Media Relations: Mercy News Archive

Mercy News | Mercy Facts At A Glance | Medical Experts Profiles
Story Ideas / News Archive | Mercy on the Web | Contact Media Relations

Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN, Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mercy

Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN, Chair Of Obstetrics & Gynecology At Mercy, Discusses “Having A Baby At Age 40+” On WBAL's “Woman's Doctor”

Women having children in their late 30s and early 40s has become rather commonplace, but that doesn't mean those pregnancies come without risks, doctors said.

Laura Hamons, 42, said time just slipped away for her. She didn't get married until she was 39 and was 41 by the time she was pregnant.

"I did some research and started getting worried when I found out some things that can happen, mostly to women that are older, but I put it out of my mind. My mom said, 'Oh, people have change-of-life babies all the time,'" Hamons said.

Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Medical Center, said having babies later in life has become more common.

"There's absolutely an increase in women having babies for the first time after the age of 40," he said.

According to Dr. Atlas, he sees it as a normal occurrence, but that doesn't mean those pregnancies come without complications.

"Hypertension and diabetes are the two biggest ones that cause risk to the mother, but you have other risk factors, which are interesting, including increased risk for C-section, high risk of induction of labor, higher risk of pre-term birth and higher risk of pre-eclampsia," Dr. Atlas said.

In spite of those risks and the higher risk of miscarriage, Atlas said most older women are successful at conceiving and having a baby.

Hamons said that's been reassuring. She's due Jan. 2, 2010.

"Everything seems to be going very well. I had an ultrasound yesterday, and it looked really good. I could see the skeleton and I got to see the face. It was adorable — all the hands and feet. It looked really good," she said.

A woman's health before conception is even more important for women over 35, so have a preconception appointment with your doctor to talk about the risks and what you should do to get ready for pregnancy.

To view Dr. Atlas' interview on this subject with WBAL-TV11's "Woman's Doctor," click this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/20347485/detail.html