Anemia and spontaneous preterm birth

Article Abstract:

Anemia, as indicated by low values of hemoglobin and hematocrit, involves a decreased ability of the blood to bring oxygen to body tissues. It has been suggested that anemia is associated with premature birth, but since hematocrit (the proportion of total blood volume that consists of red blood cells) increases steadily throughout the last trimester of pregnancy, comparisons are misleading if they are made between women giving birth prematurely and women delivering on schedule. To learn more about the association between hematocrit and the duration of pregnancy, data were analyzed from 26,901 pregnant women enrolled in a large health maintenance organization. Information concerning subjects' hematocrits and deliveries was available: the final random sample included premature births (defined as a live birth between 24 and 36 weeks' gestational age) to 94 Asian women, 159 black women, 200 Mexican women, and 274 white women. Each of these women (cases) was matched to a woman from the same ethnic group who delivered an infant after 36 weeks' gestation (controls). Criteria for diagnosing anemia are described; generally, a hematocrit below the tenth percentile for the ethnic group was considered to indicate anemia. Results showed that hematocrit values began to fall at the beginning of the second trimester, reaching their lowest point at between 26 and 28 weeks' gestation. They began to increase at 31 to 33 weeks' gestation, and then rose steeply to a maximum at 40 weeks. Black women had values that were 2 percent lower than white women for the last six months. Anemia occurring any time between 13 and 26 weeks' gestation (the second trimester) was associated with an increased risk of premature delivery (odds ratio, 1.9), while anemia occurring closer to term was linked to a decreased risk of premature birth. Some possible explanations are discussed for the finding that anemia in the second trimester, but not in the last trimester, is associated with prematurity. It is noted that anemia may be linked to socioeconomic deprivation, and the latter may be the cause of preterm birth (rather than the anemia itself). (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Anemia, Causes of, Complications and side effects, Physiological aspects, Demographic aspects, Pregnancy, Anemia in pregnancy

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Effect of age, parity, and smoking on pregnancy outcome: a population-based study

Article Abstract:

Pregnant women who smoke and are over age 35 appear to increase the infant's risk of being small-for-gestational age (SGA) while those who smoke and have previously given birth appear to increase the infant's risk of low birth weight (LBW) and premature delivery. A Swedish study of 538,829 births found that overall, the highest rates of LBW, SGA and preterm delivery were among mothers over age 35 and the lowest were among mothers aged 25 to 29. Rates of LBW, SGA and premature delivery increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Early infant deaths were highest among infants born to women who smoked, were over 35 and had not previously given birth. Age was more of a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes among women who had never given birth than among those who had previously given birth. Smoking, however, increased the risks of LBW and preterm delivery more among women who had previously given birth than among those who had not.

Pregnant women, Birth weight, Low, Low birth weight, Smokers, Maternal age

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Father's effect on infant birth weight

Article Abstract:

A father's weight at birth appears to influence the weight of his children at birth. In a study of 1,272 fathers who had children and whose birth weights were known, men who had the lowest birth weight had children whose birth weight was about 100 grams lighter than men with the highest birth weight. This association remained even after adjusting for other factors that produce low birth weights, including maternal birth weight, smoking, and medical and socioeconomic factors.

Fathers, Infants (Newborn), Newborn infants, Body weight, Birth weight

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