Is Young Maternal Age Really a Risk Factor for Adverse Pregnancy Outcome in a Canadian Tertiary Referral Hospital?

Objective: To assess the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome among teenage mothers within a large tertiary referral center in Canada. Methods: All nulliparous singleton births in the McGill University Health Centre during 2001-2007 were retrieved using the MOND database. Patients were divided according to maternal age: <20 years (teenage), and between 20 and 39 years. Obstetric and neonatal complications were compared. Results: 9744 nulliparous women were included; 250(2.6%) were teenage and 9494 (97.4%) were 20-39 years old. Teenage mothers tended to deliver earlier (38.0 vs 39.2 weeks gestation, P < 0.001) and had higher rates of extreme prematurity (OR 4.5, 95% CI 2.5-8.1). Babies of teenage mothers had lower birth weights (3014 g vs 3326 g, P < 0.001), higher rates of NICU admission (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-3.0), congenital anomalies (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.6) and combined perinatal and neonatal mortality (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.9-7.5). Logistic regression analysis showed an association between young maternal age and the risk to have at least one adverse outcome (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Even within a large tertiary referral hospital, teenage mothers carry a greater risk of adverse pregnancy outcome, mainly due to preterm births.