高龄孕产妇每年将逾300万人 70后赶最后一班车

The number of pregnant women older than 35 in China is expected to exceed 3 million each year between 2017 and 2020, an increase of 30% compared with the average level in the past several years, a senior health official said.

一位卫生部高级官员表示，2017年到2020年，我国35岁以上孕妇数量每年预计将达到300万人以上，较过去几年的平均人数水平增长了30%。

The increase, a result of the universal second-child policy adopted at the beginning of last year, will impose great challenges on the country's health system, Ma Xiaowei, vice minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said.

国家卫计委副主任马晓伟称，去年年初实施的全面两孩政策造成的这一增加，将对我国的医疗体系构成巨大的挑战。

"For the present and a certain period in the future, ensuring the safety of mother and baby is a heavy task that deserves no optimism," Ma said.

马晓伟称：“当前和未来一个时期，保障母婴安全的形势不容乐观，任务繁重。”

"Surveys show many couples born in the 1970s, who were hesitant about having a second child during the initial period when the universal second-child policy was adopted, are now hurrying and preparing to give birth to a second child so they will not miss that last chance."

“调查发现，不少70后在全面两孩政策实施初期还在观望，现在则在抓紧时间生二胎，这样就不会错过最后一个机会。”

Of the 90 million women made eligible to have a second baby in China with the new policy, 60% are older than 35, according to commission figures.

卫计委的数据显示，依据新政，我国可生育两孩的9000万妇女中，有60%的人年龄在35岁以上。

Pregnant women of that age group are regarded to be more likely to suffer pregnancy-related diseases or complications and give birth to children with defects, according to the commission.

卫计委称，此年龄段的孕妇群体被认为更易患有妊娠相关的疾病或并发症，生出有缺陷的孩子。

Ma urged health authorities at various levels to give priority to maternal safety and intensify measures to ensure the safety of mothers and babies.

马晓伟敦促各级卫生部门将孕产妇安全和强化措施放在首位，以确保母婴安全。