Khatibi A, et al. - Researchers planned this study to delineate the occurrence of childbearing at age 50 and up in the Nordic countries. They, in addition, examined the frequency of adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. At extremely advanced maternal age, high frequency of obstetric and neonatal complications were identified. Although they observed a high prevalence of stillbirth in singleton pregnancies in the studied Nordic countries, other complications were less frequent than those previously reported in different populations. They highly recommended adequate preconception consultation concerning maternal and neonatal hazards in this group of women.

Methods

• Researchers designed a descriptive population-based study.
• They collected data from 1991 to 2013 from the Medical Birth Registries in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
• The occurrence of antepartum, delivery and neonatal outcomes were investigated.

Results

• In mothers aged 50 and up, they identified a total of 170 deliveries, 141 singleton and 29 multiple pregnancies.
• During this period, the highest frequency was 6 per 100,000 deliveries.
• In singleton pregnancies, the prevalence for selected adverse outcomes were: intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) 6%, preeclampsia 4%, preterm delivery 14%, gestational diabetes 8% and cesarean delivery 50%.
• The respective prevalence in multiple pregnancies were: IUFD 2%, preeclampsia 22%, preterm delivery 57%, gestational diabetes 10% and cesarean delivery 79%.
• After assisted reproductive technologies, pregnancy was frequent (29% of singleton and 50% of multiple pregnancies).