title: Is young maternal age really a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome in a canadian tertiary referral hospital?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome among teenage mothers within a large tertiary referral center in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  All nulliparous singleton births in the McGill University Health Centre during 2001-2007 were retrieved using the "MOND" database. Patients were divided according to maternal age: <20 years (teenage), and between 20 and 39 years. Obstetric and neonatal complications were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9744 nulliparous women were included; 250 (2.6%) were teenage and 9494 (97.4%) were 20-39 years old. Teenage mothers tended to deliver earlier (38.0 vs 39.2 weeks gestation, P < 0.001) and had higher rates of extreme prematurity (OR 4.5, 95% CI 2.5-8.1). Babies of teenage mothers had lower birth weights (3014 g vs 3326 g, P < 0.001), higher rates of NICU admission (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-3.0), congenital anomalies (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.6) and combined perinatal and neonatal mortality (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.9-7.5). Logistic regression analysis showed an association between young maternal age and the risk to have at least one adverse outcome (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even within a large tertiary referral hospital, teenage mothers carry a greater risk of adverse pregnancy outcome, mainly due to preterm births.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, McGill University - Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. alon.shrim@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrim
authors.forename: Senem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ates
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mallozzi
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ponette
authors.forename: Ishai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Fady
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shehata
authors.forename: Benny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Almog
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D047928:Premature Birth; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult