What does this mean? In the U.S., women who are 35 years and over who are giving birth are considered "Advanced Maternal Age" (AMA). According to the research, only about 15% of women who are giving birth are 35 years are older, however it's hard not to believe that rings true in NYC. I would estimate that about 1/3 of my clients could be categorized as AMA. The important thing to know about this, if you are 35 or over, is that your care provider may apply different policies to you than if you were under 35. Please read this very important article from Evidence Based Birth by Rebekkah Dekker, Mimi Niles, and Alicia Breaky for some well-rearched info on what AMA means in pregnancy: