The association between noise and pregnancy complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: Noise exposure during pregnancy may be correlated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and pre-eclampsia (PE). The link between noise and pregnancy complications, however, has been inconsistently reported. The objective of our study is to summarize the association of noise exposure throughout pregnancy with the risk of pregnancy complications. Subject and methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were comprehensively searched up to 5 March 2024 for published articles investigating the relationship between noise pollution and pregnancy complications (HDP, GDM, and PE). Random and fixed-effects models were used to aggregate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Eligible studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality scale. Results: A total of 12 articles (16 studies) with 1,349,210 participants and 76,438 cases (30,569 with HDP, 20,192 with GDM, and 25,677 with PE) were incorporated into our study. The pooled RRs showed a positive association of noise with HDP (RR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01–1.21, I²= 27.2%) and GDM (RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.01–1.52, I²= 86.0%). The pooled RRs and 95% CI of PE risk with noise were 1.10 (95% CI: 0.99–1.22, I²= 16.5%). Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between noise exposure and a higher risk of HDP and GDM. It may therefore be advisable for women to restrict their exposure to noise during pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications from that source.