Teens' prenatal care affects risk for preterm delivery

Inadequate prenatal care is strongly associated with preterm birth among adolescents, according to a 10-year retrospective study of 30,000 pregnant women under 20 years of age in the state of Washington. Women who had received no prenatal care were 7 times more likely to give birth prematurely than those attending 75% to 100% of recommended prenatal visits (adjusted OR, 7.4). Women attending less than 25%, 25% to 49%, or 50% to 74% of expected prenatal visits also were at significantly increased risk for preterm birth (OR, 2.6, 1.6, and 1.3, respectively). The findings persisted even after controlling for recognized risk factors for preterm birth.

Debiec KE, Paul KJ, Mitchell CM, Hitti JE. Inadequate prenatal care and risk of preterm delivery among adolescents: a retrospective study over 10 years. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010;203(2):122.e1-e6.