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The effects of physical abuse on pregnancy outcomes in a low-risk obstetric population
J Jagoe1, E F Magann, S P Chauhan
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Naval Medical Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, USA.
Objective:
This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of physical abuse on pregnancy outcomes.
Study Design:
This prospective investigation identified all women seen in the outpatient obstetric clinic with a history of physical abuse and matched each with the next 2 women seen without a history of physical abuse (case/control ratio, 1:2).
Results:
Twenty-eight abused women were matched with 56 control subjects. The frequencies of preterm birth, mode of delivery, Apgar scores <7 at 5 minutes, umbilical artery pH <7.10 at birth, and unhappy or ambivalent feelings about the pregnancy were not statistically different between the 2 groups. Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was more common among infants of the abused women (n = 4 [14.2%] vs n = 2 [3.6%]), despite heavier birth weights in the abused group (3501 +/- 581 g vs 3200 +/- 549 g; P =. 023), but this trend did not reach significance.
Conclusion:
A history of physical abuse did not result in adverse pregnancy outcomes, although neonatal intensive care unit admission was more likely.