hidden factors, my spirit bolstered by research discovering that the
same error had plagued the adolescent pregnancy literature. (I be-
lieve that the trend toward more white middle-class births among teen-
agers and older women in contemporary America has made this er-
ror more readily apparent to scientists.)

I also discovered immediately that researchers often failed to use
statistical tests to verify their hunches about whether their study did
or did not find age-related outcome differences; this omission unfor-
tunately may have led to biased interpretations of the data.

My findings and interpretations are described in this book. I en-
courage others with interest in the scientific study of this important
topic to join me in stepping back and looking at what the literature
really says in order to gain the perspective needed for better research
of age-related pregnancy risks. Only then can the goal of establishing
helpful guidelines for contemporary American women who wish to
consider later-life childbearing be met.

This work began as a doctoral dissertation, and I will be forever
grateful to my thesis committee for giving me free rein in the creation
and execution of this project. I am deeply thankful also to Cheryl
Jorgensen, friend and colleague, who was so generous with her time
in helping me to convert my vague goal into an operational task. Her
ideas and support, along with those of many other friends and col-
leagues, made this work not just tolerable but frequently inspirational;
I thank them all. Two women's groups were important influences on
my thinking as my work progressed: our local Women's. Resource
Center for providing me with many opportunities to meet and work
with women and learn their concerns, and the women's health group
of Health/PAC in New York City for helping me to clarify the social
policy implications of my work.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the guidance of Bill Day, my editor
at Praeger.

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