Women ages 35 and older give birth to more babies with Down syndrome but fewer with physical defects, new research shows.
Science has long known that women of “advanced maternal age” experience greater risk of bearing a child with a chromosomal abnormality, such as Down syndrome. However, not much has been written on the risk of congenital defects, which may affect the heart, brain, kidney, bones, gastrointestinal tract, and other aspects of the body’s basic composition.
In a new study, investigators at Washington University in St. Louis analyzed obstetric and ultrasound data from more than 76,000 women receiving second trimester ultrasounds as part of their routine neonatal care. Aside from considering the mother’s age, they also looked at the severity of such malformations, categorizing them by organ system, including heart, brain, and kidney.
