(Press-News.org) Contact information: Stephanie Burns
sburns@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Researchers identify lifestyle factors linked to a healthy pregnancy
Modifiable factors such as weight, diet and drug abuse could be targeted for change
On bmj.com today, researchers identify certain lifestyle factors that make it more likely for a woman to have a normal pregnancy.
They include increasing fruit intake before pregnancy, being a healthy weight, reducing blood pressure, stopping drug and alcohol misuse, and being in paid employment during pregnancy.
Although further work is needed to determine whether these associations have causal importance, this study implies that targeted interventions that encourage women to make healthy choices before and during pregnancy "may increase the likelihood of normal pregnancy outcomes," write the authors.
Previous research has focused on the association between risk factors and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes, but little is known about factors associated with subsequent healthy pregnancies.
Researchers from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand therefore carried out a study to identify factors at 15-20 weeks' gestation associated with a subsequent uncomplicated pregnancy. Their aim was to highlight those factors amenable to change before pregnancy, thereby informing decisions about interventions that could increase the likelihood of a normal outcome.
A total of 5,628 healthy women with singleton births (and no previous pregnancies) were recruited to the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints study between November 2004 and August 2008 (3196 from Australia and New Zealand and 2432 from the UK and Ireland).
The primary outcome was uncomplicated pregnancy defined as a "normotensive pregnancy, delivered at more than 37 weeks resulting in a live born baby who was not small for gestational age and did not have any other significant pregnancy complications".
Of the 5,628 women, 3,452 (61%) had an uncomplicated pregnancy. A lower proportion of women in the UK and Ireland had an uncomplicated pregnancy (58%) compared with women in Australasia (63%).
The most common reasons for a complicated pregnancy in the mother were gestational hypertension (8%) and pre-eclampsia (5%) and in babies was being small for gestational age (11%) and spontaneous preterm birth (4%).
Factors amenable to improvement that reduced the likelihood of an uncomplicated pregnancy (that is, were detrimental) were increasing body mass index and blood pressure and misuse of drugs (including binge drinking) in the first trimester.
Factors amenable to improvement that increased the likelihood of an uncomplicated pregnancy (that is, were beneficial) were high fruit intake in the month before pregnancy and being in paid employment 15 weeks into pregnancy.
Detrimental factors that could not be altered were being in a lower socio-economic group, high blood pressure before pregnancy while taking oral contraceptive pills, family history of high blood pressure in pregnancy and bleeding during pregnancy.
Lifestyle recommendations already exist for non-hypertensive people to optimise their blood pressure through physical exercise, weight reduction, limiting salt intake and alcohol consumption, and consuming a healthy diet, explain the authors. "Our study suggests that adoption of these choices seems to be beneficial in determining uncomplicated pregnancy."
For example, a 5 mm Hg reduction of maternal systolic blood pressure would increase the proportion of uncomplicated pregnancies by 3% equating to 24,674 more UK women having an uncomplicated pregnancy. They say, however, that this requires demonstration in a randomised controlled trial.
They point to a "growing interest" in promotion of health and normality, rather than a focus on adverse outcomes and say that, if confirmed, "this study should inform development of interventions to increase normal pregnancy outcomes."
In an accompanying editorial, Professor Knight from the Nuffield Department of Public Health says the most important next step is to focus on "normality rather than abnormality", to guide population interventions. She says that the study provides useful information for women, clinicians and policy-makers but the challenge that remains is identifying the interventions needed to achieve the desired changes in risk.
Knight adds that consideration has to be given to interventions "designed to improve pregnancy outcomes with more general population programmes" as well as further research "to assess factors associated with uncomplicated pregnancy" in women with underlying medical conditions.
###
Research: Exploration and confirmation of factors associated with uncomplicated pregnancy in nulliparous women: prospective cohort study
Editorial: Sharper focus on uncomplicated pregnancy
Researchers identify lifestyle factors linked to a healthy pregnancy
Modifiable factors such as weight, diet and drug abuse could be targeted for change
2013-11-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself
2013-11-22
Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself
Press release from PLOS Computational Biology
Faced with inevitable pain, most people choose to "get it out of the way" as soon as possible, according to research published this week in PLOS Computational Biology. ...
UEA researchers pioneer first patient-specific 3-D virtual birth simulator
2013-11-22
UEA researchers pioneer first patient-specific 3-D virtual birth simulator
Computer scientists from the University of East Anglia are working to create a virtual birthing simulator that will help doctors and midwives prepare for unusual or dangerous births.
The ...
Lowering 3 risk factors could cut obesity-related risk of heart disease by more than half
2013-11-22
Lowering 3 risk factors could cut obesity-related risk of heart disease by more than half
Research looks at blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose
Boston, MA — Controlling blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood glucose may substantially reduce the ...
Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar could halve obesity-related risk of heart disease
2013-11-22
Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar could halve obesity-related risk of heart disease
Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose may substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with being overweight ...
Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst
2013-11-22
Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst
New research explains celestial phenomenon recorded earlier this year
For the first time, a team of astronomers from around the world, including experts from the University of Leicester, have used ...
Research reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity
2013-11-22
Research reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity
Study shows that seasonal flu escapes immunity with single amino acid substitutions
Scientists have identified a potential way to improve future flu vaccines after discovering that seasonal flu ...
Cosmic finding ushers in 'new age of astronomy'
2013-11-22
Cosmic finding ushers in 'new age of astronomy'
UD researchers part of international team that identifies very high-energy neutrinos coming from outside our solar system
Neutrinos can zip right through your body, the walls of your house, entire planets, even ...
Rutgers-Camden nursing scholar develops tool for ostomy care
2013-11-22
Rutgers-Camden nursing scholar develops tool for ostomy care
CAMDEN — Nurses caring for ostomy patients will now be equipped with an essential new tool that provides them with the first comprehensive guide to optimize ostomy management and enhance patient safety. ...
Healthy lifestyle before conception may increase likelihood of a healthy pregnancy
2013-11-22
Healthy lifestyle before conception may increase likelihood of a healthy pregnancy
Leading a healthy lifestyle in the months prior to conception as well as during pregnancy could potentially decrease the chance of complications
Leading a healthy lifestyle ...
Black hole birth captured by cosmic voyeurs
2013-11-22
Black hole birth captured by cosmic voyeurs
Los Alamos scientists get ringside seats at rare event
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Nov. 21, 2013—Intelligent telescopes designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory got a front row seat recently for an unusual birth.
"Los ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
[Press-News.org] Researchers identify lifestyle factors linked to a healthy pregnancyModifiable factors such as weight, diet and drug abuse could be targeted for change