ABSTRACT
Increasing numbers of women are having children in their later reproductive years. This chapter will outline the changing demographics in the “older gravida” and discuss pregnancy issues unique to this group. While there are numerous pregnancy complications that have historically been associated with advancing maternal age, we will see that many of them have minimal impact if an older woman is healthy. If a pre-pregnancy evaluation shows the absence of complicating factors a mature woman can be optimistic about the likelihood of a good pregnancy outcome.
