Women lose their first pregnancy to a miscarriage may face an increased risk of a range of medical problems in their next pregnancy, researchers warn today.
The risks of pre-eclampsia, bleeding, induced labour, premature birth and low birthweight are all raised, according to Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya and colleagues at the University of Aberdeen, UK.
They investigated the effects of miscarriage by looking at figures from a total of 33,228 women. Miscarriage was defined as pregnancy loss before 24 weeks’ gestation.
Women who had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy were compared against women who had a live birth in their first pregnancy, and women pregnant for the first time.
Their risk of pre-eclampsia was 3.3 times higher than women with a successful first pregnancy. Risk of bleeding after 24 weeks was 1.3 times higher. They were 2.2 times more likely to have labour induced, and 1.6 times more likely to have either a preterm birth or low birthweight.
Risks were also higher than those for women pregnant for the first time. Findings are published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr Bhattacharya points out that one in five pregnancies end in a miscarriage in the first three months.
She said: “Previous work has focussed on the consequences of three or more miscarriages, although for most women, a single miscarriage is far more likely.
“A single initial miscarriage increased the risks of pregnancy complications in the next continuing pregnancy compared to women who had a successful first pregnancy. While for most women these risks are small, increased obstetric surveillance should not be restricted only to women with multiple miscarriages.”
Bhattacharya, S. et al. Does miscarriage in an initial pregnancy lead to adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in the next continuing pregnancy? BJOG 2008.
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