Older first-time mums risk low birth weight babies
15 March 2002
Women who delay childbearing until after 35 are at higher risk of having babies with low birth weight than younger women, Canadian researchers say.
They examined all births in Alberta, Canada from 1990 to 1996 and found women over 35 had a 20-40 per cent greater risk of babies with low birth weight or having pre-term delivery.
Women over 35 becoming pregnant with in vitro fertilisation had a similar risk of low birth weight and pre-term delivery. The report was published in the medical journal Pediatrics (2002; 109: 399-403).
Even taking into account smoking, which is a risk factor for low birth weight and pre-term delivery, women over 35 still had a higher risk of low birth weight and pre-term delivery.
Last Reviewed: 25 March 2002
- Medical Observer Weekly 15/03/2002
