The Biomedicalization of Advanced Maternal Age

University Of South Carolina At Columbia, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

The number of women giving birth for the first time at age 35 or older has increased dramatically over the last 50 years. This project investigates a paradox involving the risks associated with advanced maternal age. Medical experts regard pregnancies at older ages as high-risk for genetic anomalies, pregnancy complications, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nevertheless, older first-time mothers are more likely to be socially and economically advantaged, which can improve outcomes associated with high-risk pregnancies. Using a combination of interviews and text analysis, this project examines how biomedical researchers, clinicians, and women interpret and negotiate the risks associated with advanced maternal age. The project will expand and enhance scholarly and public understanding of advanced maternal age and its significance for women who pursue biological motherhood later in their reproductive lives. This project uses multiple qualitative approaches to examine the production and dissemination of biomedical knowledge about advanced maternal age and its reception among women who have had first births at age 35 or older. In-depth interviews target samples of clinician experts and mothers. The research also includes a critical discourse analysis of texts, including published medical, public health, and social scientific research, clinical guidance from professional medical associations, and popular advice books and media coverage of advanced maternal age. The project advances sociological theorizing about biomedicalization, health, and reproduction, and addresses pressing medical and social concerns about reproductive risk. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.