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Advanced Maternal Age: Pregnancy after 35

Studies show that women in their mid-to-late 30s and 40s may face some special pregnancy risks. Women should be aware of these risks so they can make informed decisions about their pregnancies, including when to become pregnant.

A woman’s risk of having a baby with certain birth defects involving chromosomes (the structures in cells that contain genes) increases with age. Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal birth defect.
-March of Dimes