title: Maternal and neonatal outcome in pregnancies with no risk factors.
abstract: Between November 1979 and April 1984, 790 consecutive pregnant women who considered themselves as having a "normal" pregnancy were followed in private practice from 9 weeks' gestation until 6 weeks post partum. The women had no pre-existing disease or problem classified as a risk to the pregnancy at the time of their first visit, had a singleton pregnancy and gave birth at Notre-Dame Hospital, Montreal. Maternal complications occurred during the course of pregnancy in 181 women (23%). Complications were mostly related to obstetric conditions (10%), such as preterm labour, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and antepartum hemorrhage, or to medical conditions (12%), the most prevalent of which was hypertension (77% of medical conditions). Neonatal complications occurred in 183 infants (23%). The corrected perinatal death rate was 2.5 per 1000. Prematurity, IUGR and dysmaturity/postmaturity accounted for nearly half of the complications. Hyperbilirubinemia occurred in 7% of the cases. Among women without any maternal complications during pregnancy, the frequency rate of neonatal complications was 19%, compared with 23% among the entire group of 790 women. Our results suggest that the absence of maternal complications does not protect the infant from a neonatal complication. Further refinement is needed to identify markers of obstetric, medical and neonatal complications in pregnancies with no risk factors.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors