Katrina Kaif welcomes her first child at 42 — what you must know about pregnancy risks post 40

The Bollywood power couple on Friday informed her fans that they turned proud parents welcoming a baby boy.

Taking to Instagram, the couple wrote, "Our bundle of joy has arrived. With immense love and gratitude, we welcome our baby boy."

Katrina embracing motherhood at 42 has sparked online debates over how women could safely welcome their child post 40.

Worldwide too, the trend of embracing motherhood post 35 has shot up great in recent times.

What are the health risks of pregnancy post 40?

Though Dr Puneet Rana Arora, Gynaecologist and Fertility expert, Director-Centre for Infertility and Assisted Reproduction, Gurugram says pregnancy post 40 is no longer a taboo but it comes with some risks, The Business Standard reported.

The risks noted by Dr. Arora are:

• Miscarriage
• Gestational diabetes
• Hypertension and preeclampsia
• C-sections and longer recovery

Dr. Arora says the egg quality significantly declines with age as well as the body's resilience during pregnancy.

The complications, however, can be managed early if one is healthy, active and remains under proper medical care.

Mayo Clinic notes "older eggs tend to have more genetic mutations. When an egg is fertilized, these changes can affect whether it develops into a healthy embryo and fetus. Because of this, miscarriage is a much bigger risk".

"By the time a woman enters menopause, she has only 1,000 eggs. And it’s not only an issue of quantity but also quality," it adds.

Several doctors, as per multiple reports, advise against trying for pregnancy post 45 as the fertility drops significantly while the maternal-fetal risk shoots up.