Mothers over 40 years with a high risk of stroke

Many health risks in older pregnant women
A late pregnancy can be problematic. When women have a child late, they face negative health consequences. Researchers from the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute have found in a recent study that expectant mothers over the age of 40 years are more likely to have a stroke.

At the present time, many women are putting their desire to have children behind until they have made a career. Sometimes women just search longer for their "dream prince". The consequences are that more and more women are getting pregnant at a late age and thus often have reached an age of more than 40 years during their pregnancy. Such women are at an increased risk of stroke in their later lives, researchers from the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute state in their recent study. The researchers presented the study's findings at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles, the British daily The Independent reports..

With age, not only the probability of a risk pregnancy increases, but also the probability of a stroke in the mothers. (Image: VRD / fotolia.com)

Number of mothers over 40 years has doubled in the last 15 years
A late pregnancy can have serious consequences for the expectant mother. If women are only forty years old or later have a child, they are twice as likely to suffer a stroke, "The Independent" quotes the statement of the doctors. It has been previously known that older women often experience problems during pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of miscarriage in older mothers. In addition, diseases such as diabetes and pre-eclampsia can endanger the health of both mother and child, the researchers warn. The new study looked at more than 70,000 women. It was found that the health consequences of motherhood of older women still occur decades later. The number of pregnant women over the age of 40 has doubled in the past 15 years, say the experts. Since the 1970s, according to the official data for England and Wales, the number has quintupled. The researchers compared the risk of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease with death in women who had had a child before the age of 40, and in older mothers.

Older mothers are at increased risk for stroke and cardiovascular events
The likelihood of having a stroke through a blood clot, according to the researchers in the older mothers was significantly higher than in younger mothers. The risk has increased from 2.4 percent to 3.8 percent, explain the experts. The risk of haemorrhagic stroke resulting from hemorrhage in the brain doubled from 0.5 percent in younger mothers to 1 percent in older mothers. Overall, according to the experts, women who became pregnant in their late pregnancy have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular death. The likelihood was 3.9 percent in older mothers, compared to 2.3 percent probability of women who got pregnant earlier in their lives, quotes "The Independent" the medical profession. Older mothers also showed a slightly increased likelihood of having a heart attack. The value rose from 2.5 per cent to three per cent, explain the researchers.

Older mothers should be specially treated and examined by doctors
We already knew that older women are more likely to develop health problems during pregnancy. Now that we know that the consequences of this later pregnancy will affect our health several years later, Professor Adnan Qureshi of the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute is quoted by the British daily The Independent. Women with late pregnancy need to be aware of their increased risk. You should take steps to improve your cardiovascular health, adds the physician. And doctors should watch these women with increased risk factors through more frequent examinations and more testing. If necessary, previous interventions must be initiated to prevent stroke or other cardiovascular events, said Professor Adnan Qureshi.