Incidence of new outpatient long-acting reversible contraceptive insertions among a commercially insured, US population from 2010 to 2020.

Objectives: Characterize new use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), highly effective contraceptive methods, in a broad population over time. Study Design: We constructed a retrospective cohort of commercially insured individuals aged 15 to 54 years from 2010 to 2020 and estimated monthly incidence of new LARC insertions. Results: The monthly standardized incidence increased from 6.0 insertions per 10,000 individuals in January 2010 to 14.1 in December 2020, with a dip in insertions after March 2020. Hormonal intrauterine devices were consistently the most inserted LARC; implants were increasingly favored over time. Conclusions: LARCs are increasingly popular forms of contraception among commercially insured individuals. Implications: Given the increasing popularity, ensuring access to LARCs is critical.

Perinatal Health Risks And Outcomes Among US Women With Self-Reported Disability, 2011-19.

Women with disabilities experience elevated risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Most studies have inferred disabilities from diagnosis codes, likely undercounting disabilities. We analyzed data, including self-reported disability status, from the National Survey of Family Growth for the period 2011-19. We compared respondents with and without disabilities on these characteristics: smoking during pregnancy, delayed prenatal care, preterm birth, and low birthweight. A total of 19.5 percent of respondents who had given birth reported a disability, which is a much higher prevalence than estimates reported in US studies using diagnosis codes. Respondents with disabilities were twice as likely as those without disabilities to have smoked during pregnancy (19.0 percent versus 8.9 percent). They also had 24 percent and 29 percent higher risk for preterm birth and low birthweight, respectively. Our findings suggest that studies using diagnosis codes may represent only a small proportion of pregnancies among people with disabilities. Measurement and analysis of self-reported disability would facilitate better understanding of the full extent of disability-related disparities, per the Affordable Care Act.

Postpartum health risks among women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, California 2008-2012.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to understand the associations between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and postpartum complications throughout the newly defined 12-week postpartum transition. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the associations of HDP (any/subtype) with postpartum complications among 2.5 million California births, 2008-2012. We identified complications from discharge diagnoses from maternal hospital encounters (emergency department visits and readmissions) in the 12 weeks after giving birth. We compared rates of complications, overall and by diagnostic category, between groups defined by HDP. In survival analyses, we calculated the adjusted hazard ratios of postpartum complications associated with HDP. We adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, prepregnancy obesity, chronic diabetes, gestational diabetes, insurance, delivery mode, gestational age and birth outcome (term and size). RESULTS: Among women with and without HDP, 12.8 and 7.7%, respectively, had a hospital encounter within 12 weeks of giving birth [adjusted hazard ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.5-1.5]. HDP was associated with increased risk across all major categories of complications: hypertension-related, adjusted hazard ratio 11.8 (95% CI: 11.2-12.3); childbirth-related, 1.4 (1.3-1.4); and other, 1.4 (1.4-1.4). Risk of any complication differed by hypertensive subtype: chronic hypertension with super-imposed preeclampsia, adjusted hazard ratio 1.8 (95% CI: 1.7-1.8); chronic hypertension, 1.6 (1.6-1.7); preeclampsia/eclampsia, 1.3 (1.3-1.4); and gestational hypertension, 1.2 (1.2-1.3). Over a quarter (28.9%) of maternal hospital encounters occurred more than 6 weeks after giving birth; this did not differ substantially by HDP status. CONCLUSION: Women with HDP are at an increased risk for virtually all postpartum complications, including those not related to hypertension, and may benefit from enhanced and comprehensive postpartum care.

The Association between Hospital Frequency of Labor after Cesarean and Outcomes in California.

BACKGROUND: Labor after cesarean (LAC) is an alternative to planned repeat cesarean delivery. The effect of hospital-level factors on LAC frequency and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) has been relatively understudied. It was our goal to determine if hospital frequency of LAC (number of women undergoing LAC/number of women with previous uterine scars) is associated with increased VBAC and associated outcomes among women undergoing LAC. METHODS: We analyzed 43,331 term, singleton births to women who experienced LAC in California from 2007 to 2010. We conducted multivariable logistic regressions of infant and maternal outcomes for women at hospitals with high LAC frequency (≥median) compared with low LAC frequency (

The association between longer durations of the latent phase of labor and subsequent perinatal processes and outcomes among midwifery patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between the duration of the latent phase of labor and subsequent processes and outcomes. METHODS: Secondary analysis of prospectively collected data among 1,189 women with low-risk pregnancies and spontaneous labor. RESULTS: Longer latent phase duration was associated with labor dystocia (eg, nulliparous ≥ mean [compared with < mean] aOR 3.95 [2.70-5.79]; multiparous ≥ mean [compared with < mean] aOR 5.45 [3.43-8.65]), interventions to ameliorate dystocia, and epidurals to cope or rest (eg, oxytocin augmentation: nulliparous > 80th% [compared with < 80th%] aOR 6.39 [4.04-10.12]; multiparous ≥ 80th% [compared with < 80th%] aOR 6.35 [3.79-10.64]). Longer latent phase duration was also associated with longer active phase and second stage. There were no associations between latent phase duration and risk for cesarean delivery or postpartum hemorrhage in a practice setting with relatively low rates of primary cesarean. Newborns born to multiparous women with latent phase of labor durations at and beyond the 80th% were more frequently admitted to the NICU (≥80th% [compared with < 80th%] aOR 2.7 [1.22-5.84]); however, two-thirds of these NICU admissions were likely for observation only. CONCLUSIONS: Longer duration of the spontaneous latent phase of labor among women with low-risk pregnancies may signal longer total labor processes, leading to an increase in diagnosis of dystocia, interventions to manage dystocia, and epidural use. Apart from multiparous neonatal NICU admission, no other maternal or child morbidity outcomes were elevated with longer duration of the latent phase of labor.

Pregnancy Intendedness by Maternal Disability Status and Type in the United States.

CONTEXT: Societal views about sexuality and parenting among people with disabilities may limit these individuals' access to sex education and the full range of reproductive health services, and put them at increased risk for -unintended pregnancies. To date, however, no national population-based studies have examined pregnancy -intendedness among U.S. women with disabilities. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses of data from the 2011-2013 and 2013-2015 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth were conducted; the sample included 5,861 pregnancies reported by 3,089 women. The proportion of pregnancies described as unintended was calculated for women with any type of disability, women with each of five types of disabilities and women with no disabilities. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of disability status and type with pregnancy intendedness while adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: A higher proportion of pregnancies were unintended among women with disabilities than among women without disabilities (53% vs. 36%). Women with independent living disability had the highest proportion of unintended pregnancies (62%). In regression analyses, the odds that a pregnancy was unintended were greater among women with any type of disability than among women without disabilities (odds ratio, 1.4), and were also elevated among women with hearing disability, cognitive disability or independent living disability (1.5-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to understand differences in unintended pregnancy by type and extent of disability. People with disabilities should be fully included in sex education, and their routine care should incorporate discussion of reproductive planning.

Miscarriage Occurrence and Prevention Efforts by Disability Status and Type in the United States.

Background: Very little is known about early pregnancy loss in women with disabilities. To address this gap, we analyzed nationally representative data on miscarriage and receipt of care focused on miscarriage prevention among women with and without disabilities. Materials and Methods: We used 2011-2015 National Survey of Family Growth data on women with at least one completed pregnancy within the past 5 years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses assessed the association of six disability categories (any, hearing, vision, cognitive, physical, independent living) with miscarriage occurrence and receipt of services intended to prevent miscarriage. Results: Our analytic sample included 3,843 women with 5,776 completed pregnancies within the past 5 years. Overall, 31.63% of women with disabilities and 21.83% of women without disabilities had had a miscarriage within the past 5 years. Compared to women without disabilities, women with any, cognitive, physical, and independent living disability had higher adjusted odds of experiencing miscarriage (any disability aOR = 1.65 [95% CI: 1.21-2.25]). These women also had higher odds of receiving services to prevent miscarriage compared with women without disabilities (any disability aOR = 1.71 [95% CI: 1.20-2.45]). Among women who received services, higher proportions of women with any, vision, physical, or independent living disability received recommendations for bed rest (e.g., 65.007% of women with independent living disability vs. 33.98% of women without disability, p = 0.018). Conclusions: In a representative sample of U.S. women, we found significant differences in the odds of miscarriage and in receipt of care to prevent miscarriage between women with and without disabilities. Further research is needed to understand why women with disabilities are more likely to experience a miscarriage. Such research is important for informing care recommendations.

Association of Widespread Adoption of the 39-Week Rule With Overall Mortality Due to Stillbirth and Infant Death.

Importance: To improve neonatal morbidity, efforts have been made to reduce elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks' gestation, also known as the 39-week rule. Prolonging pregnancies also prolongs exposure to the risk of stillbirth. The true association of a 39-week rule with mortality is unknown and studies to date have shown conflicting results. Objective: To determine if widespread adoption of a 39-week rule, limiting elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks' gestation, is associated with an increase or decrease in overall mortality when considering both stillbirths and infant deaths. Design, Setting, and Participants: This historical cohort study used birth certificate and infant death certificate data in the United States to compare years before and after the adoption of the 39-week rule. Births between 2008 and 2009 were considered to be in the preadoption period (n = 7 322 234), and those between 2011 and 2012 were considered to be in the postadoption period (n = 6 972 626). Included births were singleton, nonanomalous births between 37 0/7 weeks' and 42 6/7 weeks' gestation. Statistical analysis was performed from July 19, 2016, through June 27, 2019. Exposures: The exposure of interest was the Joint Commission adoption of the 39-week rule as a quality measure. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes of interest were stillbirth and infant death. Results: A total of 7 322 234 births (49.0% girls and 51.0% boys) were included in the preadoption period and 6 972 626 births (49.1% girls and 50.9% boys) were included in the postadoption period. Compared with the preadoption period, there was a decrease in the proportion of deliveries at 37 weeks (-0.06%) and 38 weeks (-2.5%) and an increase in the proportion of deliveries at 39 weeks (6.8%) and 40 weeks (0.2%) in the postadoption period (P < .001). The stillbirth rate increased in the postadoption cohort compared with preadoption (0.09% vs 0.10%; P < .001). The infant death rate decreased in the postadoption period compared with preadoption (0.21% vs 0.20%; P < .001). An overall mortality rate of 0.31% was calculated for the preadoption period and 0.30% for the postadoption period (P = .06). Additional analysis in a counterfactual model suggests that up to 34.2% of the difference in mortality could be associated with the 39-week rule. Conclusions and Relevance: Stable overall perinatal mortality rates were observed in the 2-year period immediately after adoption of the 39-week rule, despite an increase in stillbirth.

Utility of the 5-Minute Apgar Score as a Research Endpoint.

Although Apgar scores are commonly used as proxy outcomes, little evidence exists in support of the most common cutpoints (<7, <4). We used 2 data sets to explore this issue: one contained planned community births from across the United States (n = 52,877; 2012-2016), and the other contained hospital births from California (n = 428,877; 2010). We treated 5-minute Apgars as clinical "tests," compared against 18 known outcomes; we calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for each. We used 3 different criteria to determine optimal cutpoints. Results were very consistent across data sets, outcomes, and all subgroups: The cutpoint that maximizes the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity is universally <9. However, extremely low positive predictive values for all outcomes at <9 indicate more misclassification than is acceptable for research. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (which treat Apgars as quasicontinuous) were generally indicative of adequate discrimination between infants destined to experience poor outcomes and those not; comparing median Apgars between groups might be an analytical alternative to dichotomizing. Nonetheless, because Apgar scores are not clearly on any causal pathway of interest, we discourage researchers from using them unless the motivation for doing so is clear.

Describing latent phase duration and associated characteristics among 1281 low-risk women in spontaneous labor.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that latent phase of labor may terminate at 6 rather than 4 centimeters of cervical dilation. The objectives of this study were to: (a) characterize duration of the latent phase of labor among term, low-risk, United States women in spontaneous labor using the women's self-identified onset; and (b) quantify associations between demographic and maternal/newborn health characteristics and the duration of the latent phase. METHODS: This prospective study (n = 1281) described the duration of the latent phase of labor in hours, stratified by parity at the mean, median, and 80th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. The duration of the latent phase was compared for each characteristic using t tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and regression models that controlled for confounders. RESULTS: In this sample of predominantly white, healthy women, duration of the latent phase of labor was longer than described in previous studies: The median duration was 9.0 hours and mean duration was 11.8 hours in nulliparous women. The median duration was 6.8 hours and mean duration was 9.3 hours in multiparous women. Among nulliparous women, longer duration was seen in women whose fetus was in a malposition. Among multiparous women, longer durations were noted in women with chorioamnionitis and those who gave birth between 41 and 41 + 6 weeks' gestation (vs between 40 and 40 + 6 weeks' gestation). CONCLUSIONS: The latent phase of labor may be longer than previously estimated. Contemporary estimates of latent phase of labor duration will help women and providers accurately anticipate, prepare, and cope during spontaneous labor.

Gestational Weight Gain during Pregnancy as an Important Factor Influencing a Successful Trial of Labor following Two Previous Cesareans.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify factors associated with a successful trial of labor (TOL) following two cesarean deliveries (CDs) in a contemporary North American cohort. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study of term, nonanomalous, singleton, vertex pregnancies attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) following a history of two previous CDs in the United States from 2012 to 2014. Maternal and intrapartum factors were analyzed using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 22,762 women met the inclusion criteria and underwent TOL. Of these, 12,192 (53.6%) had a VBAC. Using multivariate logistic regression, previous vaginal delivery and delivery at 40 to 41 weeks' gestation were associated with VBAC; maternal age, education, Medicaid insurance, non-Caucasian race/ethnicity, weight (overweight or obese), and gestational weight gain above the Institute of Medicine guidelines (adjusted odds ratio: 0.88; 95% confidence interval: 0.81-0.95) were associated with CD. Induction of labor did not affect the VBAC rate. CONCLUSION: For those desiring a TOL after two previous CDs, prospective studies are needed to assess interventions that limit gestational weight gain as well as the safety and optimal timing of an induction of labor. The decision to attempt a TOL should be guided by counseling regarding the risks, benefits, and chances of a successful TOL.

The curse of the perinatal epidemiologist: inferring causation amidst selection.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human reproduction is a common process and one that unfolds over a relatively short time, but pregnancy and birth processes are challenging to study. Selection occurs at every step of this process (e.g., infertility, early pregnancy loss, and stillbirth), adding substantial bias to estimated exposure-outcome associations. Here we focus on selection in perinatal epidemiology, specifically, how it affects research question formulation, feasible study designs, and interpretation of results. RECENT FINDINGS: Approaches have recently been proposed to address selection issues in perinatal epidemiology. One such approach is the ongoing pregnancies denominator for gestation-stratified analyses of infant outcomes. Similarly, bias resulting from left truncation has recently been termed "live birth bias," and a proposed solution is to control for common causes of selection variables (e.g., fecundity, fetal loss) and birth outcomes. However, these approaches have theoretical shortcomings, conflicting with the foundational epidemiologic concept of populations at risk for a given outcome. SUMMARY: We engage with epidemiologic theory and employ thought experiments to demonstrate the problems of using denominators that include units not "at risk" of the outcome. Fundamental (and commonsense) concerns of outcome definition and analysis (e.g., ensuring that all study participants are at risk for the outcome) should take precedence in formulating questions and analysis approach, as should choosing questions that stakeholders care about. Selection and resulting biases in human reproductive processes complicate estimation of unbiased exposure- outcome associations, but we should not focus solely (or even mostly) on minimizing such biases.

Live birth, miscarriage, and abortion among U.S. women with and without disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have found that women with disabilities who give birth are more likely to have preterm deliveries and low birthweight infants. However, it is not known what proportion of pregnant women with disabilities experience live birth, versus miscarriage or abortion. OBJECTIVE: To compare proportions of live birth, miscarriage, and abortion among women with basic action difficulties, women with complex activity limitations, and women without disabilities in a nationally representative sample. METHODS: We analyzed pooled Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from Panels 1-11 (covering years 1996-2007), which included a Pregnancy Detail module assessing outcomes for women who were pregnant during panel participation. We used chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression to compare disability groups on pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: Among women with a recorded pregnancy outcome, women with disabilities were less likely to have live births (80.8% of women with basic action difficulties and 75.3% of women with complex activity limitations versus 85.0% of women without disabilities), but differences related to disability were not significant when adjusting for covariates. Women with complex activity limitations were significantly more likely to report miscarriages, even when controlling for covariates. Disability was not significantly associated with abortion in the adjusted analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to the growing literature on pregnancy outcomes among women with disabilities, providing important information about outcomes that are not reflected in delivery records. We found few differences between women with and without disabilities, and good likelihood of live birth among women with disabilities experiencing pregnancy.

Prevalence and risk factors for resistant hypertension among hypertensive patients from a developing country.

BACKGROUND: To study the prevalence and define deferential risk factors for 'Resistant' hypertension (RHT) in a hypertensive population of South Asian origin. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among hypertensive patients attending clinics at the Cardiology Unit, Colombo from July-October 2009. All the patients with hypertension who provided informed written consent were recruited to the study (n = 277). A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. A binary logistic-regression analysis was performed in all patients with 'presence of RHT' as the dichotomous dependent variable and other independent co-variants. RESULTS: Mean age was 61 ± 10.3 years and 50.2% were males. The mean of average systolic and diastolic blood pressures (BP) were 133.04 ± 12.91 mmHg and 81.07 ± 6.41 mmHg respectively. Uncontrolled BP was present in 41.1% (n = 114) of patients, of which RHT was present in 19.1% (n = 53). Uncontrolled BP were due to 'therapeutic inertia' in 27.8% of the study population. Those with diabetes mellitus, obesity (BMI > 27.5 kg/m2) and those who were older than 55 years were significantly higher in the RHT group than in the non-RHT group. In the binary logistic regression analysis older age (OR:1.36), longer duration of hypertension (OR:1.76), presence of diabetes mellitus (OR:1.67) and being obese (OR:1.84) were significantly associated with RHT. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of the hypertensive patients were having uncontrolled hypertension. Nearly 1/5th of the population was suffering from RHT, which was significantly associated with the presence of obesity and diabetes mellitus. Therapeutic inertia seems to contribute significantly towards the presence of uncontrolled BP.