Paternal age and risk for cesarean delivery.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether advanced paternal age is associated with increased risk for cesarean delivery.


METHODS
We used the 1990-2002 US linked live birth and infant death data files restricted to primiparous Caucasian and African-American women that delivered a singleton birth at ≥20 week's gestation (12.5 million). We examined temporal trends and risk ratios of cesarean birth in relation to paternal age before and after adjustments for known confounders.


RESULTS
Among Caucasians, the cesarean delivery rates were 21.1%, 26.7% and 31.8% in fathers aged 20-29, 30-39 and ≥40 years, respectively. Among African-Americans, the corresponding rates were 24.1%, 33.2%, and 38.1%, respectively. These increased cesarean delivery rates persisted in analyses stratified by maternal age before and after adjustment for a variety of confounders.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that increasing paternal age may be associated with an increased risk for cesarean delivery in primiparous women.
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1977, USA.
Revital
R
Faro
Joaquin
J
Santolaya-Forgas
Joseph C
JC
Canterino
Yinka
Y
Oyelese
Cande V
CV
Ananth
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D010331:Paternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D044469:Racial Groups; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult