Unmarried at delivery. II. Perinatal morbidity and mortality.
The British Birth Survey included 98% of all deliveries in Great Britain in one week of April 1970. For this report, singleton births to 934 Single (never-married), 301 Once-married (widowed, separated or divorced) and 15 225 Married mothers were compared. After allowing for maternal age, parity and smoking history, there was still a reduction in birth weight in the two unmarried groups, which was mainly associated with pre-term gestation rather than growth retardation. Perinatal mortality was considerably elevated, especially for the Once-married. The excess mortality was mainly among the 'Macerated normally formed stillbirths' and 'Asphyxia' categories of the Wigglesworth classification.
D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D004243:Divorce; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007086:Illegitimacy; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D009017:Morbidity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012847:Single Person; D006113:United Kingdom