Women who conceive after the age of 35 are often known and referred to as an “advanced maternal age”. If you haven’t heard this medical term before, you’ve likely heard that “waiting too long to have a baby is risky.”

However, in this day and age, it may actually be more realistic for women to wait until they are in their 30’s to start a family.

It’s true that motherhood is now occurring at a later stage in life. Once women are happy with their careers, finances are in place, and relationships are secure.

This isn’t unreasonable by any means, times have truly changed for moms. Evolving a pregnancy over the age of 35 has always been remarked as ‘dangerous and risky’, however science is finally coming around to the fact that being of advanced maternal age isn’t necessarily a hindrance, and can, in fact, be beneficial.

The National Center for Health Statistics says that the fastest-growing group of women who are now having children are in their 40’s. This is quite a leap from a just a couple decades ago. Women in their 30’s and 40’s are generally healthy enough to conceive.

Even in the media, we are seeing more and more women announce pregnancies after the age of 35. Carrie Underwood has recently announced a pregnancy at the age of 35, Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex announced her first pregnancy at the age of 37, and actress Brigitte Nielson became a mother for the fifth time at the age of 55.

Having a baby at any age or stage of life can be a little scary. But medically speaking, having a baby after the age of 35 isn’t unusual, and for some women, it isn’t even more difficult.

An ongoing study called the New England Cenenarian Study has found that having a baby later in life, can actually help you to live longer. A research paper called Feeling Old vs. Being Old has found that having a baby when you’re older can help you to live a happier, more carefree life.

Maybe wisdom comes naturally with age? This research shows that older parents tend to be happier in general.  Another benefit may be that raising a newborn at this stage of life may improve your memory, problem-solving skills, and mental reasoning.

If you’re inching closer to 35-40 and haven’t started a family yet, but want to… don’t worry. Stress over pregnancy and age can make the whole experience less than ideal. If you can maintain a healthy lifestyle, science shows that conceiving at an ‘advanced maternal age’ is not only doable but potentially beneficial.

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