Is maternal age an independent risk factor for fetal loss

DESIGN AND SETTING To study the effects of maternal age on fetal loss, data on reproductive outcomes were obtained from three Danish populationbased health registries. Reproductive outcome was defined as live birth, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, hydatidiform mole, ectopic pregnancy, or induced abortion. The risk of fetal loss according to maternal age was estimated as a proportion of all pregnancies intended to be carried to term—that is, live births, stillbirths, spontaneous abortions (including hydatidiform mole), and ectopic pregnancies. To assess the risk of stillbirth according to maternal age, only pregnancies at risk of becoming a stillbirth (ie, a pregnancy carried to 28 weeks or longer) were taken into consideration, and consequently, the risk constitutes the proportion of stillbirths among all births.