Pregnancy Outcome in Women Aged 40 Years and Above: A Cross Sectional Study.

Objectives: The primary objective was to evaluate maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women aged 40 years or older, compared to those aged 35-39 and 20-34 years. The secondary objective was to assess caesarean section rates and indications in the same age groups. Methodology: This retrospective case-control study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, from January 2014 to July 2020.After taking ethical clearance, pregnant women who delivered after 24 weeks of gestation from January 2014 to July 2020 were recruited in this study and divided into three groups: 40 years and above (group A), 35-39 years (group B), and controls aged 20-34 years (group C). Multiple pregnancies were excluded. 43 pregnant women aged 40 years & above and 99 pregnant women aged 35-39 years who delivered during the study period were included in groups A and B respectively, while 100 control cases were randomly allocated to group C. Their case records were analysed Statistical analyses included t-tests/ANOVA for continuous variables and Chisquare/Fisher's exact tests for categorical data, with Results: Infertility was highest in women aged ≥ 40 years (30.23%, Conclusion: Maternal age significantly influences obstetric outcomes, with higher risks of GDM, infertility, and lower vaginal delivery rates in older women. These findings highlight the need for age-specific management to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.