Pregnancy at 25 to 29

Ages 25 to 29
YOUR BODY

If you exercise and eat sensibly, and continue to do so throughout your pregnancy, you should have an easier delivery and be able to get your body back in shape more quickly than a less fit woman might. Although this is true at any age, in your 20s you are more likely to be at optimal fitness, making delivery and postpartum weight loss easier. In terms of long-term health, if you begin conceiving in your 20s, you may be at decreased risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, according to some studies. Doctors think that hormonal changes that occur during ovulation (increased estrogen and progesterone), which stimulate the ovaries and breasts every month, may raise the risk of these cancers; the more often you're pregnant, the less often you ovulate.

YOUR EMOTIONAL SELF

In your late 20s you're more likely to be established in your work life and, depending on when you married, your relationship with your husband may also be in better shape to handle the changes that parenthood brings.

RISKS TO YOUR BABY

The miscarriage rate is 10 percent, only slightly higher than for women five years younger. At age 25, your chances of delivering a baby with Down syndrome are 1 in 1,250, and there's a 1 in 476 chance of having a baby with any chromosomal abnormality.