Do the right thing at the right time.
With the increasing proportion of older mothers, the topic of advanced maternal age has become increasingly popular and has attracted widespread attention. On July 25th, at a press conference held by the National Health Commission, a reporter asked, "How can older women give birth to a healthy baby?"
Qiao Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Peking University Third Hospital, responded: "The most important thing is to marry and have children at the appropriate age. During the golden age of childbearing, 25-28 years old, seize the opportunity and conceive at the right time!"
As soon as this official news was released, it immediately jumped to fifth place on Weibo's trending topics list that night, with over 1 million views and more than 100,000 comments!
Leading experts are urging us to seize the optimal childbearing age and start having children! In response, netizens have clearly divided into several camps, expressing their opinions in the comments section:
For example, this netizen represents the thoughts of millions of purebred single people: "It's so unfair! It's not that we want to marry and have children late, it's just that we haven't found the father of our unborn child yet! I have fertile black soil, but I lack a quality seed."
One Buddhist-style netizen commented: "Whether we are born or not, whether we are born early or late, it's all irrelevant to us! Let everything take its course, it's all the best arrangement from heaven!"
For example, some netizens with wildly imaginative ideas have criticized the National Health Commission from a conspiracy theory perspective... "To solve the problem of China's aging population, they're using experts again to trick us into having children! Luckily, I'm smart enough, no way!"
Young people struggling in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou bluntly stated their condition: "We're supposed to have kids between 25 and 28? No problem! But first, help us solve our housing problems..."
Those who advocate for singlehood say, "I'm having a blast living my life on my own. The world is so big, and I haven't had enough fun yet! Having a baby would just tie me down."
Finally... there's another type: those who deliberately act young! These babies are saying: "I still need someone to take care of me, how can I have a baby?"
Now let's think rationally about what Academician Qiao Jie said: Why is it best for women to complete their "major undertaking of childbearing" between the ages of 25 and 28?
Is it not allowed to have children before the age of 25?
Before the age of 20, women are still developing, especially their gonads and reproductive organs, which are not yet fully mature. Pregnancy at this time can affect the health and normal development of both the mother and fetus. Studies have shown that young mothers are more prone to preeclampsia, and the fetus may experience intrauterine growth retardation. Furthermore, complications during childbirth, such as labor stagnation, hemorrhage, and fetal distress, are more likely to occur. Babies born prematurely also have a higher probability of congenital malformations.
Women over 20 have largely mature reproductive organs and are theoretically capable of pregnancy. However, while young women are physically mature, they are not psychologically prepared. They are not financially independent, need emotional support, and are still somewhat like "adult babies"! How can they shoulder the responsibilities of motherhood?
Women in their early twenties are at their peak in terms of energy, memory, physical strength, intelligence, and time for learning. Pregnancy too early can negatively impact a woman's health, work, and studies.
So, ladies! No matter how much you love a man, don't let dopamine cloud your judgment and rush to have his babies!
Stay rational, think more about your future, and be wary of being swayed by "egg worms"!
Is it not allowed to have children after the age of 28?
Some young women dedicate themselves entirely to their careers in order to establish themselves in big cities. However, in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, high-quality men are already a rare, "national treasure" resource. Add to that the abundance of outstanding and beautiful women in these cities, and the competition for one man often becomes fierce, with three women vying for the same man. The intensity of this competition is unimaginable!
Any girl who has seen the world and has some ambition is unwilling to just find someone and hastily entrust her life to them... Therefore, most of them pass by 30 years old in the blink of an eye.
So, the question is... what challenges will men and women face if they want to conceive at this time?
For men, it's essential to ensure normal sperm quality and motility. For women, the primary condition for fertility is normal ovulation, followed by a healthy uterine environment, unobstructed fallopian tubes, and normal endocrine levels. Among these, egg quality, the uterine lining environment, and endocrine levels are all closely related to the ovaries.
Ovarian age is closely related to our biological age and is synchronized with our reproductive clock!
So, what is a woman's reproductive clock?
■ Between the ages of 20 and 28: This is the period when a woman's ovarian function is at its best, with good egg quality, strong fertilization ability, and relatively stable levels of hormones secreted by the ovaries.
■ 30-35 years old: Women's ovarian function begins to decline, which is manifested in a decrease in the number of eggs and a deterioration in quality.
■ After age 35: This is a threshold for women's fertility. After this age, a woman's ovarian function declines sharply, making it difficult to conceive. Even if she does conceive, she is more likely to miscarry, and the baby is more likely to have birth defects.
Ovarian aging begins at age 25, accelerates at age 35, and reaches its end at age 45.
Under normal circumstances, ovarian age matches physiological age (chronological age):
After the age of 25, the ovaries gradually age with increasing age;
After age 35, the aging process accelerates significantly.
By age 45, the ovaries have reached their end of their lifespan. Of course, some women's ovaries age faster, while others age more slowly.
The "3 Major Tribulations" of Childbirth for Older Women
When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, we cannot escape the impact of age on mothers. Once a woman is over 28, she inevitably has to go through these "three major challenges of childbirth".
■The First Major Tribulation – “Multiple Setbacks in Trying to Conceive”
Advanced maternal age increases the likelihood of infertility. When the chances of conception decrease, women also experience significant psychological pressure, such as from their mother-in-law or husband. Seeing your best friend's son already old enough to run errands can lead to feelings of frustration. Repeated failed attempts to conceive can cause self-doubt and despair…
Secondly, older women may encounter infertility and miscarriage problems. For pregnant women in their 20s, about 15% will experience miscarriage; for pregnant women in their 40s, the rate is 25%; and after age 45, 50% of pregnant women may face the risk of miscarriage.
■The second major challenge – “Many problems during pregnancy”
Women who give birth at age 35 or older are medically termed "advanced maternal age." Older women have an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications, and their fetuses also have a higher chance of inheriting genetic diseases. At this age, not only are the woman's egg cells aging, but she is also more susceptible to viral infections, physical and chemical stimuli, and hormonal changes, which can lead to abnormalities in meiosis of the egg cells. This can result in chromosomal abnormalities in the child after fertilization, such as Down syndrome.
According to domestic and international survey data, the incidence of gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes in older mothers is 2-4 times higher than that in pregnant women aged 25-29. The chance of having a child with Down syndrome is 5 times higher than that in pregnant women under 35. If a pregnant woman is over 40 years old, the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is as high as 1 in 50.
■The third major ordeal – “Difficult childbirth”
A decline in the mother's uterine contraction ability makes childbirth more difficult, and in severe cases, can lead to dystocia (difficult labor). This is why many older mothers tend to opt for cesarean sections.
Does premature ovarian failure after age 35 mean a woman cannot conceive?
Due to high workplace pressure, adverse environments, and lifestyle factors, older women worry that their ovaries will fail prematurely, leading to infertility.
It's important to understand the difference between "premature ovarian failure" and "decreased ovarian reserve"!
Premature ovarian failure refers to the cessation of ovarian function in women before the age of 40. Only when ovarian reserves are depleted and a woman reaches menopause is she considered to have completely lost her fertility.
When the ovaries age rapidly, it means that the ovarian reserve function declines, which accelerates the reproductive clock and reduces fertility, but the woman can still give birth.
So, how do you determine if your ovaries are aging?
There are many methods for measuring ovarian function in medicine, such as ultrasound monitoring of follicles, basal endocrine testing, and AMH testing.
Currently, the most accurate method for assessment is AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone) testing. AMH originates solely from the ovaries and can detect the earliest signs of declining ovarian function. Its changes directly reflect changes in ovarian reserve; higher AMH levels indicate a greater number of follicles, stronger ovarian reserve, and a longer reproductive lifespan for women. Furthermore, AMH concentration is not affected by the menstrual cycle, so blood concentration remains stable at any time.
One last thing from the editor:
A reminder to all older, successful career women! If you're certain you want a child, you should plan your pregnancy early. 25-28 years old is a good age. If you're over 28, don't panic. Although your ovarian reserve declines rapidly, you're still some distance from premature ovarian failure. It's not too late to start planning now, or consider egg freezing!
As the old saying goes, doing the right thing at the right time can save you a lot of unnecessary trouble...
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