The Effect of Very Advanced Maternal Age on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review

To summarize information on the maternal and perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with a maternal age greater or equal to 45 years old compared with women with a maternal age of less than 45.

A comprehensive systematic search of online databases from January 1946 through June 2015 was completed. The maternal outcomes were: fetal loss, preterm birth, full-term birth, complications of pregnancy, the type of delivery, and periconception hemorrhage. The fetal outcomes were: intrauterine growth restriction/LGA, fetal anomalies, APGAR score, and neonatal death.

Twenty articles were included in the systematic review and 15 included in the meta-analysis. There was a 2.60 greater likelihood of fetal loss (I² = 99%). Newborns of women of a very advanced maternal age were 2.49 more likely to have a concerning 5-minute APGAR score. Very advanced maternal age women had a 3.32 greater likelihood of pregnancy complications (I² = 91%). There was a 1.96 greater likelihood of preterm birth at very advanced maternal age (I² = 91%) and a 4 times greater likelihood of having to deliver through Caesarean section (I² = 97%).

This systematic review showed an increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. The large amount of heterogeneity among most outcomes that were investigated suggest results must be interpreted with caution.