Elevated risks of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes with increasing maternal age

Hum Reprod. 2007 May;22(5):1264-72. doi: 10.1093/humrep/del522. Epub 2007 Feb 8.

Abstract

Background: In the USA, between 1980 and 2004, the proportion of all births increased 2-fold in women aged > or = 30, 3-fold in women aged > or = 35 and nearly 4-fold in women aged > or = 40. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risks of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes with increasing maternal age using national vital statistics data.

Methods: The study population included 8,079,996 live births of singletons of > or = 20 weeks among women aged 30-54 from the 1995-2000 US Birth Cohort Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. Outcomes were modelled by maternal age and parity using multinomial logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: The risks for most outcomes paralleled increasing maternal age including prolonged and dysfunctional labour, excessive labour bleeding, breech and malpresentation and primary Caesarean delivery. The highest AORs among women aged > or = 45 versus 30-34 by parity (primiparas and multiparas, respectively) were for chronic hypertension (3.70, 4.89), diabetes (2.19, 2.58), primary Caesarean (3.14, 2.85), excessive labour bleeding (1.54, 1.49), pregnancy hypertension (1.55, 2.13) and birth <32 weeks (2.11, 1.77).

Conclusions: Increasing maternal age is associated with significantly elevated risks for pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes, which vary by parity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cesarean Section / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant Mortality
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Maternal Age*
  • Middle Aged
  • Obstetric Labor Complications / epidemiology
  • Parity
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / epidemiology*
  • Pregnancy Complications / etiology
  • Pregnancy Outcome / epidemiology*
  • Risk Assessment
  • United States / epidemiology