Pregnancy Chronicles: With Older Moms, Baby’s Autism Risk Rises
photo by thomas van ardenne
By the time my mother was my age, she had already birthed two children. Things happened a lot faster way back in the ’80s: marriage, first job, first home, first kid. Boom, boom, boom, boom.
Though I never set a deadline, everything seemed to move quickly for me after school. I met The Man (at 22), got a job right out of college (still 22), married pretty early (at 24), and … fizzled out. OK, so there was that whole housing bubble burst that made the entire real estate market all wet and sticky. That, and the fact that I’ve moved every year since 2004, meant home buying wasn’t for me.
And then there was the whole knees-are-kaput thing. I can’t hold my own body weight for more than a few minutes while standing. No way am I adding 20 or 30 pounds of baby to that.
Still, at 27 I’m considered young. Lost of women are waiting until their 30s—even 40s—to have children. Heck, on my side of the family I’m paving new territory just by being married. (On The Man’s side, however, we’re waaay behind. His two younger siblings have given us a total of three adorable nephews. Oh, and two more babies are on the way. So, yeah.)
But a new study suggests being an older mom comes with an added risk: autism.
WHAT WE KNOW
Before we get into that, let’s recap what researchers already know about the risks linked to getting pregnant after age 35.
The risk of birth defects increases with a mother’s age: About 1 in 1,400 babies born to twentysomethings have Down syndrome; for women in their 40s, the risk is 1 in 100 babies. A woman’s chances of having a miscarriage jump from 12 to 15 percent in her 20s to 25 percent at age 40.
And older women are more likely to have their own set of health problems during pregnancy—like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cesarean section. Here’s a great place to look for more information on this.
photo by geroco
“Um, dude–take the photo already.”
WHAT WE LEARNED
So, to the study at hand…
University of California-Davis researchers studied close to 5 million births during the ’90s, a decade when autism spiked in the state. A woman’s risk for having an autistic child rose 18 percent for every five years she aged. So 40-year-old women had about a 50 percent greater chance of having an autistic child than a 25- to 29-year-old women. They had a 77 percent greater risk than women who gave birth before 25.
There wasn’t a link between a father’s age and autism risk—except for older men (over 40) who had children with younger women (under 30).
The researchers say these links between age and a child’s autism only account for a small part of the growing number of autism cases. And, they say, older mother’s shouldn’t start worrying. “We need to look at this finding in context,” Geraldine Dawson of Autism Speaks said in response.
WHAT I THINK
Just like any study, there’s no reason to go out and change your life. (Well, I take that back. When Consumer Reports says there’s human poop on my lettuce, I take action.) Still, for studies like this that just prove an association—not cause and effect—I don’t go crazy. So, no, I won’t be creating a timetable to have kids before 40 just in case.
Still, there are other reasons I want kids before 40 … really, before 35. I want to be active with them, not old and achy like I feel right now. (Oh, irony.) I know that healing my knees is priority numero uno since I wouldn’t be all that much fun as a mom if I sat around all day with heating pads on my knees. I’d be like the evil stepmother: Clean the floor! Do the dishes! Bring me my water!!
I’d like to get your take on it. How old were you when you had your kids? If you don’t have kids… do you want to? If so, do you have a specific age you’d like to have them by? Do risk factors like birth defects and now autism sway you?
11 comments
I hadn’t heard of this study.
I had my daughter last year at 32. I hope to have one more child by the age of 34. I do have it my head to have my kids before 35. I think that’s because of the associated risk factors that come with pregnancy as we age. But… I have lots of friends over 35 that have very healthy babies…
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You know studies like that bug me. How many people did they have in their studies? What backgrounds? I can go on and on about it…. My mom had me at age of 29 and my sis at age of 35 and we are both just fine.. my aunt and uncle didn’t start until they were 40 and had the last one at 45 and they are all fine… I want to have kids but I am not ready. I will be 30 in July and am hoping to have my two by the time I am 36.
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Tracey Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Nutritious Foodie–The study looked at nearly 5 million births. That said, even the researchers say the link isn’t cause for alarm–something else is at play in the rise of autism.
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I have heard of this before but I don’t know what to think. I am 28 (almost 29…gulp) and I don’t have any kids. I am not sure we will have children but if we do it definitely won’t be soon but I am not worried. I figure there are so many other things for me to worry about why add one more?! haha!
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I saw this study the other day. It’s interesting, but not definitive. My mom had me just 2 years before she turned 40, and I’m turned out fine (well, we think haha). I wouldn’t let old age stop someone from having kids, but the study is interesting nonetheless.
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My wife was over 40 when she gave birth to our twins. She carried them for 38 weeks ,they were close to 7 lbs when born, and the kids are healthy and doing great. This was definitely the best experience of my life. I remember reading about all the different things that could go wrong but felt very positive during the whole pregnancy. It’s hard to time or plan out your life when it comes to meeting the right person and being ready to have kids.
Best – Mike
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First off I love Mike’s comment. I don’t plan on having kids until I’m pushing close to 40.
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Tracey Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Fit Chick in the City–I agree. Mike, it’s so great to hear a man say it “was definitely the best experience of my life.” And it’s so true: It’s hard to make life go according to plans.
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hey im 27 too!! I was just thinking about the same things recently, my mom had my oldest brother when she was 21 !! add three more before she turned 25- Makes me feel SO behind in life sometimes. I have researched SO much about autism, as well as became a behavior modification instructor for children with it- I had never found associations between maternal age of pregnancy and autism but Im not surprised that research decided to pursue the link.
I just got hit by baby fever I think- I’m finally like “ugh I want babies!” and of course, my fiance called off everything because he thought I wasn’t ready for them… crazy.
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Tracey Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Bhealthier, I get baby fever when one of my nephews does something super cute, which is every time I see them. But, then again, I like having “me” time and the quiet in my house without baby cries! Thanks for visiting my blog!
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I think we’ll start trying at 30. I’m just not ready yet (24). I have so many career aspirations I want to reach before having to sacrifice being with my kids or cutting my career short on its possibilities. I’m really trying to make the most of my kid-free years — traveling, enjoying my husband, advancing my career, etc.
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