How old is too old to have children? There is no absolute age at which you cannot have children, but of course the younger you are, the better your chances of having children, and from a physiological point of view, the best age for women to have children is between the ages of 20 and 25. During this period, women’s reproductive functions are at their best and their bodies have fully developed and reached their peak. Before the age of 20, the psychological impact of pregnancy is more obvious than the physiological, and from the age of 30 women’s fertility begins to decline, from the initial downward trend is relatively gentle to after the age of 35 the trend is obvious, after the age of 40, women’s fertility has been significantly reduced, but at this time is not equal to zero, think about the old family to have several children, the mother’s age of 40 or more when the birth of the old end is It is very common to have mothers who are over 40 years old. So age is not an absolute issue, it is possible if you want it. One study showed that the rate of pregnancy within one year for women older than 30 who wanted to have children was 75%; by the age of 35, the figure dropped to 66%; by 40, the rate was only 44%; and by 45, pregnancy had become very difficult. What are the different tests that need to be done in advance? If you are usually in good health, there is no need to do any special checkups before pregnancy. A normal medical checkup to know the general state of your body is enough. Of course, because the function of the ovaries is declining when you are older than when you were younger, regular menstruation does not necessarily mean that you will ovulate. If you want to know the reserve function of your ovaries before you get pregnant, you can also go to the hospital and have your hormone levels tested. Several tests that can measure female fertility are Inhibin B, Anti-Mullerian Factor (AMH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), the first two of which are not commonly performed in hospitals. What kind of tests does the male partner need? If there are not more than 3 early miscarriages (also known as habitual miscarriages), there is generally no need for special testing for men. If there are more than 3 miscarriages, the man should consider a chromosomal test to find out if there are any chromosomal abnormalities. What if I have other medical conditions? Some diseases, such as thyroid disease, diabetes, heart disease, etc., need to be adjusted accordingly before pregnancy, and if pregnancy is rushed before the disease is controlled, the chances of various pregnancy complications and malformations will increase. Therefore, it is necessary to consult if you have some co-morbidities before pregnancy. What if there are deformities or abnormalities in the first child? It is also necessary to seek professional help from a doctor to find the cause of the abnormality. Some problems can be avoided during the second pregnancy, but if there is a genetic abnormality, prenatal diagnosis is needed to screen and eliminate the problematic embryos. How soon can I get pregnant after the birth control has been removed? This depends on the type of contraception. In the case of oral contraceptives, it used to be emphasized that you should wait 3 months before conceiving, but the evidence from studies over the years has confirmed that this is not necessary and that you can get pregnant the next month after you stop taking oral contraceptives. In the case of IUDs, you can also try to conceive after the next menstrual period after removal. What if I can’t get pregnant after trying for a while? As mentioned earlier, the older you are, the less fertile you are. If you are still infertile after a period of time, you will need the help of a doctor if necessary, generally speaking, the doctor will perform some necessary tests after a year of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, and of course, non-invasive tests such as ultrasound, ovulation monitoring, and male sperm testing are available in advance. If a woman is too old and has lost her ovulation function, there is another medical method to use someone else’s eggs for egg donation, which can be fertilized in vitro and then transplanted back into the body. What are the different risks faced during pregnancy in advanced age? The older a woman is, the poorer the quality of her egg cells and the greater the likelihood that she will carry abnormal chromosomes after fertilization. Once a woman reaches the mid-30s, her risk of having a child with a congenital malformation increases. A congenital abnormality is a disorder or disorder of function that is present at birth. In most cases, this is due to an excessive number or deletion of a specific chromosome. A trisomy occurs when there are 3 of the same chromosome instead of the normal 2. The most common form is Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, in which such a patient has three chromosome 21s. The table below shows the relationship between age and the occurrence of Down syndrome. The risk of fetal birth defects in mothers with Down syndrome at the age of childbirth. In order to rule out the possibility of having a child with Down’s syndrome at an advanced age, screening can be performed during early pregnancy by blood sampling, or at 11 weeks of pregnancy by fetal ultrasound. The newest technique, non-invasive DNA, has been developed in recent years. What to do before pregnancy: Both men and women should go to the hospital for medical checkups from 3 to 6 months before pregnancy, if they are found to have genetic diseases that are not medically recommended for childbirth or if they are physically ill, they need to cooperate with medical treatment first to avoid affecting the next generation. Both men and women should also maintain a healthy and happy psychological state, stay away from radiation and toxins, prohibit serious bad habits, such as alcohol dependence, smoking addiction, etc. These are the high pressure line for healthy fertility. It is recommended that couples who want to have a baby must start to regulate their bodies in the first three months of pregnancy and take oral folic acid in advance. The timing of pregnancy is important: The timing of the second child delivery should be reasonably arranged according to the first delivery. In general, if the mother-to-be’s first child is delivered by normal delivery, then it will take six months to a year to recover. As long as the uterus is restored after delivery, the physiological function can be basically restored, the condition of the reproductive system such as fallopian tubes and uterus is normal, you will be able to carry the second child. For women whose first child was delivered by cesarean section, it is generally recommended that they should not get pregnant again until two years after the cesarean section. The healing of the uterine wall incision after cesarean delivery usually takes 6 months, and there is a difference in the tissue structure between the scar tissue at the incision and the original myometrium. If you get pregnant too early, because the uterus keeps growing, the uterine wall becomes thinner, especially the connective tissue at the surgical incision lacks elasticity, the fresh scar is prone to spontaneous rupture in the middle or end of pregnancy or during delivery, and once the uterus ruptures, it may cause fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage, and even immediately threaten the lives of the pregnant mother and fetus. The first thing you need to do is to go to the hospital and find out about the scarring of your uterus before you start your “baby-making” plan, and then go to the hospital after you get pregnant to find out where the embryo is. Pregnancy checkups: It is important to go to a regular hospital for regular checkups to screen for malformations and detect maternal and child safety. Choice of delivery method: The second delivery method will be combined with the first delivery method and will be decided after a comprehensive assessment by the doctor. If the first delivery is by cesarean section, the second delivery can be by cesarean section or by vaginal delivery after excluding contraindications to the first cesarean section.