SCIENTISTS have found it is safest for women to have a child in a specific nine-year window.
Giving birth between the ages of 23 and 32 reduces the chances of the child being born with birth defects, Hungarian researchers found.
GettyScientists have found it is safest for women to have a child in a nine-year window[/caption]
Heart problems were the most common issues in those born outside that window, as well as nerve problems for mothers under 20 and cleft palates for those born to mums in their late 30s and 40s.
Researchers said the findings could help ensure women having children at older ages are taken care of appropriately.
Professor Boglarka Petho, of Semmelweis University, said: “Non-genetic birth disorders can often develop from the mothers’ long-term exposure to environmental effects.
“Since the childbearing age in the developed world has been pushed back to an extreme extent, it is more important than ever to react appropriately to this trend.
“Our research can play an important role in establishing modern and safe pregnancy care and screening protocols.”
The average age women choose to have children has been increasing for years, with the need to balance careers and finances leading many to do so later in life.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows the average age a mother gave birth in England and Wales was just under 31 in 2021 — the highest average age on record.
For comparison, it was just 26 years old in 1973.
Previous research has shown having a child at 35 or older can increase the mother’s risk of problems including miscarriage, high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.
Children can be at greater risk of birth defects, premature birth and chromosomal issues like Down’s syndrome.
However, women can have successful pregnancies at any age before menopause – and the NHS offers a range of services to ensure a healthy birth for mother and child.
The latest study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, looked at what non-genetic birth defects can occur when mothers are at different ages.
Researchers analysed 31,128 pregnancies complicated by non-chromosomal developmental disorders.
They compared the data with more than 2.8million births over the same 30 years.
In general, the risk of non-chromosomal issues was 20 per cent higher for women giving birth under the age of 22 and 15 per cent higher above 32.
The risk of issues with the central nervous system, affecting brain and spine development, was 25 per cent higher in births under the age of 22.
Disorders affecting the head, neck, ears and eyes were twice as likely in older mothers, researchers said.
Dr Boglarka Petho said: “We can only assume why non-chromosomal birth anomalies are more likely to develop in certain age groups.
“For young mothers, it could be mainly lifestyle factors — like smoking, drug or alcohol consumption — and that they are often not prepared for pregnancy.
“Among advanced-aged mothers, environmental effects like exposure to chemicals and air pollution, the deterioration of DNA repair mechanisms and the ageing of the eggs and endometrium can also play a role.
“However, further research is needed to identify the exact causes.”