Prepregnancy counseling in women over 50 years of age

Yossi Tzur1, Yariv Yogev1

  • 1Lis Maternity Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Over the past decade, there has been a steep rise in the proportion of women who become pregnant at an advanced maternal age. Personal goals and cultural changes along with the advancement in artificial reproductive therapies have enabled women who wish to defer childbearing when given an opportunity to do so, and pregnancy rates in this age group are not likely to decrease. However, accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancies at an advanced maternal age are associated with an increased risk for maternal and neonatal complications. This review provides an evidence-based view of advanced maternal age pregnancy and focuses on prepregnancy counseling to optimize women's health prior to conception.

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