Violence does not influence early pregnancy loss.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between physical violence, controlling behavior, and spontaneous abortion (SAB).


METHODS
Nested case-control study.


METHODS
Emergency department of a university hospital.


METHODS
One thousand one hundred ninety-nine pregnant women.


METHODS
Physical violence and controlling behavior.


RESULTS
Cases experienced a SAB (n = 392) and controls maintained their pregnancy through 22 weeks (n = 807). Fifteen percent of women reported violence during the pregnancy, and 49% had reported one or more past episodes of violence. We found no relationship between any measure of physical violence (past, current, or by perpetrator) and the risk of SAB.


CONCLUSIONS
Although physical violence was very prevalent in the study population, exposure to violence did not influence the risk of SAB.
Nelson
Deborah B
DB
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA. dnelson@cceb.med.upenn.edu
Grisso
Jeane Ann
JA
Joffe
Marshall M
MM
Brensinger
Colleen
C
Ness
Roberta B
RB
McMahon
Katherine
K
Shaw
Leslie
L
Datner
Elizabeth
E
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology*; D001519:Behavior; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence