BackgroundWomen of advanced age (40 years or older) are generally, at risk for pregnancy and delivery related problems. In addition, there is limited knowledge on being of advanced age and having been given Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) and its association with negative obstetric outcomes. Therefore, data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register was used to investigate pregnancy and neonatal outcomes for women aged 40 or more who had given birth. The secondary aim was to compare the obstetric outcomes of women who had used ART and women who had not undergone ART while adjusting for marital status across the age groups.MethodWomen of advanced age who had given birth in Sweden during 2007–2012 formed the index group, n = 37,558; a reference group of women comprised 71,472 women under the age of 40. An additional subgroup of women aged 45 or older when giving birth was also formed, n = 2229. The obstetric and neonatal data for all the women was derived from national register data.ResultsWomen of advanced age were more often single, had undergone ART, and more often experienced adverse obstetric outcomes than did younger women. The neonate’s health was also more often adversely affected expressed as being born with low birth weight and Small for Gestational Age (SGA), having lower Apgar scores, and having more health problems during the first week compared to the reference group.ConclusionsWomen who are approaching the upper limit of fecundity are at greater risk for having children who are preterm and SGA. The adverse effects of being preterm and SGA may have negative long-term effects, not only on the children but also on the mothers. This needs to be addressed more frequently in a clinical setting when advising women of all ages on pregnancy and ART treatment.

Women postpone childbirth to an age when morbidity is higher and fertility has decreased and yet the knowledge of mothers' morbidity related to age remains scarce. Swedish national register data from the Medical Birth Register and national patient Register was used to investigate the incidence of diseases listed in the International Classification of Diseases, version 10 (ICD-10) in women who gave birth 2007-8. The index group consisted of women 40 years of age or older (n = 8 203) were compared to a control group of women, younger than 40 years (n = 15 569) at childbirth. The period studied was five years before childbirth to five years after. The main outcome measures were incidence of disease diagnosed in specialized hospital care. Demographical data and use of assisted reproduction (ART) were adjusted for. The results showed that older women were more likely to be single; less frequently used tobacco; were educated on a higher level; had a higher BMI and more often had used ARt to become pregnant. the older women showed a higher morbidity rate. in the diagnostic groups: Neoplasms, Blood and immune system, Eye and adnexa, Ear and mastoid, Circulatory, Digestive, Skin and subcutaneous tissue, Musculoskeletal and connective tissue, and Genitourinary. the results add to the body of knowledge of a number of specific risks faced by older mothers and may be used to identify preventive actions concerning fertility and morbidity both before and after childbirth.

Background Advanced maternal age, single status and use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are increasing in mothers in high-income countries, and all are known risk factors for negative obstetric outcomes. Less is known about their long-term consequences for childhood morbidity. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate morbidity up to five years of age, in the children of older, single, and/or ART-treated mothers. Methods A cross-sectional using Swedish registers was performed comprising 23 772 children. The prevalence of diagnosis and the number of hospital visits for specialist care, were compared and analyzed in relation to maternal age at childbirth, maternal civil status, and mode of conception. The odds ratio for specialized care within each ICD-chapter were estimated using single and multiple logistic regression. Results Children born to single mothers and children conceived using ART had significantly more outpatient visits for specialist care and significantly more diagnoses compared to children with married/cohabiting mothers, and spontaneously conceived children. Children born to mothers of advanced maternal age (≥40) had fewer in- and outpatient visits. However, they were significantly more often diagnosed within ICD-chapters XVI, XVII i.e., they experienced more morbidity in the neonatal period. Conclusion The results indicate that children born to single mothers and children of ART-treated mothers have a higher morbidity and consume more specialist care than children of married/cohabiting and spontaneously pregnant mothers. We conclude that the use of ART, maternal single status and advanced maternal age are risk factors of importance to consider in pediatric care and when counseling women who are considering ART treatment.

Aim: To investigate the association between low Apgar score and the development of cholestasis. Methods: Seventy‐seven cholestatic infants, all referred to our tertiary centre and born between 1987 and 1996 were studied. Twenty‐eight patients had biliary atresia (BA), 36 had various intra‐hepatic disorders and for 13 patients the aetiology of the cholestasis was unknown. Data on gestational age, mode of delivery, Apgar score and birthweight for the cholestatic infants and 1 118 270 control subjects born during the same time period were obtained from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. If the Apgar score of the cholestatic patient was <7 at 1 min and/or <9 at 5 min and/or <9 at 10 min of age the available medical records were reviewed for signs of neonatal distress. Results: Five cholestatic patients, all of them premature, fulfilled the Apgar criteria. For two of them the low Apgar score and need for immediate resuscitation were explained by major surgical problems. The other three patients, two with biliary atresia (BA) and one with Alagille syndrome, had clinical signs of neonatal distress. The incidence of low Apgar score in BA patients was 7% and in cholestatic patients without known aetiology 0%, neither figure differing significantly from that of the of the control group (2.6 %). Conclusion: Low Apgar score is not more common in any of the cholestatic groups than in the general Swedish population of newborns. We suggest that aetiological associations other than low Apgar score need to be considered in infants with cholestasis of unknown cause.

Solo motherhood is a family constellation that is becoming increasingly common in high income countries. The demographic characteristics of solo women entering treatment with donated sperm or embryo have been shown to be different from that of cohabiting women. The general importance of perceived social support is frequently amplified when health and quality of life are concerned, and positively affects mental health status, experienced stress, perceived self-efficacy during the transition to parenthood and during parenthood itself. The objective of the present study was to compare demographic characteristics, social network and perceived social support among solo women and cohabiting women awaiting fertility treatment. This objective was explored with a study-specific demographic and background questionnaire as well as through questions on access to practical support and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) assessing different sources of support. This study is a part of a longitudinal prospective multicenter study of solo women who awaited donation treatment in six Swedish public and private fertility clinics and a comparison group of women who were cohabiting/married to male partner and awaited in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment with the couple’s own gametes. A total of 670 women were invited and 463 accepted participation (69% response rate); 207 solo women (study group) and 256 cohabiting women (comparison group). The results show significant differences in age, education, and employment between the groups. Solo women were on average 3.6 years older, had a higher level of education, a higher-income profession, and were more frequently working full time. Solo women perceived an equally high degree of social support from their families, significantly higher levels of support from friends and significantly lower support from a significant other compared to cohabiting women. Solo women expected their mother to be the most supportive person in future parenthood, while cohabiting women most often stated their cohabiting partner to fill that role. The study adds to the body of knowledge of solo women as a sociodemographic distinct group going at motherhood alone, stating a high degree of currently perceived and expected social support. The previously studied negative impact that lack of a co-parent might have, may be attenuated by the expected and perceived social support from family and friends.