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By Betsy Lievense, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A recent study reveals women who become pregnant at age 40 or older stand a greater chance of experiencing a stillbirth than younger women.
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Expectant mothers who are of advanced maternal age, defined as 35 years or older, are more prone to pregnancy complications, like gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, placenta previa, and intrauterine growth restriction, than younger mothers. All of these complications can result in stillbirth if undetected and untreated.
Mert Bahtiyar, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., told Ivanhoe earlier antenatal testing could play a key role in reducing the number of stillbirths for older women. Currently, the American College recommends going in for antenatal testing after the 41st week of gestation, as this is the time when fetal death risk is heightened. Dr. Bahtiyar, however, said the results of his study showed older women should go in for antenatal testing at the 38th week of gestation to reduce the risk of stillbirth.
"We calculated the hazard ratios for every week," he said. "What we noticed is for a mother who is 40 years of age or older, the risk of having a fetal death at 38 weeks is equal to a younger mother's risk of fetal death at 41 weeks. Based on that information, we found 38 weeks is the time to begin testing."
According to Dr. Bahtiyar, "Applying this testing would catch the babies who are at higher risk [for pregnancy complications]. The physician would be able to act upon those abnormal testing results, and the baby would be delivered earlier rather than being diagnosed as a dead baby [upon delivery]."
Dr. Bahtiyar said physicians and mothers need to be aware of the increased risk associated with pregnancy in older women. He also said the frequency of prenatal care should be significantly increased. If mothers notice signs of trouble, like not feeling the baby kicking inside her stomach, she should contact her doctor immediately.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Mert Bahtiyar, M.D.; Presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in San Francisco, Feb. 5-10, 2007
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