Does the risk of pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes increase after age 35?
While women in their late 30s and 40s are very likely to have a healthy baby, they do face more complications along the way. Besides the increased risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, women over 35 have an increased risk of placental problems. The most common placental problem is placenta previa, in which the placenta covers part or all of the opening of the cervix. The University of California at Davis study found that first-time mothers over age 40 were up to 8 times as likely as women in their 20s to have this complication. Placenta previa can cause severe bleeding during delivery, which can endanger mother and baby, but complications often can be prevented with a cesarean delivery. Some studies suggest that women having their first baby at age 35 or older are at increased risk of having a baby who is low birthweight (less than 5 pounds) or premature (born at less than 37 full weeks of pregnancy). And these risks rise modestly but progressively with a woman’s age, even if she d
