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Effect of maternal age on uterine flow impedance
Author(s) -
Pirhonen Jouko,
Bergersen Tone Kristin,
Abdlenoor Michael,
Dubiel Marius,
Gudmundsson Saemundur
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/jcu.20079
Subject(s) - medicine , uterine artery , confounding , pulsatility index , gestational age , pregnancy , obstetrics , univariate analysis , blood flow , gynecology , gestation , multivariate analysis , fetus , genetics , biology
Purpose This study was conducted to determine possible maternal age‐related changes in uterine artery impedance in normal late pregnancy. Patients and Methods In a cross‐sectional design study, Doppler velocimetry of the uterine vessels was performed in 884 pregnant women with normal, late, singleton pregnancies. We hypothesized that maternal age is associated with changes in uterine blood flow Doppler parameters. We tested for univariate associations and for an adjusted relationship between these factors using a multivariate model to control for confounders. Results We found a statistically significant, nonlinear relationship between mean uterine artery impedance (pulsatility index) and maternal age, with an increase of the pulsatility index in women above the age of 35. This association continued to be significant even when adjusted for gestational age and parity as confounders. Conclusions In normal pregnancy, an increase in uterine artery impedance was noted in women above the age of 35. This finding may be related to the physiologic process of aging and may partly explain why pregnancies in older women are associated with diverse complications more often than those in younger women. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 33:14–17, 2005