The researchers found that the risk of non-chromosomal birth defects increased by a fifth for births to women under 22 years of age, while the risk increased by about 15 percent for women over the age of 32

Women between the ages of 23 and 32 have the lowest likelihood of giving birth to children with central nervous system defects that impact brain and spinal development, a study has found.

The research has also highlighted the increased risks associated with pregnancies in the teenage years or early twenties, which were linked to a higher incidence of central nervous system defects, and pregnancies in older women, which were associated with malformations of the head, neck, eyes, and ears.

The study conducted by scientists from the University of Semmelweis in Hungary involved analyzing data from 31,128 pregnancies with confirmed non-chromosomal birth defects, registered between 1980 and 2009. This data was compared with over 2.8 million births registered with Hungary’s Central Bureau of Statistics during the same 30-year period.

The researchers emphasized the need for modernized pregnancy safety screening tools, considering that the average childbearing age in the developed world has been gradually increasing over the past few decades.

According to the study which was published in the BJOG, an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, younger mothers often face challenges related to unpreparedness for pregnancy and unhealthy lifestyle factors such as drug and alcohol use. On the other hand, older women are exposed to environmental stressors, including air pollution, which may contribute to their increased risk of certain birth defects.

The average age of first-time mothers in the United States has reached an all-time high, with women now giving birth for the first time at around the age of 30, compared to 27.2 years in 2000 and 24.6 years in 1970. Various factors have contributed to this trend, including shifts in social and cultural norms leading to delayed marriage, increased focus on leisure activities and travel, improved prospects for women in the labor market, and financial considerations.

The researchers discovered that the risk of non-chromosomal birth defects increased by a fifth for births to women under 22 years of age, while the risk increased by about 15 percent for women over the age of 32.

Specifically, younger mothers had a 25 percent higher risk of central nervous system defects in their babies, while older mothers showed a 100 percent higher risk of having a baby with deformities affecting the eyes, ears, face, and neck, as well as heart defects and malformations of the urinary system.

Dr Boglárka Pethő, the study’s lead author, highlighted the potential influence of lifestyle factors such as smoking, drug or alcohol use, and unpreparedness for pregnancy among younger mothers. For older mothers, factors such as exposure to chemicals, air pollution, and the natural aging processes of egg cells and endometrium may play a role in the increased risk of birth defects.

The study’s focus was on non-genetic birth defects that are not influenced by the mother’s genes. Previous research has already established a connection between older maternal age and certain genetic conditions, including Down syndrome.

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