They see themselves as the walking dead, says Dr. Justin Paluku Lussy, head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CNN: A fate worse than death for scores of African women

"In terms of risk with women who are a little bit older and the potential genetic problems the baby may have, we pay closer attention to that for sure, " said Dr. George Macones, chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University in St.

CNN: Halle Berry joins growing group of older moms

That daunting statistic is one of the reasons Nadine Katz, senior associate dean, professor and director of medical education in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City, got interested in helping aspiring female med school professors achieve their goals.

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"It was a truly amazing delivery, " said Dr. Karen Maples, chief of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department.

CNN: Octuplets' births surprise California doctors

MUSC, which began the policy in 1989 and ended it in 1993, began the program at the urging of Shirley Brown, a nurse in the obstetrics department, who sought legal advice after noticing that more and more low-income women seeking prenatal care were testing positive for cocaine.

CNN: Drug tests on pregnant women unconstitutional, lawyers argue