TAIPEI -- About 30.12 percent of women in Taiwan who gave birth to children in 2018 were aged 35 or above, local media reported Tuesday.

The average age of Taiwan women giving birth to children was 32.03 while the age of first-time mothers was 30.9 years old, Tuesday's United Daily News reported, quoting the island's health department.

Among the infants born to mothers aged 35 or above, 11.65 percent had a relatively low birth weight, (less than 2.5 kg), compared with 8.84 percent of the infants born to women aged between 20 and 34, the health department said.

The health department also warned that expectant mothers 35 or over have a higher chance of stillbirth, with about 1.56 percent of them having a stillbirth, compared with 0.99 percent among those aged between 20 and 34.

Those who give birth for the first time at 35 or over are more likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease and have a higher risk of a miscarriage, the statement said.

It urged pregnant women who have reached an advanced maternal age to regularly conduct pregnancy checkups and quit unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking and drinking alcohol.