Maternal Age and Pregnancy Outcomes
Abstract
Background: Teenage pregnancy (age 10-19 years) and elderly pregnancy (age ≥ 35 years) have been considered as a high-risk situation that increased adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes when compare with normal age pregnancy (age 20-34 years). But some studies failed to confirm this association.
Objective: To examine the association between maternal age and adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in pregnant women who gave birth at Kalasin Hospital
Design: Retrospective cohort study
Subject: The study group consisted of teenage and elderly pregnant women whilst control group was normal age pregnant women who gave birth between 1 June 2006 and 31 May 2007, at the Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Kalasin Hospital, Thailand.
Method: The data were retrieved from electronic data base of Kalasin Hospital, information was obtained from each record regarding characteristic, obstetric, neonatal outcomes and analysed by STATA program using relative risk with 95% confidence interval.
Results: Total of 3,727 deliveries was grouped into 3 age groups. 594 were aged 10-19 years, 2,801 were aged 20-34 years and 332 were aged ≥ 35 years. Teenage pregnancy was associated with anemia [RR (95%CI) 1.6 (1.3-2.1)], preterm delivery [RR (95%CI) 1.4 (1.0-2.0)], but lower risk of cesarean section [RR (95%CI) 0.6(0.5-0.8)]. Elderly pregnancy was associated with diabetes mellitus [RR (95%CI) 6.3 (3.0-13.2)], antepartum hemorrhage [RR (95%CI) 3.8 (1.7-8.7)], hypertensive disorder in pregnancy [RR (95%CI) 3.4 (1.2-9.4)], cesarean section [RR (95%CI) 2.3 (1.8-3.0)], abnormal fetal presentation [RR (95%CI) 1.8 (1.1-2.9)], Apgar score ≤7 at 1 min after birth [RR (95%CI) 1.8 (1.2-2.9)], low birth weight [RR (95%CI) 1.7 (1.2-2.5)], preterm delivery [RR (95%CI) 1.6 (1.1-2.4)] and cephalopelvic disproportion [RR (95%CI) 1.5 (1.1-2.1)].
Conclusion: Maternal age, both teenage and elderly pregnancy increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Keywords: obstetric outcomes, perinatal outcomes, pregnancy outcomes, teenage pregnancy, elderly pregnancy, maternal age
