Background: There is a current trend towards delayed childbearing around the world. This is considered to increase the risk for poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. In this study, we evaluated pregnancy outcomes in women of advanced maternal age in a single maternity hospital in Turkey.Methods: Medical records of 517 women aged 35 years and older that gave birth between 2009 and 2010 were examined retrospectively. The chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U, and Student t tests were used for statistical analyses.Results: In total, 462 (89.3%) women aged 39 years or less and 55 (10.6%) women aged 40 years and older were included in the analysis. Cesarean sections, and neonatal mortality were more common in women of advanced maternal age (p = 0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). Neonatal mortality (OR: 0.1; 95% CI 0.02–1; p = 0.032), premature birth (OR: 0.4; 95% CI 0.2–0.8; p = 0.008), and low birth weight (LBW) (OR: 0.2; 95% CI 0.1–0.5; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in women 40 years and older. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) developed in 26% of babies with LBWs. All patients of neonatal death were diagnosed with asphyxiation or RDS.Conclusions: At the Bolu Izzet Baysal Maternity and Children’s Hospital, advanced maternal age was associated with increased adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes.
Pregnancy Outcome in Women of Advanced Maternal Age: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Turkish Maternity Hospital
