For those aged 35 and above, the chances are about one in 178. By age 40, the rate increases to one in 63. There is also the danger of miscarriages. In younger women between the ages of 20 and 29, less than 10 per cent are at risk. For women 45 or older, the figure jumps to 50 per cent.
Older mums are also more likely to deliver by Caesarean sections.
Even women who are otherwise healthy before pregnancy have an increased risk of developing diabetes and hypertension during their pregnancies. Doctors advise older women planning to have children to go through a medical evaluation to screen for conditions that may complicate the pregnancy. An ultrasound may be performed early in the pregnancy to confirm how old the foetus is. Later in the pregnancy, it may be useful for monitoring the foetus' growth, detecting foetal abnormalities, determining the number of foetuses, and assessing the overall health of the foetus. Copyright 2000 Singapore Press Holdings.