Individuals with chronic medical conditions are at an increased risk for adverse reproductive and perinatal outcomes. However, there is limited condition-specific information on the reproductive and perinatal implications of chronic conditions and their associated treatments. In this dissertation, we focus on thyroid disorders and migraines, two relatively common chronic conditions among females of reproductive age, and three distinct reproductive outcomes, spanning from preconception to delivery. In study one, we analyzed the association between thyroid disorders and fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception among non-contracepting couples, using data from Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), a preconception cohort study of pregnancy planners in the United States and Canada. We did not find an association between a diagnosis of hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, thyroid autoimmunity, or thyroid nodules/thyroid cancer and fecundability. We also found no association between thyroid medication use or non-use among individuals with a thyroid disorder and fecundability. In the second study, we focused on migraines and spontaneous abortion (SAB), which is pregnancy loss before twenty weeks gestation, also using PRESTO data. We found that a history of migraines is not independently associated with SAB risk in females, but that routine use of medication for migraines during the preconception period may be associated with an increased risk of SAB. In the third study, we focused on the association between migraines and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDOP), which include gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. We used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold, a longitudinal database of de-identified patient records from hundreds of primary care practices in the United Kingdom. We found that while migraines overall are associated with a small increase in risk of HDOP, this increase is most substantial among those with pre-pregnancy migraines that persist in the first trimester of pregnancy. Overall, we observed that while a history of diagnosed thyroid disorder or migraines ascertained via self-report during the preconception period may not be associated with the reproductive and perinatal outcomes we studied, certain subgroups of individuals with migraines may be at increased risk of SAB or HDOP. Migraine severity and persistence in the first trimester are likely important factors in determining the magnitude of this increased risk. Nuanced research into chronic conditions with a disproportionate disease burden among females of reproductive age will guide and improve reproductive health care for individuals with chronic conditions. This dissertation aims to address these gaps in the literature by exploring the relationship between two chronic conditions and three reproductive and perinatal outcomes: thyroid disorders and fecundability, migraines and spontaneous abortion, and migraines and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. / 2023-04-20T00:00:00Z

During the latest decade Somali-born women with experiences of long-lasting war followed by migration have increasingly encountered Swedish maternity care, where antenatal care midwives are assigned to ask questions about exposure to violence. The overall aim in this thesis was to gain deeper understanding of Somali-born women’s wellbeing and needs during the parallel transitions of migration to Sweden and childbearing, focusing on maternity healthcare encounters and violence. Data were obtained from medical records (paper I), qualitative interviews with Somali-born women (II, III) and Swedish antenatal care midwives (IV). Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used. Compared to pregnancies of Swedish-born women, Somali-born women’s pregnancies demonstrated later booking and less visits to antenatal care, more maternal morbidity but less psychiatric treatment, less medical pain relief during delivery and more emergency caesarean sections and small-for-gestational-age infants (I). Political violence with broken societal structures before migration contributed to up-rootedness, limited healthcare and absent state-based support to women subjected to violence, which reinforced reliance on social networks, own endurance and faith in Somalia (II). After migration, sources of wellbeing were a pragmatic “moving-on” approach including faith and motherhood, combined with social coherence. Lawful rights for women were appreciated but could concurrently risk creating power tensions in partner relationships. Generally, the Somali-born women associated the midwife more with providing medical care than with overall wellbeing or concerns about violence, but new societal resources were parallel incorporated with known resources (III). Midwives strived for woman-centered approaches beyond ethnicity and culture in care encounters, with language, social gaps and divergent views on violence as potential barriers in violence inquiry. Somali-born women’s strength and contentment were highlighted, and ongoing violence seldom encountered according to the midwives experiences (IV). Pragmatism including “moving on” combined with support from family and social networks, indicate capability to cope with violence and migration-related stress. However, this must be balanced against potential unspoken needs at individual level in care encounters.With trustful relationships, optimized interaction and networking with local Somali communities and across professions, the antenatal midwife can have a “bridging-function” in balancing between dual societies and contribute to healthy transitions in the new society.

Os trabalhos que visam estudar as relações entre a saúde materna e a saúde perinatal são de um modo geral parciais e também restritos à mortalidade perinatal. Visando conhecer melhor esta relação, o presente estudo se propôs a acompanhar 160 mulheres no ciclo gravídico-puerperal desde o parto até a criança completar 7 dias de vida. As principais variáveis foram idade materna, paridade, idade gestacional, estado nutricional e morbidade materna, peso ao nascer do recém-nascido, morbimortalidade do concepto, assistência pré-natal, trabalho de parto e parto. Após a análise dos dados pôde-se observar que a população estudada apresentou uma mortalidade perinatal de 67,9 por cento nascimentos, taxa bastante elevada, sugerindo, no caso, um alto risco de mortes no período. Em relação ao baixo peso ao nascer este foi de aproximadamente 11 por cento . Quanto à assistência pré-natal, 13,3 por cento das gestantes não fizeram este controle, tendo as crianças destas mulheres apresentado uma maior incidência de prematuridade, baixo peso ao nascer e mortes no período perinatal (eventos negativos) do que as que o controlaram. Das gestantes estudadas, 15,33 por cento tinham idade de 19 anos e menos e 10,22 por cento 35 anos e mais. As mulheres com 35 anos e mais apresentaram maior número de patologias durante a gestação; a paridade também foi elevada e suas crianças apresentaram mais eventos negativos que as demais. Além da alta mortalidade perinatal a morbidade neste período também foi elevada, uma vez que cerca de 73 por cento das crianças que sobreviveram apresentaram problemas na 1ª semana de vida, sendo que nestas 90 por cento dos problemas apareceram ainda durante a permanência do recém-nascido no hospital e nas 10 por cento restantes o problema surgiu no domicílio. As condições sócio-econômicas desta população mostraram uma importante variável de risco de morbimortalidade perinatal bem como de morbidade materna, pois observou-se uma estreita relação entre o status sócio-econômico e os problemas de saúde apresentados por esta população. O peso ao nascer do concepto também se associou a variáveis tanto orgânicas como sócio-econômicas, podendo ser indicado como um elemento importante no estudo do risco de saúde do recém-nascido. Finalmente a assistência ao trabalho de parto como ao parto se apresentou como sendo um determinante de traumatismo de nascimento que se somou às demais variáveis de risco, expondo o recém-nascido a um risco ainda mais elevado de morbimortalidade perinatal. / Researches which have studied the relationships between maternal and perinatal health are, as a rule, incomplete and restricted to questions of perinatal mortality. This present study sought to follow the pregnancy-infancy cycle of 160 women through from the delivery to the end of the first week of life. The principal variables studied were maternal age, parity, gestational age, maternal nutritional state and morbidity, birthweight, morbidity and mortality of the child, antenatal care, labour and delivery. After an analysis of the data it was discovered that the population studied presented the very high perinatal mortality rate of 61.9 per thousand births, which suggests a high level of risk in this period for this population. As for low birth-weigh, this was of the order of approximately 11 per cent . 13.3 per cent of the pregnant women did not receive antenatal care and their children presented a higher incidence of prematurity, low birth-weight and deaths in the perinatal period (negative events) than those who had received such care. Of the pregnant women studied 15.33 per cent were of 19 years of age or less and 10.22 per cent were of 35 or more. Those women of 35 or more presented a greater number of diseases during pregnancy, parity also was higher and their children presented more negative events than those born to the lower age groups. Beyond the high perinatal mortality the morbidity in this period was also high as 73 per cent of the surviving children presented problems in their first week of life, 90 per cent of these appearing while the child was still in hospital, the remaining 10 per cent arising later in the home. The socio-economic conditions of the population were seen to be an important variable for risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality, as also of maternal morbidity, because a close relationship between social strata and the health problems presented by this population was observed. The birthweight of the child (still or live-born) was also associated with both organic and socio-economic variables and was thus shown to be an important element in the study of the health-risks to the new-born. Finally, assistance during labour and at delivery was shown to be determinative of the incidence of traumatism at the birth which, added to the other high-risk variables, lead to the attribution of an even higher risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality to the new-born.

Os trabalhos que visam estudar as relações entre a saúde materna e a saúde perinatal são de um modo geral parciais e também restritos à mortalidade perinatal. Visando conhecer melhor esta relação, o presente estudo se propôs a acompanhar 160 mulheres no ciclo gravídico-puerperal desde o parto até a criança completar 7 dias de vida. As principais variáveis foram idade materna, paridade, idade gestacional, estado nutricional e morbidade materna, peso ao nascer do recém-nascido, morbimortalidade do concepto, assistência pré-natal, trabalho de parto e parto. Após a análise dos dados pôde-se observar que a população estudada apresentou uma mortalidade perinatal de 67,9 por cento nascimentos, taxa bastante elevada, sugerindo, no caso, um alto risco de mortes no período. Em relação ao baixo peso ao nascer este foi de aproximadamente 11 por cento . Quanto à assistência pré-natal, 13,3 por cento das gestantes não fizeram este controle, tendo as crianças destas mulheres apresentado uma maior incidência de prematuridade, baixo peso ao nascer e mortes no período perinatal (eventos negativos) do que as que o controlaram. Das gestantes estudadas, 15,33 por cento tinham idade de 19 anos e menos e 10,22 por cento 35 anos e mais. As mulheres com 35 anos e mais apresentaram maior número de patologias durante a gestação; a paridade também foi elevada e suas crianças apresentaram mais eventos negativos que as demais. Além da alta mortalidade perinatal a morbidade neste período também foi elevada, uma vez que cerca de 73 por cento das crianças que sobreviveram apresentaram problemas na 1ª semana de vida, sendo que nestas 90 por cento dos problemas apareceram ainda durante a permanência do recém-nascido no hospital e nas 10 por cento restantes o problema surgiu no domicílio. As condições sócio-econômicas desta população mostraram uma importante variável de risco de morbimortalidade perinatal bem como de morbidade materna, pois observou-se uma estreita relação entre o status sócio-econômico e os problemas de saúde apresentados por esta população. O peso ao nascer do concepto também se associou a variáveis tanto orgânicas como sócio-econômicas, podendo ser indicado como um elemento importante no estudo do risco de saúde do recém-nascido. Finalmente a assistência ao trabalho de parto como ao parto se apresentou como sendo um determinante de traumatismo de nascimento que se somou às demais variáveis de risco, expondo o recém-nascido a um risco ainda mais elevado de morbimortalidade perinatal. / Researches which have studied the relationships between maternal and perinatal health are, as a rule, incomplete and restricted to questions of perinatal mortality. This present study sought to follow the pregnancy-infancy cycle of 160 women through from the delivery to the end of the first week of life. The principal variables studied were maternal age, parity, gestational age, maternal nutritional state and morbidity, birthweight, morbidity and mortality of the child, antenatal care, labour and delivery. After an analysis of the data it was discovered that the population studied presented the very high perinatal mortality rate of 61.9 per thousand births, which suggests a high level of risk in this period for this population. As for low birth-weigh, this was of the order of approximately 11 per cent . 13.3 per cent of the pregnant women did not receive antenatal care and their children presented a higher incidence of prematurity, low birth-weight and deaths in the perinatal period (negative events) than those who had received such care. Of the pregnant women studied 15.33 per cent were of 19 years of age or less and 10.22 per cent were of 35 or more. Those women of 35 or more presented a greater number of diseases during pregnancy, parity also was higher and their children presented more negative events than those born to the lower age groups. Beyond the high perinatal mortality the morbidity in this period was also high as 73 per cent of the surviving children presented problems in their first week of life, 90 per cent of these appearing while the child was still in hospital, the remaining 10 per cent arising later in the home. The socio-economic conditions of the population were seen to be an important variable for risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality, as also of maternal morbidity, because a close relationship between social strata and the health problems presented by this population was observed. The birthweight of the child (still or live-born) was also associated with both organic and socio-economic variables and was thus shown to be an important element in the study of the health-risks to the new-born. Finally, assistance during labour and at delivery was shown to be determinative of the incidence of traumatism at the birth which, added to the other high-risk variables, lead to the attribution of an even higher risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality to the new-born.

Our ultimate goal as obstetric and neonatal care providers is to improve care for mothers and their babies. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) involves iterative cycles of practice change and audit of ongoing clinical care identifying practices that are associated with good outcomes. A vital prerequisite to this evidence based medicine is data collection. In Canada, much of the country is covered by separate fragmented silos known as regional reproductive care databases or perinatal health programs. A more centralized system which includes collaborative efforts is required. Moving in this direction would serve many purposes: efficiency, economy in the setting of limited resources and shrinking budgets and lastly, interaction among data collection agencies. This interaction may facilitate translation and transfer of knowledge to care-givers and patients. There are however many barriers towards such collaborative efforts including privacy, ownership and the standardization of both digital technologies and semantics. After thoroughly examining the current existing perinatal data collection among Perinatal Health Programs (PHPs), and the Canadian Perinatal Network (CPN) database, it was evident that there is little standardization of definitions. This serves as one of the most important barriers towards data sharing. To communicate effectively and share data, researchers and clinicians alike must construct a common perinatal language. Communicative tools and programs such as SNOMED CT® offer a potential solution, but still require much work due to their infancy. A standardized perinatal language would not only lay the definitional foundation in women’s health and obstetrics but also serve as a major contribution towards a universal electronic health record.

During the latest decade Somali-born women with experiences of long-lasting war followed by migration have increasingly encountered Swedish maternity care, where antenatal care midwives are assigned to ask questions about exposure to violence. The overall aim in this thesis was to gain deeper understanding of Somali-born women’s wellbeing and needs during the parallel transitions of migration to Sweden and childbearing, focusing on maternity healthcare encounters and violence. Data were obtained from medical records (paper I), qualitative interviews with Somali-born women (II, III) and Swedish antenatal care midwives (IV). Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used. Compared to pregnancies of Swedish-born women, Somali-born women’s pregnancies demonstrated later booking and less visits to antenatal care, more maternal morbidity but less psychiatric treatment, less medical pain relief during delivery and more emergency caesarean sections and small-for-gestational-age infants (I). Political violence with broken societal structures before migration contributed to up-rootedness, limited healthcare and absent state-based support to women subjected to violence, which reinforced reliance on social networks, own endurance and faith in Somalia (II). After migration, sources of wellbeing were a pragmatic “moving-on” approach including faith and motherhood, combined with social coherence. Lawful rights for women were appreciated but could concurrently risk creating power tensions in partner relationships. Generally, the Somali-born women associated the midwife more with providing medical care than with overall wellbeing or concerns about violence, but new societal resources were parallel incorporated with known resources (III). Midwives strived for woman-centered approaches beyond ethnicity and culture in care encounters, with language, social gaps and divergent views on violence as potential barriers in violence inquiry. Somali-born women’s strength and contentment were highlighted, and ongoing violence seldom encountered according to the midwives experiences (IV). Pragmatism including “moving on” combined with support from family and social networks, indicate capability to cope with violence and migration-related stress. However, this must be balanced against potential unspoken needs at individual level in care encounters.With trustful relationships, optimized interaction and networking with local Somali communities and across professions, the antenatal midwife can have a “bridging-function” in balancing between dual societies and contribute to healthy transitions in the new society.

Our ultimate goal as obstetric and neonatal care providers is to improve care for mothers and their babies. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) involves iterative cycles of practice change and audit of ongoing clinical care identifying practices that are associated with good outcomes. A vital prerequisite to this evidence based medicine is data collection. In Canada, much of the country is covered by separate fragmented silos known as regional reproductive care databases or perinatal health programs. A more centralized system which includes collaborative efforts is required. Moving in this direction would serve many purposes: efficiency, economy in the setting of limited resources and shrinking budgets and lastly, interaction among data collection agencies. This interaction may facilitate translation and transfer of knowledge to care-givers and patients. There are however many barriers towards such collaborative efforts including privacy, ownership and the standardization of both digital technologies and semantics. After thoroughly examining the current existing perinatal data collection among Perinatal Health Programs (PHPs), and the Canadian Perinatal Network (CPN) database, it was evident that there is little standardization of definitions. This serves as one of the most important barriers towards data sharing. To communicate effectively and share data, researchers and clinicians alike must construct a common perinatal language. Communicative tools and programs such as SNOMED CT® offer a potential solution, but still require much work due to their infancy. A standardized perinatal language would not only lay the definitional foundation in women’s health and obstetrics but also serve as a major contribution towards a universal electronic health record.

Our ultimate goal as obstetric and neonatal care providers is to improve care for mothers and their babies. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) involves iterative cycles of practice change and audit of ongoing clinical care identifying practices that are associated with good outcomes. A vital prerequisite to this evidence based medicine is data collection. In Canada, much of the country is covered by separate fragmented silos known as regional reproductive care databases or perinatal health programs. A more centralized system which includes collaborative efforts is required. Moving in this direction would serve many purposes: efficiency, economy in the setting of limited resources and shrinking budgets and lastly, interaction among data collection agencies. This interaction may facilitate translation and transfer of knowledge to care-givers and patients. There are however many barriers towards such collaborative efforts including privacy, ownership and the standardization of both digital technologies and semantics. After thoroughly examining the current existing perinatal data collection among Perinatal Health Programs (PHPs), and the Canadian Perinatal Network (CPN) database, it was evident that there is little standardization of definitions. This serves as one of the most important barriers towards data sharing. To communicate effectively and share data, researchers and clinicians alike must construct a common perinatal language. Communicative tools and programs such as SNOMED CT® offer a potential solution, but still require much work due to their infancy. A standardized perinatal language would not only lay the definitional foundation in women’s health and obstetrics but also serve as a major contribution towards a universal electronic health record. / Medicine, Faculty of / Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of / Graduate

Introduction. Today women comprise 15% of the U.S. active-duty military, but are often overlooked in research of the Armed Forces. While some of the challenges faced by women are similar to men, they encounter unique stressors related to childcare while deployed, sexual harassment and assault, and gynecological needs. Women are also more likely than men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both stress and PTSD have been linked to the development of chronic hypertension and some adverse birth outcomes. We hypothesized that post-9/11/2001 era military women who deployed or who had indicators of PTSD would be at greater risk of developing a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP) than non-deployed or non-PTSD military women. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a U.S. Department of Defense database comprised of all active-duty women who gave birth to their first, live-born singleton infant using Tricare from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008. The database included maternal and infant birth hospitalization records, maternal mental health visits, and post-9/11/2001 deployment information which included Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) and Reassessment (PDHRA) screening responses. HDP was defined with ICD-9-CM codes in the maternal birth hospitalization record. We evaluated the risk of HDP associated with overall deployment and timing of deployment ending compared to non-deployed women, in addition to cumulative months of deployment. We also conducted Classification Tree Analysis (CART) to determine appropriate cut-points for categorization of deployment variables among mothers who deployed: cumulative weeks of deployment, percent of study time spent deployed, and dwell time between two most recent pre-birth deployments. We explored effect modification by covariates postulated to potentially modify the relationship between deployment history and risk of HDP. New variables were defined and used in multivariable logistic regression models for each deployment measure. Women fit into four PTSD case-definition categories: confirmed (ICD-9-CM diagnosis), probable (possible plus endorsement of “high risk” items on the PDHA), possible (endorsement of ≥3 PTSD items on the PDHA), or none (no PTSD indicators). We compared mothers with PTSD to non-cases using multivariable logistic regression to quantify the risk of HDP, and repeated the analyses using a ≥2 PTSD item endorsement case-definition criteria. All logistic regression models were adjusted for known confounders and important covariates. Results. There were a total of 36,675 births, 13.4% of mothers experienced at least one HDP, and 35% of mothers deployed. No increased risk of HDP was observed for deployment overall (OR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.95-1.09), but black mothers who deployed were 13% more likely to develop an HDP (OR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.00-1.27). CART revealed an important cut-point for cumulative deployment length of ≥1 year, which was statistically significant among mothers <35 years old. Mothers with ≥1 year cumulative deployment were 17% more likely to have an HDP than mothers deployed <1 year (OR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.01-1.36). The prevalence of confirmed PTSD was 1.6% in the overall cohort. The prevalence of any PTSD among deployed mothers who completed a PDHA was 6.2%. Overall, PTSD was not significantly associated with HDP except among probable PTSD cases using the ≥2 item criteria (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.01-1.67) and among confirmed PTSD mothers identifying as “other” race (OR=6.62, 95% CI: 1.72-25.47). Conclusion. Results are suggestive of an elevated risk of HDP among the military population among women who deployed for a year or longer and for black mothers. Although PTSD did not clearly confer additional risk in the overall cohort, there is evidence to support further research using more thorough screening especially across racial/ethnic groups. Our study likely underestimated PTSD and possibly attenuated results since individuals may purposely report inaccurately on the PDHA in order to go home sooner after deployment. Future studies should include information related to deployment-specific experiences and screen all participants for evidence of PTSD.

BACKGROUND: The United States maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has increased in the past few decades and disparities that negatively impact birthing individuals of color persist. While there are many potential causes for health inequity, distinct factors such as obstetric racism, lack of informed and shared decision-making approaches, and lack of continuous birthing support can prevent positive birthing outcomes. The present study investigates the impact of doula support on perinatal mood disorders while also evaluating potential differences in racial/cultural concordance and cultural competence in the context of the doula-patient relationship, in a Northeastern U.S. urban setting. METHODS: Seven focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted amongst prenatal and postpartum patients (n=9) and actively practicing doulas (n=18). Participants shared their thoughts and lived experiences related to doula support during the perinatal period through open-ended questions. Researchers transcribed qualitative data from FGDs and analyzed them using a modified grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Five major themes emerged from qualitative data analysis: (1) doula support can reduce stress during the perinatal period, (2) doulas can make the process of seeking out mental health support more efficient, (3) cultural competency in doula care is a learning process (4) racial concordance does not guarantee successful doula-patient relationships, and (5) doulas play an important role in the decision-making process. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of doula support can combat perinatal mood disorders through two pathways identified in the present study. Although there may be distinct differences between culturally competent versus culturally congruent doula-patient relationships, matching by race or culture is not the solution to a fulfilling relationship. Doulas practicing cultural competence and cultural humility – regardless of client background – can make a meaningful impact on the perinatal experience and long-term mental health outcomes. / 2022-11-10T00:00:00Z