The average age of first-time mothers last year was 30.9 years, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday, urging pregnant women to regularly make use of government-funded prenatal checkups to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications associated with higher maternal age.
Last year, the average age of mothers at childbirth was 32.03 years, and 30.12 percent of all babies born had mothers of advanced maternal age (35 or older), the HPA said, citing Ministry of the Interior data.
Of last year’s 178,665 live births, 6,352, or 11.65 percent, of the 54,523 babies with mothers of advanced maternal age had a low birth weight (less than 2,5kg), the HPA said, adding that only 8.84 percent of babies with mothers aged 20 to 34 had a low birth weight.
The stillbirth rate was 1.56 percent among mothers of advanced maternal age, and 0.99 percent among mothers aged 20 to 34, it said.
The HPA said that as higher maternal age is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal perinatal outcomes, it advises pregnant women who are 35 or older to get prenatal checkups regularly.
The government funds 10 prenatal exams, including one ultrasound scan and one Group B streptococcus screening, it added.
Pregnant women should seek immediate medical attention if they experience signs of premature labor, which include contractions every 10 to 15 minutes or less, menstrual-like cramps in the lower abdomen, increased pressure in the pelvis or vagina, lower-back ache and an increase in fluid leaking from the vagina, the HPA said.
Pregnant women should not smoke or inhale second-hand smoke, drink alcohol or get an X-ray exam, which could increase the risk of miscarriage or birth defects, it said.
If a doctor has said a pregnancy is high risk, thorough prenatal checkups are advised and the baby should be delivered at hospitals that specialize in medium to serious emergency treatment, which can be found on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Web site, the HPA said.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
RSS