Premium
“The Last Egg in the Basket?” Elderly Primiparity—A Review of Findings
Author(s) -
Harker Lisa,
Thorpe Karen
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
birth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.233
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1523-536X
pISSN - 0730-7659
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-536x.1992.tb00368.x
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , context (archaeology) , psychological adaptation , developmental psychology , pregnancy , psychology , adaptation (eye) , clinical psychology , geography , biology , archaeology , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , computer science , genetics
The recent trend of later childbearing among primiparous women is examined with attention to its possible motivations and how they might relate to maternal and infant outcomes. The influence of psychological factors is examined in the context of the inconsistencies in the obstetric literature regarding the risk factors associated with advancing maternal age. An interplay of psychological and biologic factors in determining the outcome of pregnancy and adaptation to motherhood in elderly primiparous women is proposed in terms of the compensatory as opposed to cumulative effect of psychological factors. The adoption of a broad perspective in the study of the experience of later motherhood is recommended as the direction for future research.