Pregnancy Complications for Older Mothers
A study of older new mothers in Israel found that 8 out of 10 experienced complications during their pregnancy, and almost half of their babies were smaller than average. New mothers over the age of 45 have more than tripled over the last decade in Israel, though they still represent a small fraction of all births. The study shows that there is downside risk to using assisted reproduction technologies to allow older women to become pregnant for the first time.
In the study group, four of every 10 women developed pregnancy-related diabetes, and two of 10 had preeclampsia, a dangerous condition that causes high blood pressure. One third of these women's babies were born prematurely, and almost all by C-section. The overall finding is that pregnancy after the age of 45 is quite risky. In the US, first-time births to mothers over 45 still make up a small percentage of all deliveries.