In medicine, the term advanced age is used to describe the
expectant mothers who are 35 years old or later.
Advanced maternal age also carries some risks for both mother
and baby. With the advancement of age, the frequency of some chronic diseases
increases in mothers. The most common among them are hypertension (high blood
pressure) and diabetes. Hypertension is 2-4 times more than pregnant women at
an early age. Chronic hypertension, which has been in existence for a long time
and has caused vascular damage, can be dangerous for both the expectant mother
and the baby. The main danger is superimposed (developed on the background of
chronic hypertension) preeclampsia, which may occur in expectant mothers with
chronic hypertension.
The increase in the frequency of cardiovascular disease,
neurological diseases, kidney, liver, lung and connective tissue diseases and
cancers negatively affect the course of pregnancy.
What are
the unwanted consequences related to pregnancy and birth in older pregnancies?
The first thing that comes to mind is the chromosomal
anomaly, which is the down syndrome that we see more frequently in the society
than the others, that is, mongolism. The risk of developing Down syndrome in
the baby increases with increasing maternal age. Older pregnancies have an
increased risk of ending with miscarriage.
Reduced mobility in advanced age-related tubes and previous
pelvic infections increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Advancing age is a
risk factor for preterm birth and premature baby birth and retarded development
of the baby in the womb.
Increased detachment of the placenta (early separation of the
placenta) and placenta previa (leading the placenta) lead to an increase
especially in the 3rd trimester bleeding.
Increased
risks in advanced age pregnancies:
- Hypertension, preclampsia
- Gestational diabetes (GDM)
- Preterm labor (Preterm delivery)
- IUGR
- Fetan aneuploidy, trisomies
- Maternal and fetal mortality
What
problems can there be with the fetus, newborn and labor in advanced pregnancy?
Conditions such as chronic diseases of the mother, retarded
growth, preeclampsia, uteroplacental insufficiency (disruption of placental
function), and, in turn, can lead to the occurrence of conditions ranging from
neurological sequelae to infant death in a spectrum ranging from fetal distress
to fetal and newborn asphyxia.
All the stages of the birth process of the expectant mothers
with advanced age, take longer and these babies have increased risk of large
baby frequency and shoulder dystocia (delivery at birth).
Father's
age: There is no relationship between an advanced father's age
and aneuploidy (trisomy, down syndrome). However, there may be an increase in
some autosomal dominant diseases due to spontaneous mutations.
-FALSE PREGNANCY
-PREGNANCY IN ADVANCED AGE
-PREGNANCY AT EARLY AGE
-CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGE
