1. Sex of the first‐born and obstetric complications in the subsequent birth. A study of 2.3 million second births from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden
- Author
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Laust Hvas Mortensen, Henriette Svarre Nielsen, Mika Gissler, Sven Cnattingius, Rolv Skjærven, Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, and Kari Klungsøyr
- Subjects
Male ,Risk ,medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,Scandinavian and Nordic Countries ,Preeclampsia ,03 medical and health sciences ,Sex Factors ,0302 clinical medicine ,Pregnancy ,Humans ,Medicine ,Registries ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Girl ,education ,media_common ,education.field_of_study ,030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine ,Eclampsia ,Placental abruption ,business.industry ,Obstetrics ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Pregnancy Complications ,Parity ,Relative risk ,Female ,business - Abstract
Introduction Studies have shown associations between a first-born boy and increased risks of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, decreased birthweight, and preterm birth in subsequent pregnancies, but with limited precision. Material and methods We examined associations between sex of the first-born and obstetric complications in second births. We calculated the relative risks (RR)s of preeclampsia/eclampsia, placental abruption, stillbirth, and preterm birth in approximately 2.3 million second births comparing women with a preceding first-born boy to those with a first-born girl using the Medical Birth Registries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden 1980-2008. Results In second births following a first-born boy rather than a girl, the RR was 4% higher for preeclampsia/eclampsia (RR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06), 9% higher for placental abruption (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.05-1.13), 9% higher for stillbirth (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.04-1.14), and 8% higher for preterm birth (RR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.07-1.09). The population attributable risks ranged from 2% to 4.5%. Conclusions Male sex of the first-born is associated with small increases in risks of obstetric complications in the second birth. Exploration of the underlying mechanisms is needed to increase our knowledge and treatment options for these serious obstetric complications.
- Published
- 2020