Schizophrenia and induced abortions: A national register-based follow-up study among Finnish women born between 1965-1980 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

Reproductive health experiences of women and non-binary people with early psychosis: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Psychosis typically emerges in young adulthood and can impact reproductive health, including risk for suboptimal fertility and unplanned pregnancies. This study aimed to explore the reproductive health experiences of young women and non-binary people with psychosis.

STUDY DESIGN

In this qualitative study, young women and non-binary service users with experience of early psychosis in Toronto, Canada participated in semi-structured interviews about their reproductive health experiences (sexual health experiences analyzed separately). Clinicians providing healthcare for this population also participated in interviews/focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to describe core themes among service users, then understand how clinician perspectives related to these.

STUDY RESULTS

Interviews with service users (n = 19, aged 18-31; cisgender women n = 15, transgender women n = 2, non-binary individuals n = 2) yielded two core themes: (1) Complex reproductive health needs exist irrespective of psychosis, and (2) Psychosis does specifically impact reproductive health priorities and plans. These were discussed across three clinical content areas: contraception, menstruation, and future pregnancy/family planning. A final theme emerged from clinicians (n = 36): (3) Clinicians grapple with clinical complexity, and sometimes have different priorities than their patients (e.g., menstruation was a priority for service users only).

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers insights into the reproductive health experiences of women and non-binary individuals with early psychosis, including complexity that exists irrespective of psychosis, and additional psychosis-related complexity. The study also explored clinicians' perspectives, and identified areas of discordance between service user and clinician perspectives (e.g., related to menstruation). Findings can help shape interventions to improve this population's reproductive health.

The travails of women with severe mental illness and pregnancy

Women with severe mental illness and pregnancy suffer substantial travails in accessing care for mental and perinatal health. Women with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia face higher risks of pregnancy and postnatal complications. Similarly, lack of access to holistic psychiatric care presents particular perils for these women and their children. Tailored care for these mothers-to-be and their babies is needed to prevent and ameliorate health complications, mental and physical. This will require targeted funding of services that connect women with and provide continuity of care.

Prevalence and associated factors of abortion among women with severe mental disorders

BACKGROUND

Abortion behaviors among individuals with mental disorders presented major obstacles to women's health. However, few studies reported the prevalence and associated factors of abortion among women with severe mental disorders in China. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of abortion among female patients in rural communities and identify potential health risks.

METHOD

This was a cross-sectional study of 276 women aged 18 years and older with severe mental disorders in rural areas of Shandong Province, China. The pregnancy history, abortion history and socio-demographic characteristics of women were investigated by questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the associated factors for different abortion behaviors.

RESULT

The study showed that 82.61 % (228/276) of patients had a pregnancy history. Among the patients with a pregnancy history, 43.42 % (99/228) reported having had at least one abortion, and 15.79 % (36/228) had more than one. In the other side, 31.58 % (72/228) of them experienced spontaneous abortion, while 12.72 % (29/228) experienced induced abortion. Age at first gestation (aOR 0.80, 95 % CI 0.70-0.90) and age at last gestation (aOR 1.17, 95 % CI 1.07-1.27) were both associated with abortion. Anxiety was related to spontaneous (aOR 1.08, 95 % CI 1.02-1.15) and repeat abortions (aOR 1.10, 95 % CI 1.01-1.19). In addition, religion (aOR 10.47, 95 % CI 2.81-39.01), number of children≥2 (aOR 0.18, 95 % CI 0.04-0.77), and family functioning (aOR 1.31, 95 % CI 1.06-1.63) were associated with induced abortion.

CONCLUSION

Women with severe mental disorders in rural regions have notably higher rates of abortion compared to the general female population, particularly for spontaneous abortions. Gestational age and anxiety of pregnant patients deserve attention and preventive measures to avoid the outcomes of abortion.

General and age-specific fertility rates in non-affective psychosis: population-based analysis of Scottish women

PURPOSE

Women diagnosed with non-affective psychosis have a lower general fertility rate (GFR) and age-specific fertility rate (ASFR) than women in the general population. Contemporary data on GFR in this group remain limited, despite substantive changes in prescribing and management. We calculated contemporary estimates of the GFR and ASFR for women diagnosed with non-affective psychosis compared with the general population of women without this diagnosis.

METHODS

A population-based design combined routinely collected historical maternity and psychiatric data from two representative areas of Scotland. Women were included from the NHS Grampian or Greater Glasgow and Clyde areas and were aged 15-44 between 2005 and 2013 inclusive. The 'exposed' group had a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (ICD-10 F20-F29) and was compared to the general population of 'unexposed' women in the same geographical areas.

RESULTS

Annual GFR between 2005 and 2013 for women with non-affective psychosis varied from 9.6 to 21.3 live births/1000 women per year in the exposed cohort and 52.7 to 57.8 live births/1000 women per year in the unexposed cohort, a rate ratio (RR) of 0.28 [p < 0.001; 95% CI (0.24, 0.32)]. ASFR for all 5-year age groups was lower in the exposed cohort than amongst unexposed women.

CONCLUSION

We highlight continued low fertility rates in women with a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis, despite widespread availability of prolactin-sparing atypical antipsychotics. Accurate estimation of fertility rates remains crucial in developing needs-matched perinatal care for these women. Methodological improvements using routine datasets to investigate perinatal mental health are also urgently needed.

Severe mental illness and pregnancy outcomes in Australia. A population-based study of 595 792 singleton births 2009-2016

BACKGROUND

Women with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) may have more complex pregnancies and pregnancy outcomes that require different care and management, but this has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to explore associations between SMI and adverse maternal and infant outcomes in the state of Victoria, Australia.

METHODS

Our sample included all reported live singleton births in Victoria 2009-2016 (N = 595 792). Associations between SMI and adverse pregnancy outcomes were explored using Odds Ratios (OR), adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, and co-morbidities, including any other mental illness.

RESULTS

Of all singleton births, 2046 (0.34%) were to a mother diagnosed with a SMI. We found evidence of an association between SMI and a range of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Compared to women without SMI, women with a SMI had higher adjusted odds of being admitted to a High Dependency Unit or Intensive Care Unit (aOR 1.83, 1.37-2.43), having gestational diabetes mellitus (1.57, 1.34-1.84), undergoing an unplanned caesarean section (1.17, 1.02-1.33), induction of labour (1.17, 1.05-1.30) and postpartum haemorrhage (1.15, 1.03-1.29). Newborns of women with SMI had higher adjusted odds of being admitted to Special Care Nursery (aOR 1.61, 1.43-1.80), a low Apgar score at 5 minutes (1.50, 1.19-1.90), preterm birth (1.40, 1.20-1.63), and low birthweight (1.26, 1.06-1.49).

CONCLUSION

Women with SMI are at higher risk for a range of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and are a population that may benefit from targeted early identification and enhanced antenatal care.

Pregnancy, delivery and neonatal complications in women with schizophrenia: a national population-based cohort study

Background

Existing studies evaluating the association between schizophrenia and complications associated with pregnancy, delivery and neonatal outcomes are based on data prior to 2014 and have reported heterogeneous results. The objective of our study was to determine whether pregnant women with schizophrenia were at increased risk of pregnancy, delivery and neonatal complications compared with women without severe mental disorders.

Methods

We performed a population-based cohort study of all singleton deliveries in France between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2019. We divided this population into cases (i.e., women with schizophrenia) and controls (i.e., women without a diagnosis of severe mental disorder). Cases and controls were matched (1:4) inside the same hospital and the same year by age, social deprivation, parity, smoking, alcohol and substance addictions, malnutrition, obesity, and comorbidities. Univariate and multivariate models with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (ORs [95% CIs]) were used to estimate the association between schizophrenia and 24 pregnancy, delivery and neonatal outcomes.

Findings

Over 5 years, 3,667,461 singleton deliveries were identified, of which 3,108 occurred in women with schizophrenia. Compared to controls, women with schizophrenia were found to be older; have more frequent smoking, alcohol and substance addictions; suffer from obesity, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and often be hospitalized in tertiary maternity hospitals. Compared to matched controls, women with schizophrenia had more pregnancy complications (adjusted OR=1.41[95%CI 1.31-1.51]) (i.e., gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, genito-urinary infection, intrauterine growth retardation and threatened preterm labour). They had more delivery complications (aOR=1.18[95%CI 1.09 1.29]) with more still births/medical abortions (aOR=2.17[95%CI 1.62-2.90]) and caesarean sections (aOR=1.15[95%CI 1.05-1.25]). Newborns of women with schizophrenia had more neonatal complications (aOR=1.38[95%CI 1.27-1.50]) with more born preterm (aOR=1.64[95%CI1.42 -1.90]), small for gestational age (aOR=1.34[95%CI 1.19-1.50]) and low birth weight (aOR=1.75[95%CI 1.53-2.00]).

Interpretation

Our results highlight the importance of health disparities between pregnant women with and without schizophrenia, as well as in their newborns. Our study calls for health policy interventions during and before pregnancy, including proportionate intensified care to the level of needs, effective case management and preventive and social determinant approaches.

Funding

No funding.

Therapeutic termination of pregnancy and women's mental health: Determinants and consequences

The therapeutic termination of pregnancy (TToP) is an induced abortion following a diagnosis of medical necessity. TToP is applied to avoid the risk of substantial harm to the mother or in cases of fetal unviability. This type of induced abortion is provided after the second semester of gestation if fetal illness or the pregnancy cause physical danger or pathological mental distress to the mother. Socio-cultural and economic determinants could influence the desire for children and family planning in couples, as well as the use of effective contraception and the choice to perform an induced abortion. Also, pre-existing mental health problems could affect the decision between carrying on a problematic pregnancy or having TToP. Furthermore, the TToP is a reproductive event with an important traumatic burden, but also with an intrinsic therapeutic effect and it can produce different psychological and psychopathological effects on women and couples. The aim of this review is to evaluate what demographic, reproductive and psychopathological determinants are involved in the choice of undergoing a TToP in women. Also, we will examine both positive and negative consequences of this procedure on women's mental health, underlying which factors are related to a worse outcome in order to provide the best clinical support to vulnerable groups.

Sex differences in schizophrenia relevant to clinical care

Introduction: Most medical diagnoses present somewhat differently in men and women, more so at specific periods of life. Treatment effects may also differ. This is true for schizophrenia, where premorbid effects are experienced earlier in life in boys than in girls, and where symptoms and outcomes differ.Areas covered: This review does not cover all the differences that have been reported between men and women but, instead, focuses on the ones that carry important implications for clinical care: effective antipsychotic doses, medication side effects, symptom fluctuation due to hormonal levels, comorbidities, and women's requirements for prenatal, obstetric, postpartum, and parenting support.Expert opinion: Of consequence to schizophrenia, sex-biased genes, epigenetic modifications, and sex steroids all impact the structure and function of the brain. Furthermore, life experiences and social roles exert major sex-specific influences. The co-morbidities that accompany schizophrenia also affect men and women to different degrees. This review offers several examples of sex-specific intervention and concludes that gold standard treatment must look beyond symptoms and address all the physiologic, psychologic, and social role needs of men and women suffering from this psychiatric disorder.

Pregnancy, delivery and postpartum in women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in Finland: a national register-based comparative study

As part of anational Finnish study on reproductive health of women with severe mental disorders, we compared pregnancy- and delivery-, and postpartum-related outcomes between women with schizophrenia (n = 3444) and those with schizoaffective disorder (n = 985), focusing on their singleton pregnancies after illness onset (n = 708 and n = 242, respectively). For comparison, data also included 22,101 controls with 3668 pregnancies. The Finnish Medical Birth Register, the Register of Congenital Malformations and the Child Welfare Register were used. Despite known differences between the two disorders, we found no robust differences between these patient groups.

The RESPECT study: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a sexual health promotion intervention for people with serious mental illness in community mental health services in the UK

Background

People with serious mental illness (SMI) have sexual health needs but there is little evidence to inform effective interventions to address them. In fact, there are few studies that have addressed this topic for people with SMI outside USA and Brazil. Therefore, the aim of the study was to establish the acceptability and feasibility of a trial of a sexual health promotion intervention for people with SMI in the UK.

Method

The RESPECT study was a two-armed randomised controlled, open feasibility trial (RCT) comparing Sexual health promotion intervention (3 individual sessions of 1 h) (I) or treatment as usual (TAU) for adults aged 18 or over, with SMI, within community mental health services in four UK cities. The main outcome of interest was the percentage who consented to participate, and retained in each arm of the trial, retention for the intervention, and completeness of data collection. A nested qualitative study obtained the views of participants regarding the acceptability of the study using individual telephone interviews conducted by lived experience researchers.

Results

Of a target sample of 100, a total of 72 people were enrolled in the trial over 12 months. Recruitment in the initial months was low and so an extension was granted. However this extension meant that the later recruited participants would only be followed up to the 3 month point. There was good retention in the intervention and the study as a whole; 77.8% of those allocated to intervention (n = 28) received it. At three months, 81.9% (30 I; 29 TAU) and at 6 months, 76.3% (13 I and 16 TAU) completed the follow-up data collection. No adverse events were reported. There was good completeness of the data. The sexual health outcomes for the intervention group changed in favour of the intervention. Based on analysis of the qualitative interviews, the methods of recruitment, the quality of the participant information, the data collection, and the intervention were deemed to be acceptable to the participants (n = 22).

Conclusions

The target of 100 participants was not achieved within the study’s timescale. However, effective strategies were identified that improved recruitment in the final few months. Retention rates and completeness of data in both groups indicate that it is acceptable and feasible to undertake a study promoting sexual health for people with SMI. A fully powered RCT is required to establish effectiveness of the intervention in adoption of safer sex.

Study registration

ISRCTN RegistryISRCTN15747739 prospectively registered 5th July 2016.

Sexual health promotion in people with severe mental illness: the RESPECT feasibility RCT

BACKGROUND

People with serious mental illness have sexual health needs, but there is limited evidence regarding effective interventions to promote their sexual health.

OBJECTIVES

To develop a sexual health promotion intervention for people with serious mental illness, and to conduct a feasibility trial in order to establish the acceptability and parameters for a fully powered trial.

DESIGN

A two-armed randomised controlled, open feasibility study comparing usual care alone with usual care plus the adjunctive intervention.

SETTING

Five community mental health providers in Leeds, Barnsley, Brighton and London.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged ≥ 18 years with serious mental illness and receiving care from community mental health teams.

INTERVENTIONS

A remote, web-based computer randomisation system allocated participants to usual care plus the RESPECT (Randomised Evaluation of Sexual health Promotion Effectiveness informing Care and Treatment) intervention (three sessions of 1 hour) (intervention arm) or usual care only (control arm). The intervention was an interactive manualised package of exercises, quizzes and discussion topics focusing on knowledge, motivation and behavioural intentions to adopt safer sexual behaviours.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Feasibility parameters including establishing the percentage of people who were eligible, consented and were retained in each arm of the trial, retention for the intervention, as well as the completeness of the data collection. Data were collected on knowledge, motivation to adopt safer sexual behaviour, sexual behaviour, sexual stigma, sexual health service use and quality of life. Data were collected at baseline and then at 3 months and 6 months post randomisation.

RESULTS

Of a target of 100 participants, 72 people participated in the trial over 12 months. Of the 36 participants randomised to the intervention arm, 27 received some of the intervention (75.0%). At 3 months, 59 of the 72 participants completed follow-up questionnaires (81.9%) (30 participants from the intervention arm and 29 participants from the control arm). Only the first 38 participants were followed up at 6 months. However, data were collected on 29 out of 38 participants (76.3% retention): 13 in the intervention arm and 16 in the control arm. No adverse events were reported. Participant feedback confirmed that both the design and the intervention were acceptable. The economic analysis indicated high completion rates and completeness of data among participants who continued the trial.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limitations, the findings suggest that it is both acceptable and feasible to undertake a sexual health promotion study for people with serious mental illness.

FUTURE WORK

A fully powered randomised controlled trial would be required to establish the clinical effectiveness of the intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15747739.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 23, No. 65. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Fertility trends of women with serious mental illness in the United Kingdom 1992-2017: A primary care cohort study using the clinical practice research datalink

BACKGROUND

Changes in care may mean women with serious mental illness (SMI) are more fertile. We investigated 1) the live-birth and pregnancy rate of women with and without SMI over time, 2) the likelihood of pregnancy when using second or first-generation antipsychotics.

METHOD

Retrospective cohort study of women (15-45 years) registered in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) general practices between 1992 and 2017. Each analysis year, women with SMI (affective and non-affective psychotic disorder) were matched with up to four women with no record of SMI on age, calendar year and general practice. Pregnancy and live-birth rates and the rate ratio (RR) comparing women with and without SMI were estimated. The stability of the RR between years was tested. For women with SMI, the pregnancy rates when on or off first or second-generation antipsychotics were calculated and compared using Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

In total, 12,524 women with SMI were matched to 50,074 women without SMI, median age 34 [IQR 28-39] years. Between 1992 and 2017 women with SMI had 50% fewer live-births than women without SMI (RR 0..50, 95%CI 0.45-0.55). The pregnancy rate ratio increased from 0.64 (95%CI 0.48-0.86) (1992-1994) to 1.00 (95%CI 0.81-1.22) (2016-2017), (p < 0.0001), but this change was only seen in women with affective disorders. Women are most likely to become pregnant after discontinuing either a second-generation or first-generation antipsychotic (RR 1.74, 95%CI 1.42-2.13).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with SMI are increasingly experiencing pregnancy but not live-birth, which suggests the reproductive health needs of these women are unmet.

Sexual health of women with schizophrenia: A review

Women with schizophrenia experience low rates of sexual satisfaction and high rates of sexual dysfunction. They are at high risk for adverse sexual health outcomes including unplanned pregnancies, induced abortions, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and face higher rates of sexual violence and various forms of intimate partner violence. This review explores the complex and intersecting biopsychosocial risk factors that explain these outcomes among women with schizophrenia, including factors related to the illness itself, antipsychotic medications, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, stigma, childhood trauma, and social determinants of health including poverty and housing instability. Sexual health interventions designed to help women with schizophrenia achieve pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence are few and far between, suggesting opportunities for future development in this area.

Schizophrenia and pregnancy: a national register-based follow-up study among Finnish women born between 1965 and 1980

To assess psychosocial and somatic risk factors related to pregnancy, and pregnancy-related complications or disorders in women with schizophrenia compared to population controls. In this register-based cohort study, we identified all Finnish women who were born in 1965-1980 and diagnosed with schizophrenia in psychiatric care before 31 December 2013. For each case, five age- and place-of-birth matched controls were randomly selected. They were followed from the day when the disorder was diagnosed in specialized health care till the end of 2013. The mean follow-up time was 14.0 + 6.91 vs. 14.3 + 6.89 years. Altogether, 1162 singleton pregnancies were found among affected women and 4683 among controls. Affected women were significantly older and more often single; their body mass index before pregnancy was significantly higher, and they smoked significantly more often both in the beginning of pregnancy and after the first trimester than controls. They showed a significantly higher odds for pathologic oral glucose tolerance test (odds ratio (OR) 1.66, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.27-2.17), initiation of insulin treatment (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.15-2.93), fast fetal growth (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.03-2.52), premature contractions (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.31-4.49), hypertension (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.01-3.27), and pregnancy-related hospitalizations (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.66-2.33). Suspected damage to the fetus from alcohol/drugs was significantly more common among affected women than controls. Women with schizophrenia have higher prevalence of psychosocial and somatic risk factors related to pregnancy, as well as pregnancy-related complications and disorders than non-affected women.

A population-based study of the frequency and predictors of induced abortion among women with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Induced abortion is an indicator of access to, and quality of reproductive healthcare, but rates are relatively unknown in women with schizophrenia.

AIMS

We examined whether women with schizophrenia experience increased induced abortion compared with those without schizophrenia, and identified factors associated with induced abortion risk.

METHOD

In a population-based, repeated cross-sectional study (2011-2013), we compared women with and without schizophrenia in Ontario, Canada on rates of induced abortions per 1000 women and per 1000 live births. We then followed a longitudinal cohort of women with schizophrenia aged 15-44 years (n = 11 149) from 2011, using modified Poisson regression to identify risk factors for induced abortion.

RESULTS

Women with schizophrenia had higher abortion rates than those without schizophrenia in all years (15.5-17.5 v. 12.8-13.6 per 1000 women; largest rate ratio, 1.33; 95% CI 1.16-1.54). They also had higher abortion ratios (592-736 v. 321-341 per 1000 live births; largest rate ratio, 2.25; 95% CI 1.96-2.59). Younger age (<25 years; adjusted relative risk (aRR), 1.84; 95% CI 1.39-2.44), multiparity (aRR 2.17, 95% CI 1.66-2.83), comorbid non-psychotic mental illness (aRR 2.15, 95% CI 1.34-3.46) and substance misuse disorders (aRR 1.85, 95% CI 1.47-2.34) were associated with increased abortion risk.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate vulnerability related to reproductive healthcare for women with schizophrenia. Evidence-based interventions to support optimal sexual health, particularly in young women, those with psychiatric and addiction comorbidity, and women who have already had a child, are warranted.

Sexual health promotion in people with severe mental illness: the RESPECT feasibility RCT

BACKGROUND

People with serious mental illness have sexual health needs, but there is limited evidence regarding effective interventions to promote their sexual health.

OBJECTIVES

To develop a sexual health promotion intervention for people with serious mental illness, and to conduct a feasibility trial in order to establish the acceptability and parameters for a fully powered trial.

DESIGN

A two-armed randomised controlled, open feasibility study comparing usual care alone with usual care plus the adjunctive intervention.

SETTING

Five community mental health providers in Leeds, Barnsley, Brighton and London.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged ≥ 18 years with serious mental illness and receiving care from community mental health teams.

INTERVENTIONS

A remote, web-based computer randomisation system allocated participants to usual care plus the RESPECT (Randomised Evaluation of Sexual health Promotion Effectiveness informing Care and Treatment) intervention (three sessions of 1 hour) (intervention arm) or usual care only (control arm). The intervention was an interactive manualised package of exercises, quizzes and discussion topics focusing on knowledge, motivation and behavioural intentions to adopt safer sexual behaviours.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Feasibility parameters including establishing the percentage of people who were eligible, consented and were retained in each arm of the trial, retention for the intervention, as well as the completeness of the data collection. Data were collected on knowledge, motivation to adopt safer sexual behaviour, sexual behaviour, sexual stigma, sexual health service use and quality of life. Data were collected at baseline and then at 3 months and 6 months post randomisation.

RESULTS

Of a target of 100 participants, 72 people participated in the trial over 12 months. Of the 36 participants randomised to the intervention arm, 27 received some of the intervention (75.0%). At 3 months, 59 of the 72 participants completed follow-up questionnaires (81.9%) (30 participants from the intervention arm and 29 participants from the control arm). Only the first 38 participants were followed up at 6 months. However, data were collected on 29 out of 38 participants (76.3% retention): 13 in the intervention arm and 16 in the control arm. No adverse events were reported. Participant feedback confirmed that both the design and the intervention were acceptable. The economic analysis indicated high completion rates and completeness of data among participants who continued the trial.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limitations, the findings suggest that it is both acceptable and feasible to undertake a sexual health promotion study for people with serious mental illness.

FUTURE WORK

A fully powered randomised controlled trial would be required to establish the clinical effectiveness of the intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15747739.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 23, No. 65. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Rapid repeat pregnancy in women with schizophrenia

AIM

Women with schizophrenia are vulnerable to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Short inter-pregnancy interval, or rapid repeat pregnancy, is associated with maternal and infant complications, and may be preventable. Whether women with schizophrenia are at disproportionate risk for rapid repeat pregnancy is unknown.

METHODS

This population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (2002-2013) compared women with and without schizophrenia on their risk of rapid repeat pregnancy, defined as pregnancy within 12 months of an index live birth. Among women with public drug coverage, those with and without schizophrenia were compared on their use of non-barrier contraception (hormonal and surgical) post-delivery.

RESULTS

Women with schizophrenia (n = 1565) were at higher risk for rapid repeat pregnancy than women without schizophrenia (n = 924,657) (6.3% vs. 3.9%, adjusted relative risk, aRR 1.31, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.07-1.59). They had more rapid repeat pregnancies resulting in live births (aRR 1.85, 95% CI 1.26-2.72), but not pregnancy losses (aRR 1.50, 95% CI 0.99-2.29) or induced abortions (aRR 1.07, 95% CI 0.81-1.42). Post-delivery non-barrier contraception use was similar between groups (43.7% vs. 43.6%, aRR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93-1.20), although women with schizophrenia were more likely to use injectable contraception (14.1% vs. 10.1%, aRR 1.67, 95% CI 1.35-2.07).

DISCUSSION

Women with schizophrenia are at higher risk than their peers for rapid repeat pregnancy, but use non-barrier contraception at similar rates. The postnatal period is an opportune time to initiate targeted interventions designed to optimize planning for any future pregnancies, and contribute to improving maternal and child health in this vulnerable group.