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Published in: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics 3/2008

01-09-2008 | Original Article

Young maternal age and risk of intrapartum stillbirth

Authors: Roneé E. Wilson, Amina P. Alio, Russell S. Kirby, Hamisu M. Salihu

Published in: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics | Issue 3/2008

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Abstract

Objectives

To determine the risk of intrapartum stillbirth among teen mothers.

Methods

The Missouri maternally linked data containing births from 1978 to 1997 were analyzed. The study group (teen mothers) was sub-divided into younger (<15 years) and older (15–19 years) teenagers. Women aged 20–24 were the referent category. We used Kaplan–Meier product-limit estimator to calculate the cumulative probability of death for each group and the Cox Proportional Hazards Regression models to obtain adjusted hazards ratios.

Results

The rate of antepartum and intrapartum stillbirth among teenagers was 3.8 per 1,000 and 1.0 per 1,000, respectively, compared to 3.5 per 1,000 and 0.8 per 1,000 among the reference group. The adjusted risk of intrapartum stillbirth was more than 4 times as high among younger teens (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 4.3 [95% CI 4.0–4.7]) and 50% higher among older teens (AHR 1.5 [95% CI 1.2–1.8]). The risk of intrapartum stillbirth occurred in a dose-dependent fashion, with risk increasing as maternal age decreased (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Teenagers are at an increased risk of stillbirth, with the greatest risk disparity occurring intrapartum, especially among younger teens. This new information is potentially useful for targeting intervention measures aimed at improving in utero fetal survival among pregnant women at the lower extreme of the maternal age spectrum.
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Metadata
Title
Young maternal age and risk of intrapartum stillbirth
Authors
Roneé E. Wilson
Amina P. Alio
Russell S. Kirby
Hamisu M. Salihu
Publication date
01-09-2008
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics / Issue 3/2008
Print ISSN: 0932-0067
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0711
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-007-0557-4

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