Delaying motherhood

NST: When Shaila Ram found out she was pregnant, she was ecstatic. She had decided at 38 to start her family, putting it off to focus on her career.
Then her doctors discovered she was suffering from pre-eclampsia. High-blood pressure and abnormal kidney function its symptoms, the disorder could threaten her life and that of her baby.
She was admitted for high blood pressure three times, the last time for almost two weeks and very near to delivery.
"I was physically and emotionally stressed," said the now 45-year-old company executive.
Eventually, the condition forced doctors to deliver her baby, a boy, through a Caesarian section.
These are some of the risks that women take when they get pregnant past their mid-30s, doctors say.
And more Malaysian women are turning to contraceptives to delay motherhood.
Family planning expert Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar said she has seen more first-time mothers in their late 30s and early 40s in the past three years.
Co-chairman of the government's Nur Sejahtera-Women and Family Healthcare Programme, she has also seen rising numbers of women using contraceptives.
The Health Ministry's National Population and Family Planning Board (NPFPB) saw 82,954 women seeking contraception of various kinds last year at its clinics around the country, said Dr Nor Ashikin.
The figures do not include women who seek contraceptives at private hospitals and clinics.
Using contraceptives by itself is not a problem. "It is 100 per cent reversible. A woman can get pregnant within three months once she gets off oral contraceptives.
"Almost all contraceptives result in less morbidity and mortality for women," said the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.
But the drawback was that getting pregnant later in life raised the risks of fertility problems, pelvic infections and other conditions, she said.
Fertility problems start occurring after 35 and rise dramatically for women over 40, including fibroids and chromosomal abnormalities resulting in babies with conditions such as Down's syndrome.
Still medical science has seen great advances in this area, making it safer for older women to have children, said Dr Ravi Chandran, president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia.
"Women who lead a healthy lifestyle may not or only face a slight risk. Diseases that come with age, such as high blood pressure and diabetes can be contained with drugs. Foetal abnormalities can now be tested and diagnosed," said Dr Ravi Chandran.
Shaila's baby has now grown into a healthy seven-year-old. Relieved that there were no other complications, Shaila has decided not to have more children.
"I regret delaying motherhood. I would love to have more children, but I just cannot go through the trauma again."