Paternal age and maternal complications during pregnancy : is there an association?

Abstract

Although advanced maternal age continues to be associated with higher risks of adverse reproductive outcomes (Kenny et al., 2013), the mean maternal age at first childbirth in developed and developing countries has been increasing over the past three decades (Kenny et al., 2013; Mensch et. al, 2005). Older parenthood and its association with adverse reproductive outcomes are not restricted to females; males are also contributing to the trend of older parenting and its related risks. Although both partners contribute to pregnancy and fetal outcomes, paternal contribution was not emphasized in the literature as a source of risk until relatively recently. In the last decade, the medical and scientific communities have been shedding more light on adverse reproductive outcomes that are associated with advanced paternal age. The literature, however, is still limited in this respect in comparison to what has been generated on advanced maternal age. Moreover, the literature is still focusing on the association between paternal age and fetal outcomes, rather than on the entire course of pregnancy and its development. Therefore, this study aims at exploring the effect of paternal age on maternal complications during pregnancy, namely preeclampsia, eclampsia, placenta previa and placenta abruptio.This is a retrospective cross sectional study using data from the National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network (NCPNN). NCPNN is a Lebanese non-governmental hospital-based registry that collects data prospectively on pregnant women and their newborns. This registry covers 30percent of the total national births. All women admitted for delivery in one of the NCPNN member hospitals between the years 2002 and 2012 constitute our study sample. Propensity score regression adjustment is used to estimate the effect of advanced paternal age on hypertensive disorders and uteroplacental disorders.A consistent statistically significant association kept appearing between paternal age and our four maternal outcomes among young women aged less