Pregnancy After 40

This trend has been demonstrated in the number of entertainment shows and publications highlighting celebrities who have given birth in their late 30's and older.

Some highly publicized births are the sets of twins born to the following: Cybil Shepard at age 39, Geena Davis at age 48, Jane Seymour at age 44, and Adrienne Barbeau at age 52. This past February, Marcia Cross, at age 44, also gave birth to twins Other stars who have given birth over age 40 are Courtney Cox, Brooke Shields (41), Mariska Hargitay (42), Christie Brinkley (43), Geena Davis (46) and Holly Hunter (48).

Giving birth at an older age has inherent medical problems for the unborn child. At age 40, eggs are old and considered hardened. An unborn child may be at risk for Down's Syndrome or other birth defects. There are two main tests to determine if the child will be healthy; one test is amniocentosis and the other is a Chronic Villis Sampling (CVS.)

Amniocentosis is a prenatal test that allows you and your health care practictioner to gather information about your baby's health and development from a sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus. The "amnio" test is usually done between 15 and 20 weeks, to determine whether the baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down's Syndrome. Not all moms-to-be choose to have the test because of the additional small risk of a miscarriage.

There are many reasons to have the amnio test, one is if the mother appears to be in premature labor and to determine whether the mother baby's lungs are mature enough for an early delivery. Another is to rule out an uterine infection if the water breaks prematurely or if the practictioner suspects you may have an infection. Another reason is to check on the well-being of the baby, especially if there is a Rh sensitization. (This is a complex condition that occurs when the mother's blood type is a different than that of her baby's.) Many hospitals use the Doppler ultrasound for this purpose instead of the amnio test.