According to the advanced maternal age risk table, as a woman gets older her risk of developing chromosomal aberrations in the fetus increases. Therefore, the maternal age is very important when ascertaining the incidence of various chromosomal abnormalities like the Down’s syndrome.
The advanced maternal age risk table contains the maternal age risk, that is available in the form of a chart. This chart contains three columns including the maternal age that is also referred to as the mom’s age. The associated risk of a trisomy that is a chromosomal abnormality associated with the incidence of Down’s syndrome.
The advanced maternal age risk table is also used in the calculation of risk for all trinomies. According to the advanced maternal age risk table, when the mothers age is 20, her risk of trisomy in the fetus will be one in 1,667 while the risk for all tromies with be one in 526 chances.
This is very low as compared to the risk factors associated with the maternal age of 49 years, where the risk of developing a trisomy in the chromosomes is one in eleven.
The associated risk for developing other types of triomies is one in eight and due to these risk factors; there is an increasing need to encourage the women to give birth at an early age in order to reduce the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
There have been studies conducted which suggest that advanced maternal age in women may bring about risks in pregnancy like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, babies born before full term, cases of still birth, low birth weight, delivery of baby through caesarian, genetic birth defects etc.
Advanced maternal age may also affect fertility in women who do not follow a healthy and nutritious diet, have a very busy work schedule full of stress and also use birth control mesure for many years. When these factors are taken control of, then a woman may become pregnant.
It may cause certain birth defects in a baby that may be congenital, genetic or maybe defects due to chromosomes like for instance down’s syndrome. Many of the miscarriages take place in the first trimester for pregnant women generally and there have been studies showing the risk of these miscarriages in advanced maternal age.
Advanced maternal age is also related to high blood pressure and also diabetes which may affect pregnancy. If diabetes is not under control then it may become a reason for defects at the timeof birth and miscarriages, and having high blood pressure may have bad consequences on growth of the fetus.
