??geriatric pregnancy

[Nel45]

So I’ve worked in maternity care across the country for nearly 30 years and never once have I come across the term ‘geriatric pregnancy’ being used in the NHS, Nor with my last 3 children born when I was 35-44. (Naturally conceived and born last year)
However just seen a BBC article referring to a mother who had a ‘geriatric pregnancy’ since when did this become an official term in the UK??

I'm pretty sure I was referred to as a geriatric pregnancy when I had dd at the grand old age of 32!

I remember my first being termed a geriatric pregnancy, when I was 33 in 2006. The community midwife said we use it for all over 30s and I was a bit taken aback as both my mother and sister had pregnancies aged 35 to 40, so I saw it as normal. Second pregnancy age 38 in 2011 I can't recall.

😂 listen to yourself

My maternity notes have 3 huge stickers on them. One is a big red one (and I mean big) from 1999 when I was having my first.. said “Teenage pregnancy!” (I was 15 though…) then from my last pregnancy in 2019 it has “Geriatric pregnancy” (I was 36). Then the best one (but the one that stung a little) “Obese patient!” My bmi was 29!!! Which isn’t ideal but ouch!!!. I look back and laugh now but at the time I found them factual, but judgmental!

The only time I heard the term geriatric pregnancy was in the 3rd Bridget Jones film 😀

Ridiculous maybe but doesn't mean it didn't happen. The amount of replies on this thread proves it was still being used in at least the last 8 years.

To be honest, I couldn't get excited about it, it annoyed me more that my husband sniggered "geriatric" at me and made old lady comments for the rest of the day!

It hasn’t been called that for years though. Have you read what the midwife on this thread has said?

Have you read the full thread?

I had mine in my 40s in the early 2000s and not once did they refer to my age except they said I was allowed to have a couple extra tests. I thought ‘geriatric’ was an old fashioned term.

My mother was well aware she was having a geriatric pregnancy with her first child (she was 31) and that was in 1982…

There was barely any mention of age when my Dsis had her first at 46 (tried to conceive for years with her ex but got pregnant within 6 weeks of meeting new partner). Any conversations about age were instigated by her as she was thrilled but terrified! Everything went well, though she had a CS as labour didn't progress.

Not sure it's official, but this term has been used in the UK since at least the 70s. I had my first baby at 34 and my second (selfishly apparently 😂😂) at 37. I was told at my booking appointment for my second that it was classed as a geriatric pregnancy (those exact words were used) because I was over 35. I'm in Scotland and this was in 2017. There was no noticeable difference in the care I received. In the early 70s when my mum had my brother, a geriatric pregnancy was anything over 30. It sounds like it's now over 40. I guess the goal posts shift as more women have babies later in life.

I had my DC 10-12 years ago and was classed as that at ages 33-35.

It was after 35 until cca 2017, raised to after 40 then.

My DSis is a midwife and referred to me as a geriatric pregnancy when I had DC1 at 35 over 13 years ago

selfish ? My mother had me at 39 I don’t think it’s selfish at all I don’t see her as old I just see her as my mum. Tbh there isn’t that much difference between 35 and 30 so get off your high horse.
It’s very normal for women to have babies in their late 30s and 40s now. Maybe you should watch what you are saying on a forum for pregnant women where plenty of us are over 35.

I was told off by the midwide at my booking in appointment for my first for having a geriatric pregancy. She decided to lecture me on all the likely problems I would experience and my child would have because of my advanced age.
Way to build a relationship .....!

The thing is people often take longer to settle down now, at 36 I can only afford to start trying now.

I was classed as that in 2015 in fact for all my pregnancies and it was only when I objected that the term was removed. I was 31 the first time

Why is it selfish?

I think every family I know had at least one of the children born when the mother was over 35 - utterly normal.

It would be more surprising to hear that someone under the age of 30 had a baby here in London. I can’t think of anyone who had a baby pre-30!

I live in London and gave birth in 2021, mine was called geriatric and so were a couple of my friends’ pregnancies. Very strange you’ve never heard of it

I think it must depend on the trust because I had my eldest at 35 in 2016 and it wasn’t a thing then, no one batted an eyelid. I had my youngest at 40 and being over 40 triggered various things - there weren’t any stickers or anything and I don’t remember the terminology used. Definitely wasn’t geriatric though, although that was used on my mum having a baby in her 30s in the 80s.

@Nel45 It was written in my notes that I was an elderly prim (older first pregnancy) why I had my first child! I was 25.5 years old!!!!! that was 1980

Genuine question - why doubt what women are telling you about their own experiences? It seems rather unfair. Can you see how it might worry people to see this attitude from a HCP particularly at a time when their is more and more recognition of women not being believed or having their concerns dismissed in medicine?

I trained to be a midwife nearly 50 years ago and it was in regular use then. However I suspect that it has fallen out of use now, as it should with most women having babies much later.