Abstract
Gestations at the extremes of reproductive age are characterized as high-risk pregnancies, conditions that might influence colostrum composition. This first milk secretion contains nutrients necessary for the development and immunity of the newborn; therefore, this study aims to compare adolescent and advanced maternal age mothers regarding sociodemographic, gestational, and perinatal characteristics and the colostrum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in these groups of study. This cross-sectional study has compared sociodemographic, gestational and perinatal data from adolescent mothers (between 10 and 24 years old) (n = 117), advanced maternal age mothers (over 35 years of age) (n = 39) and mothers considered a control group (25 to 34 years old) (n = 58). Additionally, colostrum samples were obtained from the studied and control group subjects by manual milking, between 48 and 72 hours postpartum, and the samples were analyzed for cytokine concentrations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The majority of the studied mothers reported living a stable union, and 81.2% of the adolescent mothers did not carry out any paid activity. Mothers with advanced maternal age mainly delivered by cesarean section and presented a higher body mass index (BMI). Neonatal weight and Apgar score were not different between the groups. The concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were higher in the colostrum of mothers with advanced age compared to adolescent mothers, but did not differ from the control group. The concentrations of IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha did not differ between the three groups. Therefore, our data demonstrated that maternal age influenced the sociodemographic and gestational characteristics as well as the composition of colostrum cytokines.
Highlights
Gestations at the extremes of reproductive age are have become more frequent in the last decade, and such conditions are characterized as high-risk pregnancies, defined as "those in which the life or health of the mother and/or the fetus and/or the newborn are more likely to be affected than the mean population considered” [1]
Obstetric complications are observed in the pregnancies of advanced maternal age mothers, including antepartum hemorrhage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), anomalous presentation, macrosomia, dystocia, prolonged gestation, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, and preterm labor [5,6,7]
The sample size was composed of 158 nursing mothers in the control group, 117 in the group of adolescents, and 39 in the advanced maternal age group
Summary
Gestations at the extremes of reproductive age are have become more frequent in the last decade, and such conditions are characterized as high-risk pregnancies, defined as "those in which the life or health of the mother and/or the fetus and/or the newborn are more likely to be affected than the mean population considered” [1] In this context, adolescence pregnancies present higher rates of obstetric complications, and are considered a public health problem in some developing countries, as they carry social and biological outcomes, for example dropping out of school, social isolation, temporary or permanent education interruption, emotional instability and a stable union with a partner at an early stage of life [2,3,4]. Obstetric complications are observed in the pregnancies of advanced maternal age mothers, including antepartum hemorrhage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes, IUGR, anomalous presentation, macrosomia, dystocia, prolonged gestation, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, and preterm labor [5,6,7]
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