How to prepare for pregnancy at an advanced age? You must pay attention to these points

Now that the second child policy has been fully relaxed, many women want to have a second child to accompany their baby at home. However, because they have passed the best pregnancy age and are considered older mothers, it is more difficult to prepare for pregnancy at this time than before, and the risk of miscarriage is also greater. So how should older women prepare for pregnancy? You must pay attention to the following points

Precautions for older pregnant women: 1. Conduct a comprehensive physical examination.

Older mothers must undergo a comprehensive physical examination before getting pregnant. Both husband and wife must undergo various examinations. If you have a disease, you must wait until you are cured before you can get pregnant. For older mothers, the most terrifying thing is to give birth to a disabled baby.

Notes for older pregnant women 2. Take folic acid orally one month before pregnancy.

Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly, which are very serious birth defects. Neural tube defects are common congenital malformations in newborns in China. Folic acid can also prevent anemia in pregnant women, as the body needs folic acid to make normal red blood cells. Taking a multivitamin containing folic acid may reduce the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women. If you do not take folic acid in time before pregnancy, you should continue to take it after pregnancy until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Precautions for older pregnant women 3. Pay special attention to health care during pregnancy.

Older expectant mothers should avoid eating foods that are too sweet, too salty, or fried. All unhealthy habits should be changed. Blood pressure should be monitored and pregnancy checkups should be done regularly.

Notes for older pregnant women 4. Down syndrome screening should be performed during the 16-20 weeks of pregnancy.

Down's syndrome screening is a method of testing the concentration of alpha-fetoprotein and chorionic gonadotropin in the maternal serum by extracting the blood serum of the pregnant woman, and calculating the risk factor of giving birth to a child with Down's syndrome in combination with the expected date of delivery, age, weight and gestational age at the time of blood sampling. This test involves extracting the blood of the pregnant woman and testing the amount and concentration of various substances contained in the blood to determine some possible diseases of the fetus.

Notes for older pregnant women 5. Amniocentesis should be performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Normal young pregnant women do not need to undergo this test. Studies have shown that the older the pregnant woman is, the higher the incidence of congenital idiocy and malformed babies. This is because as women age, their ovaries gradually age and degenerate, and the eggs they produce naturally age, which increases the chances of chromosomal abnormalities. This test can directly obtain the number of chromosomes, and based on the test results, it can be determined whether the fetus has abnormalities. There is a 0.5% chance that this test will lead to miscarriage.

Notes for older pregnant women 6. Pay more attention to blood sugar, blood pressure and other indicators.

Older pregnant women are more likely to suffer from pregnancy-related heart disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, and gestational diabetes. Because the blood volume in pregnant women is significantly higher than that in non-pregnant women, the heart burden is heavier. Pregnant women who already have heart disease may have to terminate the pregnancy early because they cannot tolerate it. Pay more attention to blood sugar and blood pressure indexes; be mentally prepared for cesarean section! Older pregnant women have higher indications for cesarean section, and usually 90% of older pregnant women choose cesarean section.

Notes for older mothers 7. Natural childbirth is more difficult for older mothers and they need to prepare in advance.

The pelvis of older pregnant women is relatively hard, the ligaments and soft birth canal tissues are less elastic, and the uterine contraction force is correspondingly weakened, which can easily lead to prolonged labor, even dystocia, fetal birth injuries and asphyxia.

As age increases, the ovarian function gradually declines, the egg reserves decrease, and the ovarian function gradually declines. This is an irreversible fact that older women must face, especially for older women with irregular menstruation or even amenorrhea. When preparing for a second child, it is very important to clarify the ovarian function and ovulation status.

1. Common assessments of ovarian function include:

1. Serum sex hormone levels: The commonly used test is to draw blood on the 2nd to 3rd day of the menstrual period. If the serum follicle-stimulating hormone is elevated, or the ratio of follicle-stimulating hormone to luteinizing hormone is elevated, and/or the estradiol level is decreased, it indicates that the ovarian function has declined and the probability of pregnancy has decreased;

2. Blood anti-mullerian hormone: This hormone is secreted by the granulosa cells of the ovaries. The level is higher in women of childbearing age and decreases progressively with age. Its level represents the reserve capacity of the ovaries. The lower the value, the fewer seeds there are in the granary for sowing. Blood tests can be done at any time during the menstrual cycle.

3. Ultrasound examination: understand the size and shape of both ovaries, and rule out the presence of space-occupying lesions or atrophic changes with reduced volume.

4. Antral follicle count: It is also checked through ultrasound examination within 5 days of menstruation. B-ultrasound counts the antral follicles of the ovaries. If the antral follicle count is less than 5, it indicates that the ovarian reserve function is poor and is on the verge of failure.

All the above examinations must be performed in a professional hospital and objectively evaluated by a doctor. If the ovarian function is extremely poor, it is not recommended to try to get pregnant. Otherwise, it will not only cost a huge amount of money and effort, but may not result in successful conception in the end. Even if conception is successful, there will be challenges of high miscarriage rate and high fetal defect rate.

Ovarian function is the most important and basic indicator for assessing female fertility. When various tests indicate that the ovarian function is at a normal level, female friends can consider using urine ovulation monitoring or ultrasound to monitor follicle development to determine whether mature follicles have developed and ovulated, and to guide conception.

2. Uterine examination:

The uterus is the site where the fertilized egg implants and is also the place where the fetus survives in the mother's body. The uterus must be normal in both shape and function to nurture a small life. Routine pelvic ultrasound examination is necessary. By measuring the size of the uterus and the thickness of the endometrium, we can roughly understand the condition of the uterus. At the same time, we can check whether there are lesions such as large-volume fibroids, and whether the endometrium is thickened or polyps. For women who had a cesarean section for the previous pregnancy, B-ultrasound can also preliminarily understand whether the scar of the previous operation is flat and whether there is a scar diverticulum (the local myometrial tissue of the uterus is interrupted, forming an additional cavity). All women who have had cesarean sections (no matter how long the interval has been) should pay attention to the location of the fertilized egg implantation during the next pregnancy. Once the implantation is in the scar or diverticulum, it is not advisable to continue the pregnancy. For women who have undergone uterine cavity surgery such as abortion and curettage in the past, there may be a possibility of endometrial damage or even adhesion. If there is a decrease in menstrual volume and difficulty in pregnancy after surgery, hysteroscopy can be used to clarify uterine cavity lesions if necessary. Therefore, the uterus as another indicator of fertility assessment cannot be ignored, and older women should do a good job of checking their uterus before preparing for pregnancy.

3. Fallopian tube condition:

The fallopian tubes are a pair of slender and curved tubes, which are connected to the uterine horns on the inside and close to the ovaries on the outside. The sperm and egg must meet through this tube, so it plays a very important role in egg collection, sperm capacitation, egg fertilization, fertilized egg transportation, and the survival and development of early embryos.

Once the fallopian tube is blocked, adhesions and water accumulation can lead to infertility, it is also one of the indicators of fertility assessment. However, since the examination of fallopian tube patency (including fallopian tube perfusion and angiography) is an invasive operation, it is only suitable for women who have tried to conceive for at least half a year without success and have no abnormalities in other examinations. If the fallopian tube is found to be blocked, medical intervention is required.

4. Male semen condition:

As the provider of sperm for the fertilized egg, the man also needs to undergo a fertility assessment.

Many people believe that men's fertility is not limited by age. In fact, this is not the case. Research results have shown that the older a man is, the more likely it is that his sperm will undergo genetic mutations. Approximately 25%-30% of trisomy 21 is caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the expectant father. The concentration of semen can also affect the chance of pregnancy. Therefore, routine analysis of male semen is also a very important indicator for fertility assessment.

Expectant mothers should pay attention to their physical and mental health in the early stages of pregnancy, abandon bad eating habits, avoid drinking, not eating spicy foods, etc., eat more high-quality protein, low-fat foods, seasonal fruits and vegetables, etc., supplement more folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc and various vitamins, and ensure the balance of various nutrients.

1. Eat small and frequent meals, eat light meals, and shorten the intervals between meals. Use steaming, boiling, stewing, and mixing cooking methods more often, and avoid eating greasy and spicy foods such as fried foods and chili peppers.

2. Avoid coffee, strong tea, alcohol, cola, carbonated drinks, and active or passive smoking.

3. Avoid eating foods high in salt, eat less instant noodles and processed foods containing preservatives, artificial colors, chicken essence, etc., and avoid eating raw or cold foods.

4. To treat nausea and vomiting, which are early pregnancy reactions, you can eat small meals frequently. The diet should be light and easy to digest. You can eat sour fruits such as jujube and oranges, but avoid pickled vegetables.

5. During the first three months of pregnancy, pregnant women should eat more. The enlarged uterus compresses the intestines, which can easily cause constipation. Pregnant women can eat more vegetables and drink more water.

6. In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, the average daily diet should include an additional 9 grams of high-quality protein, which is equivalent to two eggs or 50 grams of lean meat. If it is plant protein, you should eat 15 grams more, which is equivalent to 200 grams of tofu or rice.

7. In the last 3 months of pregnancy, the fetus doubles in weight and the number of brain cells increases dramatically. This is a critical stage in nutrition for pregnant women. Pay attention to sufficient, reasonable and balanced meals.

8. During pregnancy, increase the intake of calcium-containing dairy products or foods, get more sun exposure, and take calcium tablets.

9. During pregnancy, blood volume increases sharply by 30%. You should eat more lean meat, poultry, fish and other animal foods, eat pork liver two or three times a week, and take iron supplements if necessary to avoid anemia.

Only by taking good care of your body can you give birth to a healthy baby smoothly. During the preparation for pregnancy, women's eating habits should be reasonably improved. The principles are light, less greasy, and easy to digest. Cook as diverse as possible and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to replenish the body with water and meet the needs of various vitamins and trace elements. Do not be picky about food, as this is not conducive to the body's absorption of nutrients.