Risk factors for cesarean section of primiparous women aged over 35 years

BACKGROUND: To determine the perinatal outcome of pregnancy in primiparous women over 35 years of age and to evaluate determinants predicting cesarean delivery in these women. METHODS: Two hundred and seven mothers aged at least 35 years (1.8% of the total deliveries) delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology between 1995 and 2000. These women were matched with women aged 20-29 years according to gravidity. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of cesarean delivery, with controls for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: Cesarean section was 2.09-fold more prevalent among the older than among the younger women; the difference being significant (odds ratio, OR=3.36, 95%CI 2.22-5.09; p<0.001). The advanced maternal age was associated with a significantly higher rate of assisted reproductive techniques involvement (OR 6.54; 95%CI 3.54-12.38; p<0.001). The difference between the rates of preeclampsia in the two groups did not reach the level of significance (OR 1.85; 95%CI 1.02-3.34; p=0.056). There were no significant differences in perinatal outcome between the two groups. The logistic regression model demonstrated an increased risk of cesarean section among the primiparous women aged over 35 years. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of cesarean section at this advanced age is 6.54-fold. The determinants are included in the pregnancy, delivery and neonatal outcome.     

Maternal and perinatal outcome in nulliparous women aged 35 and older

OBJECTIVE: To compare the maternal and perinatal outcome of nulliparous women 35 years and older at the time of delivery with nulliparous women 25-29 years old. METHODS: A retrospective review of maternal and newborn records of singleton gestations only for first birth in women aged 35 and older (study group n = 143) were compared with pregnancies of women aged 25-29 (control group, n = 148) delivered at the same period with respect to pregnancy complications and outcome. The study was performed at the Princess Badeea Teaching Hospital in North Jordan between January 1, 1996 and July 1, 2000. RESULTS: Most of the elderly nulliparous women were professionals (60%) and 20% had a history of infertility. Compared with women aged 20-29 years, women delivering their first child at or >35 years were at increased risk of weight gain, obesity, chronic and pregnancy-induced hypertension, antepartum haemorrhage, multiple gestation, malpresentation, and premature rupture of membranes. Women aged 35 years and older were also substantially more likely to have preterm labour, oxytocin use, and caesarean births. The older women differed significantly in neonatal outcomes: gestational age, birth weight, preterm delivery, low birth weight, small for gestational age, fetal distress and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that nulliparous women 35 years and older had higher risk of antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal complications than nulliparous women aged 25-29 years, but these risks, for the most part, are manageable in the context of modern obstetrics. The excess rate of caesarean sections is only partially accounted for by gestational complications. Despite the increased risk of complications, perinatal death of the study group was similar to that of the control group. There were no maternal deaths.     

A population-based cohort study of birth and neonatal outcome in older primipara.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the risk of adverse birth outcome in older primiparous women. METHODS: We identified 14,676 primiparae of 20 years of age or more from 1991 to 1996 using the Birth Registry in the North Jutland County, Denmark. We evaluated the risk of adverse birth outcome in the primiparous women aged 30-34 years and above 35 years using the primiparae aged 20-29 years at time of birth as reference. RESULTS: The risks of induced labor, perineotomy, stimulating contraction and vacuum extraction were significantly higher (adjusted odds ratio: 1.3 to 1.7) in the primiparae of 35 years or more. The odds ratio for cesarean section delivery was 2.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.7-2.6) and the odds ratio for delivering a low birth weight child among the primiparae of 35 years or more was 2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.4-3.3) compared with the primiparae of 20-29 years of age. These risk estimates were independent of women's infertility treatment history. CONCLUSIONS: A negative effect of maternal age on birth and neonatal outcome may be seen even after 30 years of age and is partly related to chronic diseases. However, it is impossible to rule out selection bias, but the actual risk must be taken into consideration in antenatal care.     

Comparison of Perception of Pregnancy Risk of Nulliparous Women of Advanced Maternal Age and Younger Age

Introduction : Over the last 3 decades, the proportion of women who have delayed childbearing into their mid 30s and early 40s has been increasing. Because advanced maternal age (AMA) is associated with several adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes, these pregnancies are considered to be “high risk.” Research indicates that pregnancy risk perception is an important factor in pregnant women's health care use and decision making during pregnancy. The objectives of this study were to compare risk perception in pregnant women of AMA (aged 35 years or older) with that of younger women and to explore the relationship between perception of pregnancy risk and selected variables. Methods : A sample of 159 nulliparous pregnant women (105 aged 20‐29 years and 54 aged 35 years or older) was recruited from a variety of settings in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Women were asked to complete questionnaires to assess perception of pregnancy risk, risk knowledge, pregnancy‐related anxiety, perceived control, health status, and medical risk. Results : Women of AMA had higher education levels, were more likely to work during pregnancy, and had higher medical risk scores than younger women. Women of AMA perceived higher pregnancy risk for both themselves and their fetuses than did younger women. They rated their risks of cesarean birth, dying during pregnancy, preterm birth, and having a newborn with a birth defect or one needing admission to a neonatal intensive care unit higher than those of younger women. There were no significant differences between the 2 age groups in pregnancy‐related anxiety, knowledge of risk, perceived control, and health status. Discussion : Women of AMA have a higher perception of pregnancy risk than younger women, regardless of their medical risk. This evidence suggests that incorporating discussions of pregnancy risk into prenatal care visits may assist pregnant women of AMA to make more informed choices, reduce anxiety, and avoid unnecessary interventions.     

Pregnancy outcomes in urban black South African women aged 35 years and older.

We measured maternal and fetal outcomes for black South African women of age 35 years and above, compared with younger controls. The study was carried out at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Maternity Hospital and the Soweto Community Health Centres, that provide maternity services for urban black pregnant women. This was a retrospective pregnancy cohort, comparing pregnant women aged 35 and above with a control group aged 20-29 years. Early pregnancy losses (<20 weeks) were excluded. There were 1047 women in each arm of the study. Frequencies of hypertension (22.8%), gestational diabetes (0.9%), and prelabour rupture of the membranes (6.9%) were significantly higher for older women. Perinatal mortality rates (42/1000 vs. 33/1000) did not differ significantly. Antepartum admission, induction of labour, caesarean section and neonatal admission were required more frequently in older women. We conclude that pregnancy at age 35 years and above is often difficult and expensive, requiring hospital based interventions to maintain a low perinatal mortality rate.     

Pregnancy outcome at age 40 and older

Objective: Our purpose was to examine pregnancy outcomes among women age 40 or older. Methods: Between January, 1997 and December 1999, we performed a case-control study compared pregnancy outcomes of 468 patients delivered at our hospital at > Or = 40 years old with outcomes in a control group consisting of the next two deliveries of women with ages 20 to 29 years. Retrospective analysis of the antepartum and intrapartum records was done to compare clinical outcome. Results: Approximately 25,356 women delivered during the study period, and 468 (1.8%). Of these women were at age 40 or older. Of this latter group, 50 (10.7%) were nulliparous. Mean birthweight of infants delivered by older nulliparous women was significantly lower than that among nulliparous controls (3210 ± 5 vs. 3320 ± 1 g), whereas mean birth weight in the group of older multiparous was not different than that among younger multiparous controls (3370 ± 1 vs. 3365 ± 4 g). Gestational age at delivery was significantly lower among older nulliparous, and multiparous compared with nulliparous and multiparous younger controls. Older women were at increased risk for cesarean delivery (nulliparous 18%; multiparous 14%) compared with nulliparous and multiparous younger control groups (nulliparous 8%; multiparous 6%). In the study group, the operative vaginal delivery rate was higher than that of the control group. The study groups were more likely to develop gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and placenta praevia. Older nulliparous had an increased incidence of malpresentation, abnormal labour patterns, special care baby unit admission (SCBU), and low 1-minute Apgar score. Older multiparous were more likely to experience birth asphyxia, premature rupture of membranes, and antepartum vaginal bleeding. Conclusion: Nulliparous women age 40 or over have a higher risk of operative delivery than do youngr nulliparous women. This increase occurs in spite of lower birth weight and gestational age and may be explained by the increase incidence of obstetric complications. Although maternal morbidity was increased in the older women, the overall neonatal outcome did not appear to be affected. Received: 10 May 2000 / Accepted: 26 July 2000     

The course of pregnancy and delivery in women after genetic amniocentesis before and after 35 years of age

OBJECTIVES: The demand for genetic amniocentesis in case of young pregnant women has significantly increased due to various new indications. Moreover, nowadays a growing number of women aged > or =35, who required genetic amniocentesis, get pregnant The aim of the following study has been to compare the course of the pregnancy, the delivery and the condition of the newborn in two groups of patients: 18-34 years old and > or =35 years old. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 783 women underwent the procedure of amniocentesis at the Department of Obstetrics of Medical University of Gdansk in 1996-2003. A group of 540 women, who answered the questionnaire about the course of the pregnancy and the delivery after the procedure, has been isolated. RESULTS: Fetal loss occurred in 2 cases (1.6%) in the group of the younger women and in 8 cases (0.8%) in the group of > or =35 year-olds (p=0.84). There was no statistically significant difference between younger and older patients when comparing complications after the procedure in the first three weeks following amniocentesis: spotting, bleeding, leakage of amniotic fluid. Frequency of late complications such as gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy induced hypertension and urinary tract infections were comparable in both age groups women. Cesarean section has been more frequently performed in case of the older women than in the group of younger patients, with statistical difference p=0.003. In most cases (33.9%) it has been an elective cesarean section, performed due to advanced maternal age rather than any obstetric cause. Frequency of pneumonia and the number of respiratory infections in the newborns have been comparable in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal invasive diagnosis has no influence on frequency of complications during pregnancy and delivery in the group of women less than 35 years old and more than 35 years old.     

Obstetrics and perinatal outcome of adolescent nulliparous pregnant women

OBJECTIVE: To study obstetrics and perinatal outcome in nulliparous teenage singleton pregnancies at a referral teaching hospital in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. METHOD: All singleton births during 1996-2000 of nulliparous mothers aged < or =17 years at King Fahd University Hospital were reviewed (n = 102) and compared with births of a control group of nulliparous mothers aged 20-24 years who delivered during the same period (n = 102). RESULTS: The incidence of nulliparous teenage pregnancies was 0.8%. As compared with women aged 20-24 years, women of 17 years or less were at higher risk of very preterm birth (p < 0.05). The 5-min Apgar scores were not different between the two groups. Babies born to younger mothers had a significantly lower birth weight than those born to older mothers (p < 0.001); the incidence of a low birth weight (<2,500 g) was significantly lower in the control group (p < 0.04). There were no significant differences in distribution of mode of delivery, admission to the special care baby unit, antenatal complications, cesarean section indications, perinatal mortality rate, and early neonatal complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The increase in the very preterm births and the subsequently lower birth weight observed in nulliparous teenage women suggest that the maternal age may be a risk factor for very preterm births and associated long-term hazards.     

Advanced maternal age as a risk factor for cesarean delivery

The rate of delivery by cesarean has increased steadily in the United States since the 1970s. The reasons for this increase are not fully established. Improved diagnosis of maternal and fetal complications, medicolegal concerns, and the changing age composition of childbearing women have been cited as contributing factors. To assess whether advanced maternal age by itself is an indicator for a primary cesarean delivery, we analyzed data from the vital records of all female residents of King County, Washington 35 years and older (N = 2985) who had a live singleton birth in 1986 or 1987. These women were compared with a sample of women 20-29 years old (N = 6140) who gave birth in the same time period and geographic area. Primiparous and multiparous women 35 years and older were at a similar increased risk of cesarean (relative risk = 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.4). Primiparous women of all ages experienced more complications of pregnancy and labor and higher cesarean delivery rates. However, among primiparous mothers with no recorded complications, older women were at significantly increased risk of cesarean birth (relative risk = 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.8-3.5). This analysis suggests that advanced maternal age alone may influence a physician's decision regarding method of delivery, thereby placing some older women at an unnecessary risk of cesarean.     

Advanced maternal age: the mature gravida

A 3-year study of women ages 35 years and older who were delivered at Women's Hospital of Long Beach from January 1, 1981, to December 31, 1983, was performed to study the risks involved with advanced maternal age. The study group included 1023 women who were 35 years and older, and they were divided into parous and nulliparous groups. A control group consisting of 5343 women aged 20 to 25 years was used for comparison. Each group was analyzed for the following parameters: pregnancy complications, labor complications, delivery factors, and neonatal outcome. The results show very few statistical differences in the factors analyzed. On the basis of this 3-year study it appears that pregnancies in women of advanced maternal age in the 1980s who are delivered in a modern tertiary care center may be of no higher risk for adverse outcome than pregnancies in younger parturients.     

40岁以上妇女妊娠结局分析

目的 了解４０岁以上高龄妇女的妊娠及其对分娩的影响。方法 对９３例４０岁以上孕妇（观察组）进行了回顾性与同期分娩的３０岁以下孕妇１８６例（对照组）作对照分析。结果 观察组妊娠合并子宫肌瘤、盆腔子宫内划位症及心脏病发生率（分别为１ ２．９％￣１２．９％及１０．８％）显著高于对照组,其妊娠高综合征、前肋及产后出血发生率（分别为３１．２％、８．６％及１９．４％）显著 对照组。观察组剖（９３．６％）及择期     

Impact of advanced maternal age on pregnancy outcome

The aim of this study was to compare the pregnancy outcome and delivery complications in women 40 years or older (cases) to that of women 20 to 30 years old (controls). Over a 5-year period, 319 cases had a singleton delivery in our institution. These women were compared with 326 controls. Parity was significantly higher in cases compared with controls (3.2 vs. 1.8). Advanced maternal age, compared with younger age, was associated with significantly higher rates of preterm delivery (16.0 vs. 8.0%), cesarean delivery (CS) (31.3 vs. 13.5%), and the occurrence of one or more antepartum complications (29.5 vs. 16.6%). When the two groups were subdivided according to parity, rates of preterm delivery, CS, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chronic hypertension, and labor induction were each significantly higher among older multiparas compared with control multiparas. However, only preterm delivery, CS rates, and uterine fibroids were found to be significantly higher in older nulliparous compared with young nulliparous women. We conclude that multiparous women at least 40 years old have a higher antepartum complication rate including intrauterine fetal death compared with younger women.     

Delayed Parenthood and the Risk of Cesarean Delivery—Is Paternal Age an Independent Risk Factor?

Abstract: Background: Between 1995 and 2001, the average cesarean section rates in Taiwan were as high as 33.34 percent. This study set out to determine the independent effects of paternal age on the likelihood of cesarean delivery among a sample of Taiwanese women. Methods: Logistic regressions were used to analyze 310,574 singleton deliveries by nulliparous women in Taiwan between 1999 and 2001, linking data abstracted from birth certificates and from the National Health Insurance claims database. After controlling for socioeconomic, pregnancy, and obstetric complications, as well as institutional factors, we investigated both maternal and paternal ages simultaneously, using the single category variable “parental age” to determine the differential age effects on the risk of cesarean delivery. Results: Taking 20‐ to 29‐year‐old couples as the reference group, we observed that the relative risks of cesarean delivery become progressively higher with advancing age of the mother. At the same time, within each maternal group, positive and significant variations in cesarean rates occurred for different paternal age groups. The respective increases in the relative risks of cesarean delivery for men aged 20–29, 30–34, 35–39, and 40 years or more, in conjunction with women aged 20–29, 30–34 and 35 or over, are 34 percent from 1.00 to 1.34, 18 percent from 1.51 to 1.69, and 16 percent from 2.03 to 2.19. Other confounding variables are also taken into account. Conclusions: Irrespective of maternal age, advancing paternal age also appears to be an additional independent factor that has a strong association with the increase in cesarean section rates. (BIRTH 33:1 March 2006)     

Pregnancy after 40 years of age

Using a 1982-4 computerized data base from a perinatal network, 511 pregnancies in women whose age was 40 or more years at delivery were studied. The oldest woman was 52 years of age. This represented 1.2% of the 41,335 women delivering. Their pregnancy outcomes were compared with those in 26,759 whose age at delivery was 20 to 30 years. The older women were more parous and had higher weights. There was also an increased frequency of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and placenta previa in the older women. These changes had a significant impact on the fetus for the older women had an increase in infant macrosomia, male sex, stillbirths, and low Apgar scores. They also had a higher incidence of cesarean section and fewer forcep deliveries. The older women whose weight was less than 67.5 kg at delivery did not show any difference in hypertension, fetal macrosomia, fetal death rates, or low infant Apgar scores. Also older of low parity did not have an increase in placenta previa. The older women of normal weight and low parity showed a higher frequency of diabetes mellitus and cesarean section delivery, but their infant outcomes were not different from the control groups. Thus older women of low parity and normal weight managed by modern obstetric methods can expect a good pregnancy outcome.     

Effect of parity and advanced maternal age on obstetric outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of parity on obstetric outcome in women aged 40 years or older. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of 16 427 singleton pregnancies delivered between 1998 and 2001 was studied. Obstetric outcomes in women aged 40 years or older versus women younger than 40 years were compared for both nulliparous and multiparous women. RESULTS: Of the 15 727 pregnancies (95.7%) that satisfied the inclusion criteria, 606 (3.9%) were in women aged 40 years or older. Advanced age was independently associated with cesarean delivery, birth and spontaneous preterm labor before 37 weeks, and low birth weight neonates in nulliparous women, but only with preterm birth before 37 weeks and cesarean delivery in multiparous women. CONCLUSION: Obstetric outcome in women aged 40 years or older was influenced by parity. Cesarean delivery and preterm birth before 37 weeks were independently associated with older age irrespective of parity. Advanced age is a risk factor for preterm birth.     

Pregnancy outcome in women aged 40 years or more

Objective: The study aimed to analyze the pregnancy outcome of women aged 40 years or more. Methods: A matched retrospective cohort study comparing women aged 40 years or more with a control group aged 20 to 30 years is described. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted for the prediction of preterm birth and cesarean delivery. Results: Pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia and placenta previa were similar in both groups, but a higher rate of gestational diabetes was found in elderly patients (odds ratio [OR] 3.820, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.400–10.400; p < 0.0001). Preterm delivery was significantly more frequent in elderly women (OR 1.847, 95% CI = 1.123–3.037; p = 0.020). Gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension were strongly associated with preterm delivery and advanced maternal age was not an independent risk factor for preterm delivery. The cesarean delivery rate was significantly higher in the study group (OR 3.234, 95% CI = 2.266–4.617; p < 0.0001). The variables most influencing the cesarean delivery rate were maternal age, analgesia, parity, premature rupture of the membranes and gestational hypertension. No significant differences were detected in neonatal birth weight and Apgar score. Conclusions: Patients aged 40 years or more have been demonstrated to carry a favorable pregnancy and neonatal outcome, similar to younger patients. The risk of cesarean delivery was higher in patients with advanced maternal age, in nulliparous and in women with a previous cesarean section. The risk of preterm delivery was not related to age but it was strongly associated with gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension.     

Childbearing beyond age 40: pregnancy outcome in 24,032 cases

Objective: To examine pregnancy outcomes in women age 40 or older.Methods: We used data from the California Health Information for Policy Project, which consists of linked records from the birth certificate and the hospital discharge record of both mother and newborn of all births that occurred in acute care civilian hospitals in California between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 1993. The study population consisted of all women who delivered at age 40 or over. The control population was women who delivered between age 20 and 29 years during this 2-year period. We reviewed gestational age at delivery, birth weight, mode and type of delivery, discharge summary and birth certificate demographics, birth outcome, pregnancy, and delivery data.Results: Approximately 1,160,000 women delivered during the study period, and 24,032 (2%) of these women were age 40 or older. Of this latter group, 4777 (20%) were nulliparous. The cesarean delivery rate for nulliparous women in the study population was 47.0%, and the rate for multiparous patients in this group was 29.6%. The cesarean delivery rate was 22.5% for nulliparous and 17.8% for multiparous women in the control group. In the older group, the operative vaginal delivery rate (forceps and vacuum) was 14.2% for nulliparous women and 6.3% for multiparous women. Rates of birth asphyxia, fetal growth restriction, malpresentation, and gestational diabetes were significantly higher among older nulliparas (6, 2.5, 11, and 7%, respectively) compared with rates among control nulliparas (4, 1.4, 6, and 1.7%, respectively), and there were similar significant increases among older multiparas (3.4, 1.4, 6.9, and 7.8%, respectively), compared with younger multiparous controls (2.4, 1, 3.7, and 1.6%, respectively). Mean (± standard error) birth weight of infants delivered by older nulliparous women was 3201 ± 10 g, significantly lower than that among nulliparous controls (3317 ± 1 g), whereas mean birth weight in the group of older multiparas (3381 ± 5 g) was no different than that among younger multiparous controls (3387 ± 1 g). Gestational age at delivery was significantly lower among older nulliparas (273.4 ± 0.4 days), compared with nulliparous controls (278.5 ± 0.05 days), and similarly lower among older multiparous women (274.0 ± 0.2 days), compared with multiparous controls (278.3 ± 0.05 days). More white women age 40 or over than younger white women were having a first child (64 and 39%, respectively).Conclusion: Nulliparous women age 40 or over have a higher risk of operative delivery (cesarean, forceps, and vacuum deliveries: 61%) than do younger nulliparous women (35%). This increase occurs in spite of lower birth weight and gestational age and may be explained largely by the increase in other complications of pregnancy. The increased frequency at which white women are having their first child at age 40 or over may reflect career choices that involve delaying childbirth until the fifth decade of life. These data will allow us better to counsel patients about their pregnancy expectations and possible outcomes.     

The association of maternal age and symptomatic uterine rupture during a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery

OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether maternal age is associated with a symptomatic uterine rupture during a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients undergoing a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery over a 12-year period. We analyzed the labors of women with one prior cesarean and no prior vaginal deliveries. The uterine rupture rate was determined with respect to maternal age. Multiple logistic regression was used to control for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Overall, 32 (1.1%) uterine ruptures occurred among 3015 women. For women younger than 30 years, the risk of uterine rupture was 0.5%, and for those women aged at least 30 years, the risk of uterine rupture was 1.4% (P =.02). Controlling for birth weight, induction, augmentation, and interdelivery interval, the odds ratio for symptomatic uterine rupture for women aged at least 30 years compared with those less than 30 years was 3.2 (95% confidence interval 1.2, 8.4). CONCLUSION: Women aged 30 years or older have a greater risk of uterine rupture as compared with women younger than 30 years.     

Pregnancy outcome in elderly primigravidae with and without a history of infertility

Summary. The pregnancy outcome of 196 primigravidae aged 35 years or over, with no history of involuntary infertility, was compared with that of 196 matched primigravidae aged 20–25 years, and also with 72'elderly' primigravidae (35 years) whose pregnancies had followed a period of involuntary infertility of at least 1 year. The older primigravidae with no history of infertility had a four-fold risk of preterm (<37 weeks) delivery, a five-fold risk of caesarean section and significantly increased rates of vaginal operative delivery, chronic hypertension and fibroids, when compared with the primigravidae between 20 and 25 years of age. They also showed a greater tendency to severe preeclampsia and perinatal death, but these differences were not statistically significant. Elective caesarean section was twice as common in the older women with a history of infertility than in those without such a history (20.8% compared with 10.7%) although this difference was not statistically significant. No other differences in pregnancy outcome were found between the two'elderly' groups.     

Pregnancy and labor in obese women

DESIGN: An assessment of the course of pregnancy, labour and perinatal outcome in obese women was performed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 127 obese (BMI > 27) and 1315 non-obese healthy women with singleton pregnancy were compared. All the women gave birth in 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University in Warsaw. RESULTS: Weight gain during pregnancy was markedly lower in obese women. The total percentage of gestational complications was significantly higher in pre-pregnancy obese women as well as the rate of cesarean deliveries. The birth weight and neonatal outcome was similar in analyzed groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy in obese women is associated with increased risk of complications reflecting the higher rate of cesarean deliveries.