Title:Postponing Motherhood: A Demographic and Contemporary Issue
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Author(s): Patrícia Félix Nazaré*, Ana Sofia Fernandes Pais and Margarida Figueiredo-Dias
Affiliation:
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Keywords:
Maternal age, aging, fertility, fertility preservation, reproductive behavior, cryopreservation, reproductive techniques.
Abstract: Background: During the last decades, the postponement of motherhood became a reality
in developed countries, leading to inevitable medical consequences, both maternal and fetal. Fertility
preservation techniques constitute a matter of discussion in the context of voluntary delay of
pregnancy.
Objective: This study aims to analyse the causes of the postponement of motherhood, to address
the maternal and fetal consequences and to explore the solutions to this problem, one of which is
the applicability of fertility preservation techniques.
Methods: A bibliographic search of studies published between 2008 and 2020 was conducted in
the PubMed database using the MeSH terms “fertility preservation” and “maternal age”, among
others.
Results: The reasons that lead to the postponement of motherhood are the difficulty in establishing
stable relationships, the expansion of differentiated education and demanding labor conditions, the
use of contraceptive methods, economic insecurity, ideational changes and the lack of information
about this issue. The increased infertility, fetal death, chromosomal anomalies, multiple pregnancies,
preterm birth and increased caesarean sections are the associated medical consequences. The
review of social policies and the provision of information about fertility constitute possible solutions
to this phenomenon. Fertility preservation techniques, especially oocyte cryopreservation, appear
as an option but cannot totally compensate for the age-related fertility decline.
Conclusion: Advanced maternal age is a public health issue, essentially explained by a set of interconnected
social factors, involving considerable risks for maternal and fetal health. Fertility preservation
techniques, although promising, may contribute to the perpetuation of this reality.
