title: Maternal age, obstetric complications, and the outcome of pregnancy.
abstract: Data from 44,386 pregnancies were analyzed to determine if advancing maternal age influences frequency or outcome of antenatal disorders. The perinatal mortality rate progressively increased from 25/1000 at age 17 ro 19 years to 69/1000 after age 39. Stillbirths accounted for 92% of this increase. Fourteen percent of the increase was due to congenital malformations and 50% to disorders associated with uteroplacental underperfusion, ie, abruptio placentae, large placental infarcts, and placental growth retardation. Sclerotic lesions in the myometrial arteries are a possible cause of underperfusion because the proportion of arteries with these lesions increased from 11% at age 17 to 19 years to 83% after age 39.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000150:complications; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D014481:United States; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply