Ansieh Katbchi, former deputy of the National Population Headquarters, analyzed the situation of women of childbearing age in a video program "Iran's Tomorrow." She emphasized the need to pay attention to the number of women in this age group for a proper understanding of the country's birth trends and said: "To analyze the number of births, one cannot simply rely on the number of births; rather, the number of births should be examined in relation to the population of mothers who are of childbearing age."
Decrease in the Population of Women of Childbearing Age
Katbchi announced that 87% of the country's births are related to women aged 20 to 39 and referred to the decrease in the population of women in this age group since 2015, stating: "The population of women aged 20 to 39 has decreased by 2 million since 2015. Just from last year to this year, 300,000 women from this age group have decreased."
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She also added: "Currently, the total population of women of childbearing age in the country is about 23 million, of which 15.5 million are married women of childbearing age. Additionally, 9.6 million of the married women of childbearing age are over 35 years old."
Attitude Towards Pregnancy at Older Ages
Katbchi considered promoting the discourse of childbearing at ages over 40 as one of the noteworthy topics in population policies. She referred to the experiences of other countries in this regard and stated: "In countries like the United States, Canada, and France, the issues of population and pregnancy at older ages are also being addressed."
She referred to official documents from the U.S. Department of Health and said: "These documents mention the possibility of pregnancy at older ages; pregnancy up to 49 years is considered safe, and even with care, the possibility of pregnancy up to 54 years is also mentioned." This former official emphasized that examining this issue should be done within the framework of medical considerations.
Katbchi, stressing that women's physical conditions vary at different ages, spoke about the necessity of changing attitudes towards pregnancy at older ages and added: "For years, people have been told that pregnancy after 35 is dangerous, whereas more accurate information should be provided about the conditions of these pregnancies and the necessary care."
In conclusion, she emphasized the importance of medical care for women at older ages and said: "If the likelihood of gestational diabetes or hypertension in older women is higher, necessary care should be provided from the beginning so that appropriate treatment can be administered in case these complications arise."
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