REPRODUCTIVE LIFE BEYOND 35 YEARS OF AGE

Every woman has her prime time, when she blossoms like a rose flower and glows like the olympic torch. At this time all hormones are working together for her glory.
Emelda was like an emerald. She had the perfect figure that would make a man forget his meals. She was young, attractive and industrous. Every door she knocked at opened without hesitation.
One expected that she begin a family life pretty earlier following the mad rush by suitors but,no, not yet. She likes adventure, freedom and knowledge and would rather fullfil these before the perceived entrappement/enslavement called marriage.
Now she is forty years of age, one year into her marriage, still retaining her gorgeous looks but unfulfilled. This is the first time in all her life of adventure that she had searched so hard for a treasure that has eluded her. The story of her friends/mates whose children are either concluding basic education or half way into college added a blow to the nail of anguish in her fragile heart.
Her menses like a clown made gest of her. It became unpredictable, irregularly irregular and when it came, it flowed torrential like one from a slained Eldir Malud ram or like a provoked storm demonstrating its destructive potentials. At a time in the history of her menstrual cycle, she could swear she was pregnant after missing two cycles but boom it came to renew her hopelessness.
After several fertility treatments she conceived and just when all was calm, a drop of blood came forth like the angel Gabriel to announce an inevitable miscarriage. She is back to the first station of the cross.

Reproductive Life Beyond 35years of Age

Subfertility/ Infertility
The probabilty that each mentrual cycle would result in pregnancy (fecundity) declines from age 22years. It declines further after age 35years making conception more difficult.

Congenital Anomalies
These are deviations from the normal in terms of form and function. The eggs in the ovary are present before birth. They sit like employees or footballers on reserve bench waiting to be recruited into the field. The longer they stay, the more vulnerable they are to accidents. Any accidented egg recruited for fertiliztion will either predispose to abnormal baby eg Downs Syndrome or Miscarriage.

Miscarriage
Research has shown that above the age of 35years, the incidence of miscarriage increases.

Medical Conditions in Pregnancy
Most first time pregnancies above this age experience hypertension in pregnancy with associated presence of protein in urine and progressive leg swelling, a condition termed Pre-eclampsia. This can contribute to Preterm delivery.

Postpartum Hemorrhage
This leading cause of maternal death in which a woman loses blood in excess of 500mls after delivery via the birth canal or in excess of 1L after Caeserean delivery.
Poor contraction and/or rupture of the uterus accounts for major causes,as well as, genital traumas.

Menstrual Abnormalities and Cancer

Above this age, there is an increased risk of increase in the thickness of the endometrium (uterine inner lining). This is so because of anovulation (no ovulation) leading to lower progesterone levels and therefore no counteraction to the stimulating effect of estrogen which makes the endometrium grow thick (Endometrial hyperplasia). It makes menses irregular and may predispose to Endometrial Cancer. Therefore if you miss your period for more than two circles, it may indicate potential danger. Do not hesitate to see your doctor

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