Being a Mother After 35 Years: Will it be Different?

Abstract

Introduction: Advanced maternal age is defined as maternity after 35 years old and is associated with more complications during pregnancy and neonatal period as well as decreased fertility. This study aims to examine the relationship between advanced maternal age and their maternal and fetal consequences, as well as maternal perception of the risk of pregnancy after 35 years old. Material and Methods: Observational, retrospective and comparative study, between two groups: advanced maternal age group (aged ≥ 35 years) and non-advanced maternal age group (age < 35 years), onducted between March and June 2015. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used and considered significant if p < 0.05. Results: Of the 736 women admitted to the hospital (32.2% with advanced maternal age), 306 were included in the study (153 in each group). In the non-advanced maternal age group there was a greater number of primiparous women (p < 0.01). In the advanced maternal age group, more previous miscarriages were observed (p < 0.001), as well as a higher use of assisted reproductive techniques (p < 0.01), preformed of amniocentesis (p < 0.001) and dystocia, including caesarean sections (p < 0.001). No association was found regarding the presence of maternal complications in pregnancy, birth defects, need for neonatal resuscitation or prematurity. As for the perception of risk in pregnancy, the non-advanced maternal age group considered it to be superior (p < 0.05). Discussion: Most women of advanced maternal age have term deliveries without complications. Neonatal outcomes seem not to have been influenced by the advanced maternal age. Conclusion: The consequences of an advanced maternal age pregnancy in this sample did not have the same clinical expression as described in the literature. In the future, advanced maternal age will possibly be considered after age 40.

Keywords

• Complicações na Gravidez
• Idade Materna
• Recém-Nascido
• Resultado da Gravidez