Evidence that older birthers need more intervention?

[anney]

Hi all,
I am just wondering if anyone has read anything about older women giving birth, especially for the first time, needing more intervention as their body is not as able as a younger body to labour properly.
I am on a site with a few over 40 women and they all have doctors that encourage c/s but there does not seem to be any hard evidence why. One Ob. said something like"musles don't know how to push". Others are having one as this is their last chance at having a child and a c/s seems to be seen as less likely to have something go wrong while giving birth.
the main reason I ask is that my sister is 35 wks pg. with her first child and is 40 and her Ob. specialises in high risk cases. she is perfectly fine but 40 and it is an IVF pg that they tried 3 years for and the doctor has said he will not let her go more than 2 days overdue! (as it was IVF they do know exact dates)

[MantaRay]

Well I was 35 having my first and had more intervention than having my second at 36! I think it's no different to all births actually - doctors are too quick to jump in with intervention that causes more harm than good in many instances. I am not sure if the studies include maternal age, but I know that the statistics currently show that the maternal and baby mortality rate is two times higher with an elective c/s than vaginal birth. I had friends who had their much awaited IVF baby by c/s as they wanted to take the "safe option", sadly people are just not made aware that the risks are actually greater with a surgical delivery. I personally do not think age alone should significantly change this. It would really have to depend on the individual situation I think.

[Lucy]

I was 35, 36 and 37 for my births: all vaginal, no intervention.

A close GF of mine has 2 children through AC. She is 45 now, giving birth at 41 and 43. No intervention at all. She gave birth to both totally naturally. I might add that she was open to intervention, but just didn't need it.

[Snacks]

Personally, I think it is a load of bollocks and just one way that doctors make women doubt themselves and feel inferior.
I find it hard to believe there is solid evidence for such an approach to birth.

[fionas]

My ob is very low intervention (lowest caesarean rate in Melbourne) and he never once mentioned my age and I was 38 when I gave birth.

I have no evidence for this but I think it may be a self-fulfilling myth. Older women are probably (told you I had no evidence) more likely to have private health cover. Private obs and hospitals are more likely to favour interventions and caesareans (30% caesar rate compared to about 20% in public hospitals).

I had a vaginal birth with epidural and forceps. The epidural made it more likely I would have forceps but I don't think 'needing' the epidural was anything to do with my age - just a long labour with a posterior baby. Posterior babies can happen to anyone!

[jmmum]

I was 41 when I had my DD by CS. My Ob would have been happy for me to have VB and encourages this. As I am little (under 5ft) and have small pelvis I had no option but CS. this would have been the situation regardless of my age!!!

[BellyBelly]

Well they got pregnant didn't they!!!!

Anecdotely, I know some midwives have found that some older womens' labours can be a bit sluggish sometimes (not always) but sometimes need augmentation. I had an older client whos water broke after acupuncture and we could not get labour going after days of stairs, walking, the works - and the hospital luckily gave us a decent amount of time to get it going.

But this is no reason for anyone to think they need to or should accept any form of augmentation, older women should be treated like any other woman and intervention only if it's a medical emergency. Not 'just in case' a woman doesn't labour well because she is older - that is ridiculous. If the Ob doesn't want to be patient and give mum a go, its time to change Obs - or the Ob needs to change careers. Labour involves patience, time and it is so important to a woman, it can't be written off like that.