Postponing parenthood to advanced age

Figures & data

Figure 1. Mean age of first-time mothers and fathers in Sweden and Norway 1970–2014.

Source: Statistics Sweden and Statistics Norway.

Table 1. Associations between childlessness at age 32 and family background, assessment of own parents, and attitudes to children reported at age 22 years (n = 1000).

Questionnaire data at age 22	Odds ratio	95% CI
Family background
Growing up in a large city	1.5	1.1–2.0
Well-educated mother	1.5	1.1–1.9
Well-educated father	1.4	1.1–1.9
No siblings	1.9	1.1–3.2
Living in parental home	2.2	1.6–3.1
Assessment of own parents
Mother less than good as a parent	1.8	1.2–2.7
Father less than good as a parent	1.4	1.0–1.9
Less than satisfactory relationship with mother	1.5	1.1–2.1
Attitudes to children
Not enjoying children	2.7	2.0–3.6
Not assuming that one will have children in the future	2.9	2.1–3.9

Analyses by bivariate logistic regression. Data retrieved from Tables 2 and 3 in Nilsen et al., 2015 (6).

CI: confidence interval.

Figure 2. Reasons for remaining childless in women and men at age 28 and 36 + 40 years. More than one reason possible.

Source: Data obtained from Schytt et al., 2014 (7).

Figure 3. Rates of nulliparous women who have had a miscarriage or been treated for infertility, related to maternal age (n = 41,236 women pregnant with their first child).

Source: Figure based on a previously published figure by Nilsen et al., 2012 (8).

Figure 4. Risk of very preterm birth (22–31 gestational weeks) (PTB) in relation to advanced maternal age in primiparous women in Sweden and Norway. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Sweden: n = 644,184; Norway: n = 311,620. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for year of birth, civil status, country of birth, smoking, BMI, chronic hypertension, and diabetes. Source: Figure based on data obtained from Table 1 in Waldenström et al., 2014 (26).

Figure 5. Risk of stillbirth in relation to advanced maternal age, smoking in early pregnancy, and being overweight or obese. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (n = 644,184 primiparous women). Logistic regression model including maternal age, smoking, body mass index, and the following potentially confounding factors not shown: year of birth, civil status, country of birth, chronic hypertension, and diabetes. Source: Figure based on data obtained from Table 2 in Waldenström et al., 2014 (26).

Table 2. Stillbirth in relation to maternal age in first, second, third, and fourth or more births stratified by level of education.

Maternal age	Education: low or medium (n = 993,937)			Education: high (n = 771,443)
Year	%	n	Adjusted OR 95% CI	%	n	Adjusted OR 95% CI
1st births
25–29	0.34	646	Ref = 1	0.22	343	Ref = 1
30–34	0.44	395	1.28 (1.13–1.45)	0.27	383	1.23 (1.07–1.43)
35–39	0.57	159	1.56 (1.31–1.86)	0.44	186	1.86 (1.55–2.22)
≥40	0.71	33	1.86 (1.31–2.65)	0.67	49	2.72 (2.01–3.69)
2nd births
25–29	0.24	478	Ref = 1	0.23	169	Ref = 1
30–34	0.30	408	1.23 (1.08–1.41)	0.21	308	0.94 (0.78–1.14)
35–39	0.37	171	1.40 (1.17–1.68)	0.28	179	1.18 (0.95–1.47)
≥40	0.55	38	1.98 (1.41–2.76)	0.28	29	1.12 (0.75–1.68)
3rd births
25–29	0.27	180	Ref = 1	0.23	23	Ref = 1
30–34	0.34	267	1.25 (1.03–1.51)	0.25	109	1.18 (0.75–1.86)
35–39	0.50	192	1.87 (1.51–2.31)	0.25	99	1.23 (0.77–1.95)
≥40	0.65	46	2.36 (1.68–3.30)	0.29	22	1.41 (0.77–2.57)
4th births or more
25–29	0.39	73	Ref = 1	0.34	4	Ref = 1
30–34	0.47	188	1.25 (0.95–1.64)	0.34	26	1.08 (0.38.3.13)
35–39	0.51	168	1.34 (1.01–1.79)	0.35	44	1.12 (0.39–3.16)
≥40	0.66	70	1.72 (1.22–2.43)	0.42	22	1.29 (0.43–3.86)

Logistic regression analyses adjusted for year of birth, family situation (living with baby’s father compared with not), country of birth (Sweden compared with not Sweden), smoking in early pregnancy, maternal height, BMI, history of stillbirth in previous pregnancy, and number of years from previous to present pregnancy. Data obtained from Table 2 in Waldenström et al., 2015 (27).

Figure 6. Postnatal assessment of childbirth by maternal age (n = 1184 primiparous women).

Source: Figure previously published by Zasloff et al. 2007 (40).

Figure 7. Depressive symptoms and worries during pregnancy by maternal age (n = 1304 primiparous women).

Source: Figure previously published by Zasloff et al. 2007, page 1331 (40).

Figure 8. Psychological distress (SCL-5 ≥ 1.75) in primiparous women by maternal age, in weeks 17 and 30 of gestation and 6 and 18 months after birth (n = 19,291 primiparous women).

Source: Figure previously published by Aasheim et al., 2012 (46).

Figure 9. Satisfaction with life (SWLS, mean score) in gestational weeks 17 and 30 and at 6 months and 3 years after birth in relation to maternal age (n = 5891 primiparous women).

Source: Figure previously published by Aasheim et al., 2014 (48).

Nilsen AB, Waldenstrom U, Espehaug B, Schytt E. Still childless at the age of 32: an investigation of predictors in 22-year-old women and men. Scand J Publ Health. 2015;43:481–9.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Schytt E, Nilsen AB, Bernhardt E. Still childless at the age of 28 to 40 years: a cross-sectional study of Swedish women’s and men’s reproductive intentions. Sex Reprod Health Care. 2014;5:23–9.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Nilsen AB, Waldenstrom U, Hjelmstedt A, Rasmussen S, Schytt E. Characteristics of women who are pregnant with their first baby at an advanced age. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2012;91:353–62.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Bewley S, Ledger W, Nikolaou D, editors. Reproductive ageing. London: RCOG Press; 2009.

 Google Scholar

Waldenstrom U, Cnattingius S, Norman M, Schytt E. Advanced maternal age and stillbirth risk in nulliparous and parous women. Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126:355–62.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Wijma K, Wijma B, Zar M. Psychometric aspects of the W-DEQ; a new questionnaire for the measurement of fear of childbirth. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 1998;19:84–97.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar