Gestational age estimation by last menstrual period (LMP) vs. ultrasound (or best obstetric estimate in the US) may result in discrepant classification of preterm vs. term birth. We investigated whether such discrepancies are associated with adverse infant outcomes.
We studied singleton livebirths in the Medical Birth Registries of Norway, Sweden and Finland and US live birth certificates from 1999 to the most recent year available. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) by discordant and concordant gestational age estimation for infant, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality, Apgar score
To evaluate risk of adverse obstetric outcomes and operative deliveries in female cancer survivors (diagnosed younger than 35 years of age) compared with female siblings of survivors.
Nationwide cancer and birth registries were merged to identify 1,800 first postdiagnosis deliveries of female cancer survivors and 7,137 first deliveries of female siblings between January 1987 and December 2013. Multiple unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk for adverse obstetric outcomes and operative deliveries adjusting for maternal age, year of delivery, gestational age, and smoking.
We found a significantly elevated risk for induction of labor, 19.1% in survivors and 15.6% in siblings (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.35) and cesarean delivery, 23.6% in survivors and 18.6% in siblings (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.31) among cancer survivors compared with female siblings. The risks of instrumental vaginal delivery, malpresentation, placental pathologies, and postpartum hemorrhage were not, however, elevated among cancer survivors. The highest risks of adverse obstetric outcomes were seen among women treated in their childhood (aged 0-14 years).
Cancer survivors have a small but statistically increased risk for induction of labor and cesarean delivery compared with siblings without a history of cancer. Our findings indicate that pregnancies in cancer survivors are typically uncomplicated and cancer survivors should not be discouraged to have children after their cancer is cured.
Anaemia during pregnancy is an important public health problem. We investigated whether the association between maternal anaemia during pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes differed between nulliparous and multiparous women.
A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using data on all singleton births (n?=?290?662) recorded in the Finnish Medical Birth Register during 2006-10. Maternal anaemia was defined as a maternal haemoglobin level of
The rate of repeat induced abortion varies from 30% to 38% in northern Europe. Thus, repeat abortion is an important public health issue. However, risk factors as regards repeat abortion are poorly understood. We characterized risk factors related to sociodemographic characteristics, history of abortion and post-abortal contraception.
A prospective cohort study of 1269 women undergoing medical abortion between August 2000 and December 2002 was conducted. The subjects were followed via the Finnish Registry of Induced Abortions until December 2005, the follow-up time (mean+/-SD) being 49.2+/-8.0 months.
Altogether, 179 (14.1%) of the subjects requested repeat abortion within the follow-up time. In univariate analysis, a history of prior abortion, being parous, young age, smoking and failure to attend the follow-up visit were associated with repeat abortion. Immediate--in contrast to postponed--initiation of any contraceptive method was linked to a lower risk of repeat abortion. In comparison with combined oral contraceptives, use of intrauterine contraception was most efficacious in reducing the risk of another pregnancy termination. In multivariate analysis, the effects of young age, being parous, smoking, a history of prior abortion and type of contraception on the risk of another abortion persisted.
An increased focus on young women, parous women and those with a history of abortion may be efficacious in decreasing repeat abortion. Contraceptive choices made at the time of abortion have an important effect on the rate of repeat abortion. Use of intrauterine contraceptives for post-abortal contraception was associated with decreased risk of repeat abortion.
The increase in maternal age has been well documented in Western societies, but information on paternal age trends is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in age and other background characteristics of first-time fathers in Finland in the period 1987-2009.
A random 60% sample of first-time fathers in each year from 1987 to 2009 was obtained from Statistics Finland (n=344,529). Five-year intervals were used (three years in 1987-1989). Sociodemographic characteristics of older first-time fathers (?40 years) were compared over time using logistic regression. In the logistic regression, immigrants were excluded from the study population as they may have had children before migrating to Finland.
The mean age of first-time fathers increased from 28.7 to 30.4 years in 1987-2009. The change was greatest in the Capital Region and smallest in Northern and Eastern Finland. Fatherhood at the age of ?40 years doubled from 3.1% to 6.8%. From 2005 to 2009, men who lived in rural areas and the Capital Region, had a long education, were divorced or widowed, had been born in a rural area and were native Finnish speakers, were more likely than other men to be old when they became fathers. CONCLUSIONS DURING THE STUDY PERIOD, THE AVERAGE AGE OF FIRST-TIME FATHERS INCREASED BY TWO YEARS FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO EXAMINE WHETHER DELAYS IN FIRST-TIME FATHERHOOD AFFECT FERTILITY, CHILD HEALTH AND THE USE OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES.
To study the relations between postnatal maternal morbidity, child morbidity and welfare interventions in families with prenatal alcohol or substance abuse.
A register-based longitudinal retrospective cohort study. The exposed cohort included 638 children born to 524 women followed-up during pregnancy for alcohol or substance abuse 1992-2001. Non-exposed children (n = 1914) born to control women were matched for maternal age, parity, number of foetuses, month of birth and delivery hospital of the index child. Perinatal and follow-up data of both cohorts were collected from national registers until 2007.
Postnatal maternal abuse-related healthcare utilization and use of medication were associated with child out-of-home care. Significant differences were in particular observed in the categories of maternal mental and behavioural disorders caused by psychoactive substance use as well as injury and poisoning. Maternal inpatient care for mental and behavioural disorders peaked at the time of child out-of-home care. Maternal abuse-related healthcare utilization was associated with early child healthcare utilization and use of medication for mental and behavioural disorders. These associations were largely explained by the association with child out-of-home care.
Postnatal maternal abuse-related morbidity is associated with significant early child morbidity, use of medication and timing of out-of-home care.
To explore international differences in the classification of births at extremely low gestation and the subsequent impact on the calculation of survival rates.
We used national data on births at 22 to 25 weeks' gestation from the United States (2014; n = 11?144), Canada (2009-2014; n = 5668), the United Kingdom (2014-2015; n = 2992), Norway (2010-2014; n = 409), Finland (2010-2015; n = 348), Sweden (2011-2014; n = 489), and Japan (2014-2015; n = 2288) to compare neonatal survival rates using different denominators: all births, births alive at the onset of labor, live births, live births surviving to 1 hour, and live births surviving to 24 hours.
For births at 22 weeks' gestation, neonatal survival rates for which we used live births as the denominator varied from 3.7% to 56.7% among the 7 countries. This variation decreased when the denominator was changed to include stillbirths (ie, all births [1.8%-22.3%] and fetuses alive at the onset of labor [3.7%-38.2%]) or exclude early deaths and limited to births surviving at least 12 hours (50.0%-77.8%). Similar trends were seen for infants born at 23 weeks' gestation. Variation diminished considerably at 24 and 25 weeks' gestation.
International variation in neonatal survival rates at 22 to 23 weeks' gestation diminished considerably when including stillbirths in the denominator, revealing the variation arises in part from differences in the proportion of births reported as live births, which itself is closely connected to the provision of active care.
Although rare, placental abruption is implicated in disproportionately high rates of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Understanding geographic and temporal variations may provide insights into possible amenable factors of abruption. We examined abruption frequencies by maternal age, delivery year, and maternal birth cohorts over three decades across seven countries.
Women that delivered in the US (n = 863,879; 1979-10), Canada (4 provinces, n = 5,407,463; 1982-11), Sweden (n = 3,266,742; 1978-10), Denmark (n = 1,773,895; 1978-08), Norway (n = 1,780,271, 1978-09), Finland (n = 1,411,867; 1987-10), and Spain (n = 6,151,508; 1999-12) were analyzed. Abruption diagnosis was based on ICD coding. Rates were modeled using Poisson regression within the framework of an age-period-cohort analysis, and multi-level models to examine the contribution of smoking in four countries.
Abruption rates varied across the seven countries (3-10 per 1000), Maternal age showed a consistent J-shaped pattern with increased rates at the extremes of the age distribution. In comparison to births in 2000, births after 2000 in European countries had lower abruption rates; in the US there was an increase in rate up to 2000 and a plateau thereafter. No birth cohort effects were evident. Changes in smoking prevalence partially explained the period effect in the US (P = 0.01) and Sweden (P
The use of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), has been questioned due to poor efficacy and safety. We examined whether young violent offenders were more likely antidepressant users prior to their first violent offence than other young persons.
The study is a follow-up of children born in Finland in 1987 (n=59 120), linking national registers to each other using personal identity codes. Data on psychotropic drug use came from a register of reimbursed drugs and data on crimes from a register on court convictions (after the age of 14 years). Participants were followed until the age of 18 years, and for some analyses until the end of the follow-up (mean 21 years). To adjust for differences in background characteristics, regression analyses for antidepressant use were made, using the no-conviction group as the reference.
Proportions of young people convicted by the age of 18 years were: 5% of boys (1.7% for violent crimes) and 1% (0.5%) of girls. Antidepressant use (both overall and for SSRIs) prior to violent crime was more common among those convicted than among those without convictions. Among boys with repeated violent crimes, it was also more common than among boys with non-violent crimes. Adjustment for differences in background characteristics decreased the associations between antidepressant use and violent crime, but did not eliminate them.
The results add further evidence for caution in prescribing antidepressants among young persons. It also calls for a reanalysis of violence measures in the original trial data.
The use of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), has been questioned due to poor efficacy and safety. We examined whether young violent offenders were more likely antidepressant users prior to their first violent offence than other young persons.
The study is a follow-up of children born in Finland in 1987 (n=59 120), linking national registers to each other using personal identity codes. Data on psychotropic drug use came from a register of reimbursed drugs and data on crimes from a register on court convictions (after the age of 14 years). Participants were followed until the age of 18 years, and for some analyses until the end of the follow-up (mean 21 years). To adjust for differences in background characteristics, regression analyses for antidepressant use were made, using the no-conviction group as the reference.
Proportions of young people convicted by the age of 18 years were: 5% of boys (1.7% for violent crimes) and 1% (0.5%) of girls. Antidepressant use (both overall and for SSRIs) prior to violent crime was more common among those convicted than among those without convictions. Among boys with repeated violent crimes, it was also more common than among boys with non-violent crimes. Adjustment for differences in background characteristics decreased the associations between antidepressant use and violent crime, but did not eliminate them.
The results add further evidence for caution in prescribing antidepressants among young persons. It also calls for a reanalysis of violence measures in the original trial data.
