Advanced Maternal Age: Correlates and Awareness of Complications among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in a Northern Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy at Advanced Maternal Age (AMA) has been considered to be high risk because of increased perinatal and obstetric complications. AMA is on the increase in the western world. Similarly, in the developing world, an increasing number of females are preoccupied with career pursuit and achievement towards improved remuneration and economic stability before marriage. Thus, we aimed to determine the prevalence of AMA; its correlates, and awareness of pregnancy complications associated with AMA Methodology: A cross-sectional study with a structured questionnaire administered to 280 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in a northern tertiary hospital to obtain information about their socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive profile, reasons for pregnancy at AMA, and awareness of complications associated with pregnancy at AMA. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The Prevalence of AMA was 13.9% (39/280). Of women of AMA, 56.4% had tertiary education; 82.1% were in their first order of marriage; 87.2% were multiparous; 51.3% had their first birth before age of 25 years and also had at least 2 living children. The majority (61.5%) of the pregnancies at AMA were intended and desirability for more children was the commonest reason. The majority (67.9%) were aware that pregnancy at AMA is likely to be complicated by chronic medical illness but fewer women were aware of obstetric complications associated with AMA. About two-thirds of women of AMA had delayed initiation of antenatal care and 26.7% had attempted terminating pregnancy at an earlier gestational age. Conclusion: The prevalence of AMA reported in this study was higher than the multi-country prevalence. Women of AMA were mostly multiparous and the index pregnancy was intended largely because of the women's desire for more children. Awareness of obstetric complications associated with AMA was poor. Thus, increasing awareness among women will enable them to make informed choices about getting pregnant at AMA.