ArticleBirth defects research. Part A, Clinical and molecular teratology2012
Association between maternal age and birth defects of unknown etiology: United States, 1997-2007.
Article in Birth defects research. Part A, Clinical and molecular teratology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Genetics versus environment in the pathophysiology of sagittal synostosis.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between young maternal age and fetal abnormalities.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Parental Age and Childhood Lymphoma and Solid Tumor Risk: A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.JNCI cancer spectrum · 2022Pooled it
- Congenital anomalies and maternal age: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2022Pooled it
- Congenital Anomaly Prevalence: A 10-Year Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Hospital in Turkey.Birth defects research · 2026Article
- Relationship Between Maternal Death and Infant Outcomes in a Longitudinal, Population-Based Dataset.Obstetrics and gynecology · 2026Article
- Parental age and its influence on functional dependency and cognitive decline in older adults: a cohort analysis.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Temporal trend and influencing factors of high-risk pregnancy in China: a nationwide longitudinal analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Evaluating Differences in Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts by Infant Sex: National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2011.The Journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Prevalence of physical activity among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in public facilities Harari region Eastern Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Liver Cirrhosis: A National Prospective Cohort Study Using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Article
- Risk factors for neural tube defects in the war and siege-affected tigray regional state of ethiopia: a case-control study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- The Trend in Delayed Childbearing Age and Its Potential Impact on Adverse Maternal-Perinatal Outcomes in Developed and Developing Countries: A Narrative Review.Iranian journal of public health · 2025Review
- Expression and Clinical Significance of Irisin in Serum and Placenta Tissues of Pregnant Women with Severe Preeclampsia.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Ultrasonographic findings in mid-trimester adolescent pregnancy: prevalence and risk of abnormalities.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Lead brownfields and birth defects in North Carolina 2003-2015: A cross-sectional case-control study.Birth defects research · 2024Article
- Orofacial Clefts and Maternal Risk Factors: A Population-Based Case-Control Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors for birth defects: a study from population-based surveillance data.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Knowledge assessment of women of reproductive age on birth defects: a descriptive cross-sectional study in Kenya.The Pan African medical journal · 2024Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBirth defects affect 3% of babies born, and are one of the leading causes of infant mortality. Both younger and older maternal age may pose increased risks for certain birth defects. This study assessed the relationship between maternal age at the estimated delivery date and the risk for birth defects.
methodsData were obtained from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a population-based case-control study including mothers across 10 states. Maternal age was stratified into six categories: <20, 20 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39, and ≥40 years, and also analyzed as a continuous variable. Logistic regression models adjusted formaternal race/ethnicity, education, body mass index (BMI), folic acid use, smoking, gravidity, and parental age difference were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
resultsFor maternal age <20 years, associations with total anomalous pulmonary venous return (aOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3-4.0), amniotic band sequence (aOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.5-3.8), and gastroschisis (aOR, 6.1; 95% CI, 4.8-8.0) were observed. For the ≥40 year age group, associations with several cardiac defects, esophageal atresia (aOR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.7-4.9), hypospadias (aOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4-3.0), and craniosynostosis (aOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.4) were observed. Results using maternal age as a continuous variable were consistent with those that used categorized maternal age.
conclusionElucidating risk factors specific to women ateither extreme of maternal age may offer prevention opportunities. All women should be made aware of prevention opportunities, such as folic acid supplementation, to reduce the occurrence of birth defects.
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