Impact of advanced maternal age on neonatal morbidity: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective

This systematic review aimed to understand the impact of advanced maternal age (AMA) on the neonatal morbidity, based on the available scientific evidence.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted on 22 November 2021, using the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify studies that compared the morbidity of neonates delivered to AMA mothers with that of neonates delivered to non-AMA mothers.

Results

Sixteen studies that evaluated the effect of AMA on the neonatal morbidity were included in this review. Nine of these studies found some association between AMA and increased neonatal morbidity (with two of them only reporting an increase in asymptomatic hypoglycemia, and one only reporting an association in twins), six found no association between AMA and neonatal morbidity and one study found a decrease in morbidity in preterm neonates. The studies that found an increase in overall neonatal morbidity with AMA considered older ages for the definition of AMA, particularly ≥40 and ≥45 years.

Conclusion

The current evidence seems to support a lack of association between AMA and the neonatal morbidity of the delivered neonates. However, more studies focusing on the neonatal outcomes of AMA pregnancies are needed to better understand this topic.

Keywords:

• Advanced maternal age
• neonate
• neonatal intensive care
• respiratory distress syndrome
• necrotizing enterocolitis
• neonatal outcome

Disclosure statement

The authors declare they have no conflict of interests.

Data availability statement

The data that supports the findings of this study is available from the corresponding author [IR], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.