IMPACT OF ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE ON OBSTETRICAL AND PERINATAL OUTCOMES: A PROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Women who are 35 years or older at the time of their estimated delivery date, termed as having advanced maternal age, tend to face a greater number of obstetric complications and negative pregnancy outcomes compared to their younger counterparts. Patient and Method: This prospective, comparative study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Al-Batool Teaching Hospital over a period of three months, from September 25 to December 30, 2022. A total of 106 pregnant women participated in the study, divided evenly into two age groups: one group consisting of women aged 35 years and older, and the other including women under 35 years. Women aged 20-34 years served as the control group. The primary goal was to compare the obstetric and perinatal outcomes between these different age groups. Results: The findings highlighted that women aged 35 years and older were significantly more likely to have higher parity, suffer from pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2), and antenatal hemorrhage. They were also more likely to deliver via cesarean section compared to the younger women under 35. On the other hand, younger women under 35 did not exhibit a significant relationship with adverse obstetric outcomes. Notably, preterm delivery was strongly correlated with women aged 35 and older. However, perinatal outcomes such as neonatal death, admission to the neonatal care unit, low birth weight, and APGAR scores at 5 minutes were not significantly different between the two age groups. Conclusion: The study concluded that women of advanced maternal age had a higher incidence of medical conditions during pregnancy, were more likely to require cesarean delivery, and had a higher rate of preterm deliveries.