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Risk of preterm and early term birth by maternal drug use

Journal of Perinatology volume 39, pages 286–294 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

Examine the risk of preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks) and early term birth (37–38 weeks) for women with reported drug abuse/dependence.

Study Design

The population was drawn from singleton livebirths in California from 2007 to 2012. Drug abuse/dependence was determined from maternal diagnostic codes (opioid, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, other, or polysubstance). Relative risks, adjusted for maternal factors were calculated for PTB and early term birth.

Result

Of the 2,890,555 women in the sample, 1.7% (n = 48,133) had a diagnostic code for drug abuse/dependence. The percentage of PTBs varied from 11.6% (cannabis) to 24.3% (cocaine), compared with 6.7% of women without reported drug abuse/dependence.

Conclusion

Women with reported drug abuse/dependence during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a PTB and all but those using cannabis were at risk of having an early term birth. Women using cocaine and polysubstance were at the highest risk of birth < 32 weeks.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the California Preterm Birth Initiative within the University of California, San Francisco.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Rebecca J. Baer & Christina D. Chambers

  2. California Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca J. Baer, Scott P. Oltman, Larry Rand & Laura L. Jelliffe-Pawlowski

  3. Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Kelli K. Ryckman

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Scott P. Oltman & Laura L. Jelliffe-Pawlowski

  5. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Larry Rand

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  1. Rebecca J. Baer
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Correspondence to Rebecca J. Baer.

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Baer, R.J., Chambers, C.D., Ryckman, K.K. et al. Risk of preterm and early term birth by maternal drug use. J Perinatol 39, 286–294 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0299-0

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