Abstract
BACKGROUND
Pregnancy in women aged 35 years or above is generally considered an advanced maternal age (AMA). AMA is associated with an increased rate of maternal and neonatal complications.
OBJECTIVES
Assess the effect of AMA on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
DESIGN
Analytical cross-sectional study of medical records.
SETTINGS
In-patient hospital tertiary care setting in Jeddah.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
All women who attended antenatal care and delivered at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah in the first half of 2018 were included in the study. Outcomes for women 35 years of age or older were compared with younger women. Significant factors in a univariate analysis were entered in a multiple logistic regression model to assess the association between AMA and outcomes.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Rates of maternal neonatal complications, analysis of factors associated with advanced maternal, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), cesarean delivery.
SAMPLE SIZE
1586 women.
RESULTS
Of the 1586 women, 406 were 35 years of age or older (25.6%), and 1180 were younger than 35 years. The AMA group had a significantly higher proportion of GDM (32.0% versus 13.2%, P<.001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for GDM was 2.6 (95% CI 2-3.5, P<.001.) compared with younger women in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Older women had a higher rate of cesarean delivery (43.6% versus 30.8%, P<.001). The adjusted OR for cesarean vs. vaginal delivery was 1.5 (CI 1.2-1.9, P=.002).
CONCLUSION
Pregnancy in women 35 years or older was associated with an increased risk of GDM and cesarean delivery.
LIMITATIONS
Cross-sectional design, small sample size, single hospital.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
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