Conference abstract
Factors associated with miscarriages: results of the 1999 Ukraine Reproductive Health Survey
Liudmyla Khomych, Tatiana Andreeva
BACKGROUND. Miscarriages can be considered one of the most frequent problems that occur during pregnancy in humans. The frequency of cases among clinical pregnancies is about 12-15%. The determinants of the majority of miscarriages that occur are not wholly understood, and many putative risk factors remain controversial. The objective of this study was to explore the association of miscarriages with various socio-demographic and anamnestic factors in the Ukrainian population up to 1999.
METHODS. In a case-control study nested in a cross-sectional survey, miscarriage was considered the outcome. The study data included 14 297 pregnancies of women of reproductive age (15-44 years old) who participated in the 1999 Ukraine Reproductive Health Survey. Different socio-demographic and anamnestic factors were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS. After adjustment for confounding, the following factors were independently associated with increased risk of having miscarriage at the p-level less than 0.05: year of the pregnancy after 1997 (AOR 1.72 95% CI 1,15–2,57), central regions of Ukraine (AOR 1,37 95% CI 1,00–1,88), high maternal age at first sexual intercourse (AOR 1,41 95% CI 1,03–1,92), ignorance of education level of the first sexual partner (AOR 2,29 95% CI 1,50–3,50), higher number of previous pregnancies (AOR 4,52 95% CI 1,70–12,02), inter-pregnancy interval 4-6 years (AOR 1,72 95% CI 1,14–2,59), and problems with getting pregnant (AOR 3,13 95% CI 2,55–3,84). Russian ethnicity (AOR 0,80 95% CI 0,66 – 0,97), being non-religious (AOR 0,76 95% CI 0,58 – 0,99), inter-pregnancy interval 15–18 months (AOR 0,60 95% CI 0,36 – 0,99) were associated with reduced risk of miscarriages.
CONCLUSIONS. The results confirm that the higher inter-pregnancy interval and number of pregnancies, which can be related to older maternal age, are factors associated with miscarriages. The lower risk of miscarriages before 1997 can be explained by problems with recalling past events in the life. Findings of increased risk associated with high maternal age at first sexual intercourse and ignorance of the first sexual partner’s level of education are noteworthy and deserve consideration in further studies with other study populations.
Abstracts (pdf) in English and Ukrainian
