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Does length of labor vary by maternal age?
Mara B Greenberg1, Yvonne W Cheng, Margaret Sullivan
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine lengths of first and second stages of labor across maternal age groups to determine whether different norms should be established.
Study Design:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all laboring, term, singleton, and cephalic deliveries at a single institution between 1980-2001. Median lengths of labor were compared among 6 maternal age groups. Statistical comparisons were made using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were performed.
Results:
Among 31,976 births, length of labor differed significantly by maternal age for both nulliparous and multiparous women. Younger nulliparous women (age, <20 yrs) had a shorter median second stage by up to 97 minutes (P < .001) than older nulliparous women (age, >39 yrs). After we controlled for potential confounders, we found that older women had a persistently higher likelihood of experiencing longer labor and prolonged labor than younger women.
Conclusion:
Length of labor and prolonged labor increases with increasing maternal age.
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