[Motherhood at the Age of 35 and Over: The Risk of Advanced Maternal Age as Perceived by Women - a Literature Study].

Background Delaying motherhood is an ongoing trend in industrialized countries worldwide. The higher the mother´s age, the greater the risks for fertility, pregnancy, childbearing, and for the newborn. The psychosocial situation of women who are conscious of pregnancy risks is thus negatively affected. This paper aims to answer the question as to how women experience the risks of age. Methodology An systematic search of the international literature was carried out between December 2015 and March 2016, using the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Sowiport, as well as a manual search. The inclusion criterion was the perception of reproductive age risks of motherhood at an advanced age, defined as ≥ 35 years. Results Eleven studies with different designs were evaluated. The participants were sufficiently informed about decreasing fertility rates and the increasing risk of trisomy 21, but less knowledge was shown about the remaining age-associated risks. The awareness of these risks made women feel anxious and scared. They showed various strategies for dealing with their concern: information management, associated with problems of overand misinformation and, in contrast, information avoidance. Other strategies were distraction from thinking about the risks, the need for control and good preparation, or emotional distancing from the pregnancy. The women´s personal risk assessment was complex. They related their social circumstances and their lifestyle and thought about the medical attributions in relative terms. By focusing on giving birth to a healthy child, the mothers often neglected to prepare themselves for living with the newborn. Postpartum they were overwhelmed by the care needed by the newborn child. Discussion The age risk cannot be assessed adequately by those affected. Various phenomena determined through risk research may also appear. There was a meaningful difference between the medically assessed risk and the women's perceived risk. Taking the women´s experience with ageassociated risks and the consequences of motherhood into consideration, it seems necessary to discuss the concept of age risk. Healthcare professionals should focus on health support and encourage older pregnant women to familiarize themselves with family-orientated care of a newborn family member.
Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
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