Pregnancy and delivery at the age of forty and over

One hundred and eighty-six deliveries from mothers of age 40 and over at Oulu University Central Hospital during 1975-77 are summarized. The commonest maternal complications were pre-eclampsia (25.8%) and pathological glucose tolerance (7.0%). The cesarean section rate of the whole group was 126.7%, and for the primiparas, 47%. Placental complications were slightly but not significantly more common among parturients over 40 compared with our general obstetric population. The pregnancies did not adversely affect the mothers' health despite commonly occurring maternal diseases. The commonest pathological findings among the newborns were hyperbilirubinemia (7.9%), neonatal infections (4.2%), clavicular fractures (3.2%) and postpartum asphyxia (2.6%). Congenital anomalies occurred in 2.6% of the children and were the main cause of the perinatal mortality, which was 5/189 (2.6%). Prematurity and low birth weight were not increased.