Perinatal correlates of delayed childbearing in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate women with delayed childbearing after 35 years and the perinatal profile of their surviving offspring in a low-income country.

METHOD

A matched case-control study of advanced maternal age (AMA) parturients above 35 years was compared to younger mothers (20-35 years) in an inner-city maternity hospital in southwest Nigeria using conditional logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 513 were enlisted as cases matched with 1,539 controls. AMA was associated with marital status, occupation, parity, antenatal care and elective cesarean delivery but significantly less likely to be associated with human-immunodeficiency-virus infection and cephalopelvic disproportion. After adjusting for these maternal factors, AMA was not associated with any adverse perinatal outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Delayed childbearing after 35 years was generally not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in this setting and may be indicative of an appreciable awareness of the potential pregnancy risks resulting in higher uptake of obstetric services by AMA mothers.