As of March 1, the access to reproductive services will worsen

In 2020, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic started the process of novelization of the Decree No. 74/1986 Coll. implementing Act No. 73/1986 Coll. on Abortions, as amended. The ministry aimed at exempting the age of 40 years + from the List of Illnesses, Syndromes, and Conditions that are health indications for abortion.

According to the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the reason for exemption of the age 40 years + was significant medical progress and introduction of new technologies, devices, diagnostics and therapeutical methods that can diagnose damages in fetus with high accuracy.

The risks of geriatric pregnancy are not associated solely with the fetus but also with health and life of pregnant women. The risks endangering the health and life of pregnant women of older age include e.g. gestational diabetes, vascular thrombosis, preeclampsia, placenta praevia. Early diagnostics and correct patient management during the whole duration of the pregnancy might mitigate the consequences of certain serious complications association with the pregnancy in older age.

However, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic can not guarantee the access to accurate health care to pregnant women older 40 years of age. In Slovakia, there are no set standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the field of genecology and obstetrics. The quality of health care in Slovakia varies among individual regions. Especially, taking into account of marginalized women and women from socially disadvantaged background.