Pregnancy Outcomes in Women Diagnosed With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Population-Based Register...

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Psychiatry
• Perinatal Health

Background:

• Maternal attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• The influence of comorbid mental disorders and smoking on this association requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between maternal ADHD and various pregnancy outcomes.
• To determine if comorbid conditions explain the link between ADHD and pregnancy complications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Swedish Medical Birth Register for 1,617,121 pregnancies (2006-2020).
• Included 12,553 women with a pre-pregnancy ADHD diagnosis.
• Employed generalized linear mixed-effects models, adjusting for maternal age, education, comorbid disorders, and smoking.

Main Results:

• Maternal ADHD was not significantly associated with preterm birth after adjustments (adjOR=1.06, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.13).
• ADHD was associated with an increased risk of large for gestational age infants (adjOR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.26).
• ADHD was also linked to a higher likelihood of planned cesarean sections (adjOR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.26).

Conclusions:

• The association between maternal ADHD and preterm birth is not significant when controlling for comorbid mental disorders and smoking.
• Maternal ADHD is associated with an elevated risk of delivering large for gestational age babies.
• Women with ADHD have an increased risk of undergoing planned cesarean sections.