Reproduction in the older gravida. A literature review.
Infertility, spontaneous abortions and trisomic anomalies increase with maternal age, as do ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, macrosomia, abruptio placentae and labor dysfunction. However, those phenomena are multifactorial in origin and cannot be ascribed solely to advancing age. Older pregnant women are also at increased risk for diabetes and hypertension. Whereas the older gravida is at increased risk for maternal mortality and morbidity and for fetal and infant mortality, those problems are explainable in large part by coexisting medical complications. The healthy older pregnant woman who receives appropriate prepregnancy counseling and up-to-date perinatal care can achieve results comparable to those achieved by younger ones.
Newcomb
W W
WW
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Rodriguez
M
M
Johnson
J W
JW
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000453:epidemiology; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008423:Maternal Age; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards