Maternal and perinatal risks for women over 44--a review

Abstract

It has been widely documented that advanced maternal age constitutes a risk to both mother and child. The purpose of this review is to examine the risks posed to the pregnant mother over the age of 44 and determine if they are experienced in greater frequency than in their younger cohorts. A review of the recent literature demonstrates a significant increased incidence of cesarean section, pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, and perinatal mortality. There also appears to be different rates of maternal complications depending on mode of conception with assisted reproductive technology conferring a higher risk in this population. Further study is recommended in mode of conception and parity to examine the effects on maternal and fetal risks.