KOTA KINABALU: In this day and age, women have more choices than ever before about whether and when to have children.
This is especially true for those who are professionals and career-oriented as well as those in commerce who wish to achieve a certain target before settling down and starting a family.
Due to the shift in paradigm and the opportunities that have opened up for women, most have chosen to delay having children, waiting until they have a nice nest to fall back on before they start to think of having children.
While this augurs well for the future of the child, having a baby at a later age will have a certain impact on some of the mothers, especially when they are over the age of 35.
Norafidah Ahmad, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at KPJ Sabah shares that the best time for motherhood is from 18 to below 35 years old, which is when the body is in its prime.
Women who have babies at an older age such as 40 and above will have several advantages, especially when they have achieved their goals, accumulated enough wealth, and are comfortably off. They will be able to give their children a better life and spend more quality time with them.
There is however a flipside to it as the mother may suffer from gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, placenta previa, miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, need for cesarean delivery, heavy bleeding after delivery, infant low birth weight, and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome.
To boot that, they may also be more likely to conceive multiple pregnancies such as twins or triplets, which increases the risk throughout pregnancy and delivery. Such pregnancy is very taxing to the body and as such the mothers have to be monitored constantly, to ensure that they carry their babies well, and to term safely.
These may sound frightening, but not everyone at that age will suffer from these conditions but just to make sure, they just have to meet their doctors and consult with them when they get pregnant. It helps to know what is in store for them, and how best to surmount the physical and psychological needs as potential mothers, at a mature age.
That is of course if they get pregnant naturally. However, women above 36 years old may have difficulties in getting pregnant and thus they can look into the artificial reproductive technology.
They just have to mind the risk, Dr. Norafidah shares, adding that she has treated patients up to 47 years old, and advises caution for women who choose to conceive at an advanced maternal age.
She is a very warm friendly Doctor and is very empathetic about her patients. She wants them to be comfortable when visiting her clinic, at KPJ, so she has turned her clinic into a nice room painted with flowers and gardens. The setting is very pleasant and enables her patients to unwind well.-BNN
