Grand multiparity--a nationwide survey.

Grand multiparity has been considered to be an obstetric hazard to both the mother and the fetus. In order to evaluate this statement we analyzed the information of a nationwide survey. The delivery records of all women (22,814) attending 30 obstetric wards in Israel between November 1983 and January 1984 were analyzed and the medical and obstetric complications associated with grand multiparity were investigated. Diabetes, hypertension, malpresentations, multiple births, large-for-gestational-age deliveries and perinatal deaths were found to be significantly more common in 1,542 multiparae who had seven or more deliveries. The association between parity and age partially accounted for this observation.