Older mothers have more birth complications compared to younger mother-Why?

Older maternity is accompanying with an increased risk of problems during gestation period with a greater likelihood of delivering a child that is premature or born small. Older motherhood is an important to understand the consequences for these children in adulthood. Children born to elder mothers may have more heart threats later in life. Older mothers will face more complications during pregnancy and delivery, as did the risk of premature birth and infant death also sometimes

Complications include:  

·         Extreme bleeding during labour,

·         Extended labour lasting time more than 20 hours,

·         Dysfunctional labour that does not advance to the next stage.

Mother age is compared to 30 to 34 years are old. Mother’s age is in three groups - 35 to 39, 40 to 44, and 45 and older. According to researchers view they found that older women were at much higher risk for problems during pregnancy and delivery. Whether or not the women had before given birth also affected their risk of certain complications. Women giving birth at age 45 or older were also the most likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes while pregnant. The oldest mothers were also at greatest risk for excessive bleeding during delivery, premature delivery (before 32 weeks) as well as Caesarean delivery.

Older mothers can be understood from two perspectives –

·         First the actual medical risks: it related to ageing on reproductive system and body condition.

·         Second, the suitability of the risks as defined through social discourse among different groups within society: pregnant women can evaluate the risks subjectively, through their own experiences, whereas healthcare providers assess the risks in an apparently more objective way.

 Pregnancy Outcomes in Women of Advanced Maternal Age: a Retrospective Study

Risks of pregnancy after age 35

·         There are recognized health hazards to both mother and child when the mother is older.

·         Females are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have during their life. With age, the number and quality of eggs starts decreasing, especially after a woman reaches her mid-30s. That’s one reason it can be tougher to get pregnant at older ages.

·         Both older women and older men are additional likely than younger parents to have pre-existing health disputes.

·         In older age pregnancy raises the risks of complications such as hypertension, fetal growth restriction, premature birth and sometimes death.

·         Older mothers have the higher the probability of chromosomal abnormalities as well as age goes from 25 years old 1 in 1,064 chance of having a child with Down syndrome to 1 in 19 for a 45-year-old

·         At age 20-24 Miscarriage is 9 %  and for a 45-year-old or above is 75%

·         The rate of stillbirths almost doubles when mothers are more than 35 years of age,” he continued.

·         Diabetes and emergency caesarean delivery are among the other possible complications of older mothers.

·         Older father’s sperm also has the potential of having more genetic errors.

Benefits of older parenthood

·         Now a day many women aged 35 and beyond are venturing into parenthood for the first time, as well as there is good news for these older mothers and fathers.

·         There are some projections that note, depending on socioeconomic status, the children have more probability of going to college. There may be less verbal and physical punishment, and it can be financially more stable,” said Shapiro.

·         A important observational study stated that higher maternal age was associated with better health and development for children up to 5 years of age.

·         The children of older mothers in industrialized countries are healthier, taller, and get more education than the children of younger mothers.

·         Prenatal vitamins and physician follow-ups are vital.

·         Older parents should also speak with their doctors about checking sugar levels as well as standard testing for chromosomal abnormalities. If older parents will eating, sleeping, and exercising well, this will improve outcomes.

Pregnant women over 35 years old, have issues and concerns to which Midwives must pay attention when in professional contact with these women health care. In order to meet the needs of older pregnant women, midwifery themselves, need more information concerning the experiences of older women during pregnancy, in order to increase their understanding and knowledge of age-related pregnancy risks. Nursing in healthcare providers should remember that pregnancy can evoke a broad range of feelings in women of advanced maternal age, which can vary from happiness to anxiety.