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Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with fibromyalgia: a population-based study of 12 million births
Glenda Gatan Magtanong1, Andrea R Spence2, Nicholas Czuzoj-Shulman2
1a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Jewish General Hospital, McGill University , Montreal , QC , Canada.
Purpose:
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a rheumatologic disorder marked by chronic, widespread pain and associated comorbid conditions. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of FM on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Methods:
Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999 to 2013, we conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study consisting of women who delivered during that period. Logistic regression was used to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnancies in women with and without FM.
Results:
Of 12 584 918 births during the 15-year study period, 7758 (0.06%) were to women with FM with rates increasing over the study period. Women with FM were more commonly older in age, overweight or obese, and users of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. They were more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Women with FM were at greater risk of gestational diabetes, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and placental abruption. Women with FM more commonly had cesarean deliveries (odds ratios (OR): 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.16) and births complicated by venous thromboembolism (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.91-2.86). Infants of women with FM were more likely to be premature (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.25-1.46) and have intrauterine growth restriction (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.30-1.68).
Conclusions:
The prevalence of FM in pregnancy is rising in the US. FM is a high-risk pregnancy condition associated with adverse maternal and newborn outcomes.
