The Biomedicalization of Advanced Maternal Age

在过去的50年里，35岁或35岁以上首次生育的女性数量急剧增加。这个项目调查了一个悖论，涉及到与高龄产妇相关的风险。医学专家认为，高龄怀孕是遗传异常、妊娠并发症和不良妊娠结局的高风险。然而，年龄较大的第一次怀孕的母亲更有可能在社会和经济上处于有利地位，这可以改善与高风险怀孕相关的结局。使用访谈和文本分析相结合的方法，这个项目检查了生物医学研究人员、临床医生和妇女如何解释和谈判与高龄产妇相关的风险。该项目将扩大和加强学术界和公众对高龄产妇年龄及其对晚年追求生育能力的妇女的重要性的理解。该项目使用多种定性方法来审查关于高龄产妇年龄的生物医学知识的产生和传播及其在35岁或35岁以上首次生育的妇女中的接受程度。深度访谈的目标是临床医生专家和母亲的样本。这项研究还包括对文本的批评性话语分析，包括发表的医学、公共卫生和社会科学研究，专业医学协会的临床指导，以及流行的建议书籍和媒体对高龄产妇的报道。该项目推进了关于生物医学、健康和生殖的社会学理论，并解决了关于生殖风险的紧迫的医学和社会问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.