What Does
Elderly Primigravida Mean?
An elderly primigravida is an outdated medical term for a woman who is 35 years or older and is pregnant for the first time.
This term is used to describe the age at which there is generally an increased risk associated with pregnancy for both the mother and fetus.
This term has been replaced with advanced maternal age (AMA).
FertilitySmarts Explains Elderly Primigravida
Within the medical community abbreviated terms are frequently used to describe a woman's obstetric history.
The Latin prefix "primi" denotes the first occurrence and "gravidity" refers to the number of times that a woman has been pregnant.
Pregnancy After 35 Is Not Uncommon
It has become more common for first-time mothers to be over the age of 35. In the United States between the years 2000 and 2012, the percentage of first births for women between the ages of 35 to 39 years increased by 24% and for women 40 to 44 years of age, it increased by 35%.
What are the risks?
Pregnancy over 35 years does not automatically mean it will be high risk, but rather some topics do become more worthy of discussion.
The "elderly" aspect of the term is an outdated way to describe the age at which there is generally an increased genetic and obstetric risk. This means that there is a higher likelihood after age 35 of experiencing conditions that can complicate a pregnancy, delivery, and impact the baby when compared to the same occurrences in younger women.
Complications for women of this age group can include an increased:
- Likelihood of multiples
- Risk of hypertension
- Gestational diabetes
- Low lying placenta
- Preeclampsia
- Miscarriage
- Genetic risks
- Premature birth
- C-section delivery
- Infertility