Progesterone and Preterm Birth: Using Empirical Research to Explore Structural Racism Within Midwifery-Led Care.

BACKGROUND: Progesterone has been the standard of practice for the prevention of preterm birth for decades. The drug received expedited Food and Drug Administration approval, prior to the robust demonstration of scientific efficacy. METHODS: Prospective research from the American Association of Birth Centers Perinatal Data Registry, 2007-2020. Two-tailed t tests, logistic regression, and propensity score matching were used. RESULTS: Midwifery-led care was underutilized by groups most at risk for preterm birth and was shown to be effective at maintaining low preterm birth rates. The model did not demonstrate reliable access to progesterone. People of color are most at risk of preterm birth, yet were least likely to receiving progesterone treatment. Progesterone was not demonstrated to be effective at decreasing preterm birth when comparing the childbearing people with a history of preterm birth who used the medication and those who did not within this sample. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the body of research that demonstrates midwifery-led care and low preterm birth rates. The ineffectiveness of progesterone in the prevention of preterm birth among people at risk was demonstrated.

Outcomes of Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Within the American Association of Birth Centers Perinatal Data Registry 2007-2020: Opportunities Within Midwifery-Led Care.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare providers require data on associations between perinatal cannabis use and birth outcomes. METHODS: This observational secondary analysis come from the largest perinatal data registry in the United States related to the midwifery-led birth center model care (American Association of Birth Centers Perinatal Data Registry; N = 19 286). Births are planned across all birth settings (home, birth center, hospital); care is provided by midwives and physicians. RESULTS: Population data show that both early and persistent self-reports of cannabis use were associated with higher rates of preterm birth, low-birth-weight, lower 1-minute Apgar score, gestational weight gain, and postpartum hemorrhage. Once controlled for medical and social risk factors using logistic regression, differences for childbearing people disappeared except that the persistent use group was less likely to experience "no intrapartum complications" (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.76; P < .01), more likely to experience an indeterminate fetal heart rate in labor (aOR = 3.218; 95% CI, 2.23-4.65; P < .05), chorioamnionitis (aOR = 2.8; 95% CI, 1.58-5.0; P < .01), low-birth-weight (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.08-3.05; P < .01), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission (aOR = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.30-4.69; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Well-controlled data demonstrate that self-reports of persistent cannabis use through the third trimester are associated with an increased risk of low-birth-weight and NICU admission.