What are the risks and chances of pregnancy after the age of 50, like Claudia Raia? Understand

On Monday night (19), Claudia Raia, 55, made an announcement on her Instagram profile saying that her family will increase. The actress appears tap dancing in a video alongside her partner Jarbas Homem de Mello, 53, and then points to her belly, indicating her pregnancy.

“Our dream of becoming parents is nothing new! And hasn’t it come true? Jarbas Homem de Mello and I are pregnant,” he wrote in the publication. What caught the eye, however, was the age of the artist, who is already the mother of Enzo Celulari, 25, and Sophia Raia, 19.

In the third week of pregnancy, Claudia suggests that the process occurred naturally, that is, without medical interventions such as in vitro fertilization.

When the pregnancy was still under suspicion, her doctor ordered a blood test. The actress doubted this would be possible, until a drugstore test came back positive.

What are the chances of getting pregnant naturally?

It is not common for women over 40 to get pregnant easily. The most recent data available in the Datasus Live Births registry indicate that pregnancies over 50 years of age have an even lower incidence.

In 2020, for example, only 34 babies were born to women between the ages of 55 and 59 in Brazil. Meanwhile, mothers aged 20 to 29 gave birth to 1,327,794 children in the country.

The president of Febrasgo (Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations), Agnaldo Lopes, also notes that Claudia Raia’s case is rare.

“We don’t know the details of how this pregnancy went, but it is a fact that as women get older, the fertility rate gets much lower. After 42, it drops to less than 5%”, says.

This is because, over time, the quality of sperm and eggs decreases, making natural fertilization difficult. So it is essential to consider the case of the actress as something really punctual.

“It draws attention in the media to get pregnant at 55, but it can also lead many women to put off their first pregnancy longer and, when they think the time is right, to have reached infertility”, warns the gynecologist and obstetrician.

The period closest to the ideal for a pregnancy would be when the woman is between 18 and 35 years old. “There are many variables, but it is important to avoid pregnancy in extremes, such as adolescence, when the woman’s body is not fully formed, and at ages when the risk of this pregnant woman having associated diseases is greater”, points out Lopes.

Women who want to be late mothers often have the help of a specialist in human reproduction to perform procedures such as intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization, egg freezing and even replacement of the egg with another from a younger donor.

The gynecologist Daniela Diniz, who works at the clinic specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility Reproduce, considers that Raia’s pregnancy is related to her physical condition.

“When we talk about a woman who has always had adequate food, practiced physical activity, her health concept is great”, she ponders. “She is proof that lifelong health care keeps the body in full working order, capable of generating another life. It’s a remarkable achievement.”

What are the risks of a late pregnancy?

According to data from Datasus, between 2000 and 2020 there was an increase in the number of pregnancies of women aged 35 and over when compared to those under 24, which shows an almost constant decline. The number of mothers after the age of 40 has grown by more than 60%.

Although the option for late motherhood is a trend, since it advocates economic and professional stability, the choice carries its share of risks, the main one being the incidence of chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.

In addition, the fetus can develop a number of genetic disorders. “Once a woman has all the eggs ready, the best ones will ovulate, and the ones that remain are of worse quality, with more possibility of genetic alteration”, says Diniz.

The Ministry of Health establishes that a pregnancy can already be considered as risky when the mother is over 35 years old. However, the development of problems depends on the conditions of the pregnant woman. If she is healthy and has no pre-existing illnesses, the chances of success are greater.

“Not being obese or having any associated disease, what is up is to follow with even closer care in prenatal care to avoid any complications”, recommends Agnaldo Lopes.