Despite the fact that more and more people are waiting longer to get pregnant, having a baby later on in life still comes with a great deal of stigma.

The phrase geriatric pregnancy was once commonly used to categorize pregnancies in people over the age 35 before it was eventually replaced by the term advanced maternal age. Describing ones pregnancy as geriatric or elderly was and is not only harmful, causing many people to feel high levels of anxiety about their so-called ticking body clock, its flat-out inaccurate.

While its true that the risk of experiencing pregnancy complications or infertility increases with age relative to those who are younger, the vast majority of people 35 and up have smooth and successful pregnancies. Not to mention, even if there is an issue, there are many tests and treatments available to help people over 35 go on to have healthy pregnancies in most cases.

The most likely thing in these pregnancies is that absolutely everything will be fine, Melissa Rosenstein , a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and obstetrician and gynecologist with the University of California, San Francisco, told HuffPost.

Where the phrase geriatric pregnancy came from

Advanced maternal age pregnancies occur when the mother is going to give birth after the age of 35. The risk of any issues goes up as you get older, according to Rosenstein.

But there isnt anything special about age 35 when it comes to pregnancy risks and complications. Its not like the risk of your baby having a chromosome abnormality is lower at 34 and suddenly sky rockets the next year. Its a gradual progression, Rosenstein said.

The age 35 was selected decades ago when doctors needed a way to inform which pregnant patients received genetic testing. Back then, studies had indicated that people over 35 had a greater risk of pregnancy loss from amniocentesis a procedure that evaluates the fetuss genetics and doctors decided that only people 35 and up would qualify for this type of genetic testing.

Now, amniocentesis is a much safer procedure, offered to all pregnant people, but there is some remaining stigma about being pregnant after 35.

These days, its much more common to get pregnant after 35 as more people delay parenthood and marriage in order to prioritize their careers and education. Many to most of my patients are over 35 its not really a big deal, Rosenstein said.