How old is considered advanced maternal age

Women aged 35 years or older are considered to be of advanced maternal age; in addition, women who conceive at the age of 34 years are also classified as advanced maternal age. Advanced maternal age is a special group, and the chance of congenital diseases, intrauterine growth retardation or chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus is higher than that of ordinary mothers. Therefore, it is recommended that advanced maternal age should undergo prenatal diagnosis during pregnancy, such as chorionic villus puncture in the third month of pregnancy, amniocentesis in the fourth month of pregnancy, and cord blood puncture in late pregnancy. During the puncture, some fetal tissues can be taken for chromosomal examination, and genetic testing can also be performed. If trisomy 21 is found, the pregnancy will need to be terminated and abortion induced. At 22-26 weeks of pregnancy, a detailed macroscopic ultrasound is done in advanced cases to note any fetal abnormalities. In addition, a fetal heart ultrasound is done at about 24 weeks of pregnancy to rule out congenital heart disease. For Down’s syndrome screening, it is not recommended for advanced maternal age because the accuracy of Down’s syndrome screening is only about 70%. If a senior woman has Down’s syndrome screening, it is difficult to interpret the results and may result in false positives or false negatives, so amniocentesis is the best option. Advanced maternal age is a relative indication for cesarean delivery. Advanced maternal age requires careful assessment of fetal size and birth canal before delivery. If the fetal position is normal, the fetus is of appropriate size, and the mother’s birth canal is normal, a vaginal trial of labor is possible. However, during the vaginal trial of labor, close monitoring of the fetal heartbeat is required, as well as timely internal examinations to monitor the progress of labor. It is important to take timely care of advanced mothers because they may have difficult cervical labor and slow opening of the uterus. It is recommended that advanced maternal age women take oral folic acid to prevent neural tube abnormalities in the fetus during the preparation period and the first 3 months of pregnancy, and have regular prenatal checkups during pregnancy. In addition, advanced maternal age is also a high-risk group for gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes, so close measurement of blood pressure and blood sugar is necessary.