Induction at age 40?

[Av0bo55]

Hi I’ve heard that at age 40 you won’t be allowed overdue due to stillborn risk?
I’ve been induced twice before as have a history for over cooked babies
so I just wondered if anyone has had one at 40> and were you induced earlier? If so how early? Like 39/40 weeks? My other were well over the due dates

I am 41 and will be induced at 39 weeks. Was told the placenta deteriorates after 39 weeks so higher risk to baby.

Yea so I’ve heard a similar thing but midwife hasn’t said anything about it yet
but I am only in the second trimester so possibly will do at some point soon

Just pointing out it's never that you're "not allowed". It's always up to you what interventions you allow, but make sure you're read up on the pros and cons before you make an educated decision for you and your baby.

I'm 41 and was told at my booking appointment I would be recommended induction (or C section) at 39 weeks. After getting diagnosed with gestational diabetes it was pushed back to 37 weeks (for induction) or 38 weeks (for C section).

I've heard that too. I have a consultant appointment tomorrow so I'll ask her.

Currently 26 weeks and 40 years old, consultant said they would probably let me go to 40 weeks, but I have group strep B and last labour was natural and fast, so don't want to risk not getting the antibiotics on time, so we've agreed on induction at 39 weeks

Just over 40 here and I’m currently 39+4. i said quite early on that I wasn’t interested in induction at 39 weeks UNLESS there were any concerns over my calendar age which means virtually nothing (IMO).

I'm 42 and just had second baby. Consultant pushed for induction at 39 weeks, but I wanted to leave it a bit longer as long as everything was ok. They booked me for induction the day after my due date. I planned to resist this too but developed pre-eclampsia so in the end I accepted the induction that day. You don't 'have' to do anything and I had quite a long chat with the midwife about it. She said to me that hardly anyone dares to let older women go overdue so they don't actually have accurate statistics on the risks.

Thanks all very helpful info I’ll ask at my next appointment for some more information

I'm 41 and I'm 30 weeks tomorrow. I had a phone appointment with a consultant who said it is likely that they'll offer me an induction at 39 or 40 weeks but it's too early to decide anything now.

Had my second as I turned 41. In early discussions my consultant was supportive of my preference to wait for spontaneous Labour.

However my experience is any other risk indicator and they will pile on the pressure to intervene.

DC2 measured big all the way through and it was killing her she couldn’t redate me (IVF pregnancy so total certainly).

in third trimester scans they were predicting DC2 would be over 11lbs. I was sure this was wrong, but the pressure became unreal.

they pressed for early induction, I decline that and took the C section at 39 weeks instead.

i still feel coerced into it tbh

I had my son just before my 41st birthday. Straightforward pregnancy, no additional risk factors.

They recommend that you don't go past your due date, I believe due to a higher risk of placenta failing in older women past 40 weeks gestation.

I was told by my midwife I could have a cervical sweep from 37 weeks I think (or maybe 38, I forget exactly) but I said I didn't want a sweep til 40 weeks, and that I would want to try that before induction, and that was fine. As it happened, I attended the maternity unit a couple days before my sweep appointment as I wanted something checked - and they offered to do the sweep then and there so I accepted.

I had also been given an appointment with a doctor at the maternity unit on my due date (ie 40wks) to discuss induction. But I ended up being in early labour by then so when I was being checked by midwives he popped along to see me. We agreed that he'd give me 24 hours to get into established labour and if that hadn't happened then he would induce. I then went home, labour progressed, admitted to maternity unit that evening and gave birth following morning (day after due date).

Happy to answer any questions you have if I can.

I was 40 when DD2 was born. They forgot to refer me to the consultant at my booking appointment so the fact that I was supposed to be offered induction at 39 weeks wasn’t picked up until I was 40 + 4. Got sent to the hospital for monitoring as if you don’t choose induction then they should offer additional monitoring every few days to check the placenta.
The consultant was really insistent that I come in for induction the next day, I declined. Apart from age I didn’t have any of the other factors that put you at increased risk for stillbirth so for me I felt leaving a bit longer was fine.
The consultants attitude was that I was killing my baby by not choosing induction immediately. The midwives were much more supportive and balanced in their views on the risks.
DD2 arrived the next day.

I would say to make sure you understand all the factors that increase the risk and if any affect you. Also, ask about the potential risks of being induced. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with the decision you make.

@Geminio

The consultants attitude was that I was killing my baby by not choosing induction immediately

Yes this was what they used to pressure me. I was having contractions the morning she said that and I feel the stress of her doing so made them stop!

I admire that you could set that aside.

i could rationalise it, but A close relative had a still birth and it was awful to have the possibility of that brought up then, and in such an accusatory way.

it also undermined DHs support for waiting for natural Labour.

it started to feel like even if I went into Labour everyone would be waiting for it to go wrong to tell me ‘I told you so’ and how it was all my fault.

yes DC2 was fine, but I’m still struggling with the c section consequences several years later.

Hi, had my last at age 41 and was really conflicted about what to do.

Consultant - all about early induction

Midwife offered a different route with waiting to go naturally but extra monitoring after week 40. Her view was you know your body and even though you are 41 you could be much healthier and fitter then women 10 years younger.

I chose induction at 39 plus 5. I just couldn't shake the risk of going over. And actually once I was admitted it was actually quite relaxing to be induced (after 2 weeks isolating with a sick toddler) plus once you are in - you get all this lovely monitoring and care.

@Catsstillrock

I admire that you could set that aside.

I’m still surprised that I actually managed to speak up and say it wasn’t what I wanted!

i could rationalise it, but A close relative had a still birth and it was awful to have the possibility of that brought up then, and in such an accusatory way.

I agree its an awful way to treat someone. Having had experience of still birth must make it harder, I was lucky not to have had that.

The only information the consultant wanted to tell me was that the risk of still birth was double after 40 weeks. She was uninterested in talking about the fact that the risk was still very small, just kept saying but it’s double.

Ultimately it’s the parents who will have to live with the consequences and they need to be supported with good balanced information.

Her view was you know your body and even though you are 41 you could be much healthier and fitter then women 10 years younger.

While this is all definitely true, I don't think you can know how your placenta is coping, and I don't think being fit and healthy mitigates the additional risk of placental problems past 40 weeks.

Ultimately it's for each mother to make her own decision. I work with health data, I looked up studies myself, evaluated them and made my own decision that I was happy to be induced at 40 weeks but not before. In the end I didn't need to be and I'm glad things happened naturally. But there is no way I personally would have waited til 41/42 weeks before induction. It's all about balancing risks.