Deliveries After Malignant Disease Before Pregnancy: Maternal Characteristics, Pregnancy, and Delivery Complications

Survival after cancer has increased, and the question of risks in later pregnancies has become important. A previous malignancy may affect pregnancy outcome.

Comparison of women with malignant disease before pregnancy with all other women giving birth during 1994-2011. Data were obtained by linkage between Swedish national health registers. Subfertility, evaluated as time to pregnancy, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) before the relevant delivery were studied. The following delivery diagnoses were studied: gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, placenta previa, placenta abruption, placenta retention, bleeding around delivery, and premature rupture of membranes. The rates of cesarean section and vacuum extraction or forceps delivery were also studied.

We identified 3931 women with 7176 deliveries and with a malignancy diagnosed at least 1 year before the delivery. The total number of deliveries in Sweden in these years was 1,746,870. Overall, an increased risk of subfertility (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.28), use of IVF (OR = 1.36, CI 1.21-1.53), delivery complications (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.24), and rate of caesarean sections (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.20-1.34) was observed among women with a history of malignancy compared with other women.

We found an increased risk of subfertility, pregnancy, and delivery complications in women with a history of malignant disease. Further studies are needed to evaluate the risks of specific treatments and to provide these women with reliable information that could affect their family planning.