Thursday, March 16, 2006

Here's a thought: If you're pregnant and over 35, you're having a geriatric pregnancy. This refers to you, your old body, your aging uterus, your weary, falling-apart self. But here's the thing: every woman I know having a baby easily clears the over-35 hurdle. And, in fact, highly educated women these days are having more babies than ever later in life. So what's with the antiquated terminology?

Geriatric isn't even a euphemism, like mature. Or wise. It just means old. Last Sunday's New York Times piece about abortion and birth defects mentions the term, and I've had friends in their late-30s tell me in horror that doctors refer to their pregnancies that way.

Maybe in the medical profession women's bodies do look geriatric when they're pregnant and over 35. But if this is the trend, not the exception, isn't it time for the medical profession to catch up with the over-35-and-pregnant crowd?

Why not call under-35 pregnancies adolescent, then. And, given the results of judgement about, say teen pregnancies (not recommended), why not just call over-35 pregnancies what they really are: smart.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bless you. - Wendy N PHS '87