Title of Research
Advanced Maternal Age and the Correlation between Cesarean Birth Rates
Start Date
18-8-2017 10:00 AM
End Date
18-8-2017 11:30 AM
Abstract
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the mean age of mothers at the delivery of their first child has increased from 24.9 years to 26.3 years between 2000 and 2014. Miscarriages, financial instability, lack of a partner and more effective contraception may also be associated with the increasing rate of delayed pregnancy. The increasing rate of delayed pregnancy could contribute to the higher rate of cesarean section deliveries in women over the age of 35 which could lead to an increased risk to mother and fetus. The rising cesarean rate is associated with rising costs and intrapartum interventions such as bed rest, fetal monitoring, Pitocin, and regional anesthesia. The goal of this systematic integrated literature review was to determine whether there is a direct correlation between rising maternal age and an increase in primary cesarean deliveries and if those cesarean sections are due to medical necessity versus patient request. A systematic integrated literature review study was conducted. Databases that were used for the literature review were CINAHL Complete, Pubmed, ProQuest, and PsycINFO. The keywords used to search the mentioned databases were “maternal age”, “cesarean birth”, and “advanced maternal age”. Advanced maternal age (AMA) primigravida have a higher risk for complications during pregnancy and have a higher cesarean delivery rate. Women of AMA perceive pregnancy and delivery risks to be higher than women under the age of 35. This review found a correlation between AMA and higher cesarean delivery rates. Antenatal complications, comorbidities and perception of pregnancy risk were identified as risk factors that could contribute to the higher rate of cesarean deliveries.
Keywords: Advanced maternal age, vaginal birth, cesarean birth, pregnancy, risk
Advanced Maternal Age and the Correlation between Cesarean Birth Rates
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the mean age of mothers at the delivery of their first child has increased from 24.9 years to 26.3 years between 2000 and 2014. Miscarriages, financial instability, lack of a partner and more effective contraception may also be associated with the increasing rate of delayed pregnancy. The increasing rate of delayed pregnancy could contribute to the higher rate of cesarean section deliveries in women over the age of 35 which could lead to an increased risk to mother and fetus. The rising cesarean rate is associated with rising costs and intrapartum interventions such as bed rest, fetal monitoring, Pitocin, and regional anesthesia. The goal of this systematic integrated literature review was to determine whether there is a direct correlation between rising maternal age and an increase in primary cesarean deliveries and if those cesarean sections are due to medical necessity versus patient request. A systematic integrated literature review study was conducted. Databases that were used for the literature review were CINAHL Complete, Pubmed, ProQuest, and PsycINFO. The keywords used to search the mentioned databases were “maternal age”, “cesarean birth”, and “advanced maternal age”. Advanced maternal age (AMA) primigravida have a higher risk for complications during pregnancy and have a higher cesarean delivery rate. Women of AMA perceive pregnancy and delivery risks to be higher than women under the age of 35. This review found a correlation between AMA and higher cesarean delivery rates. Antenatal complications, comorbidities and perception of pregnancy risk were identified as risk factors that could contribute to the higher rate of cesarean deliveries.
Keywords: Advanced maternal age, vaginal birth, cesarean birth, pregnancy, risk