Delayed childbearing: pregnancy and maternal outcomes

Background: Women 35-39 years old have a 2–3 fold higher risk of pregnancy-related death than women in their twenties, and the risk is even more dramatic for women 40 years and older.
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of maternal age with risk of adverse pregnancy and mother outcomes in our setting, Tehran, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective observational hospital-based study, 538 nulliparous women were assessed. The association between maternal age and various pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were reported. Data were extracted from the database of Akbar Abadi hospital in Tehran from 2001-2006 records. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were preformed to investigate the association between maternal age and various relevant outcomes.
Results: Women aged 35 years or older had an increased percentages of gestational hypertension (18.8% vs 9.6%; p=0.02) and diabetes in pregnancy (3.7% vs 1.4%; p=0.08) compared with women younger than 35 years. There were no differences between the two age groups in Apgar score at 1 min, antepartum hemorrhage, preterm labor, PROM, fetal distress, perinatal death, and postpartum hemorrhage.
Conclusion: Advanced maternal age was shown to be independently associated with low birth weight, preterm labor and rate of cesarean delivery.