What are the chances of a healthy kid at 38?

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My husband's religious views don't allow for abortion, and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable either.


Hey OP, congratulations.


Why are you congratulating OP?
Anonymous
My mother had my brother at 38 and me at 41. No issues.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My husband's religious views don't allow for abortion, and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable either.


You can have a child with birth defects or health issues at any age. Having a child is rolling the dice.

+1 Friend of a friend was 21 & first baby had Down's syndrome. Dr never tested her because of her age. It is very, very rare, but it did happen to her.


I know two young couples that had a child with downs. In one case they knew in the other they had no idea until the baby was born (did no real testing because mom was only 28)
Anonymous
Chances of having a healthy baby at 38 are good. I see a lot of fearmongering on this board about AMA by people who don't understand how to interpret statistics. As a previous poster pointed out, an unhealthy baby or chromosomal issue can be born to a mother at any age. While it's true that your relative risks increase with age, they are still quite low overall. The risks are lower still if you've carried a healthy pregnancy to term in the past and if you and your husband have none of the genetic risk factors they screen for.

Anonymous
My second child who is now a happy and healthy 1 year old was conceived and born when I was 38.
Anonymous
Have you discussed in detail with your husband what you would do for specific issues? Perhaps a consultation with a high-risk OB-GYN or geneticist would be in order first.

I have a feeling your husband's views are perhaps theoretical in nature, but when confronted with real suffering and danger to life, he might change his tune. Discussing these matters together with a medical professional might help you determine whether he might change his mind.
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