the negatives of giving birth and survive through them. If a woman is aware that should is not healthy enough to give birth, she
Hamilton, B. E., J. A. Martin, and S. J. Ventura. "Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing." The Office of Adolescent Health/OAH, 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 17.
One of the most common arguments is that aged parents are more likely to have a stable living and financial situation. The main reason is they want to educate their children with high class education. When parents are working in a well-established career, they can concentrate more on their children. In many cases, they have already committed to each other, and they could be cooperating to give proper guidance to their children. However, studies have shown that there are greater risks of health complications on mothers who wait longer to have children; it is possible to increase the chance of a delivering preterm or a low birth weight babies. For instance, after age 40, the rate of the physical complications is higher to carry an unborn baby, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Moreover, psychologists are worried about the possibility of another factor that could be ignored; the characteristic making bette...
U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute; January 2010.