Clinical significance of pregnancy in adolescence in Japan

Maternal age and the rising incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: A comprehensive analysis of national claims data from Japan

BACKGROUND

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) significantly increase the risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life and are a major cause of maternal mortality. However, little is known about the nationwide, long-term, all-inclusive status of HDP.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence of HDP from 2011 to 2019 in Hokkaido, Japan, with a focus on age groups.

METHODS

Using National Database (NDB) insurance medical data, a retrospective analysis was conducted. Due to the absence of direct pregnancy data, birth numbers were used as a surrogate for the number of pregnant women to calculate the incidence of HDP.

RESULTS

The average incidence rate of HDP over 9 years was 6.37%. The incidence rate was lowest among women aged 25-29 years, at 5.58% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.43-5.73), and increased with age, peaking at 10.58% (95% CI: 10.10-11.09) among women over 40 years. Notably, the incidence rate for women under 20 years of age was 6.70% (95% CI: 5.97-7.51), which was higher than that for women in their 20s. A mean annual increase of 0.25% in age-adjusted incidence was observed during this period, which was statistically significant (R² =  0.87, p <  0.01).

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that the risk of developing HDP is associated with both older childbearing and younger pregnancies and follows a J-curve, suggesting that factors other than maternal aging also contribute to the increased incidence of HDP and that further research on risk factors for HDP, which is on the rise worldwide, is urgently needed.

Trends in Syphilis in Pregnant Women in Japan in 2016 and 2022

Since 2012, the rate of syphilis infection has increased dramatically in high-income countries including Japan. In this study, we examined the rate of syphilis infection among pregnant women and perinatal outcomes in the syphilis-infected pregnancy in 2022 in Japan, and compared the results with those in 2016. We requested 2,005 obstetric institutes to provide information on syphilis infection in pregnant women who delivered in 2022. A total of 1,346 obstetrical facilities responded with valid information. We compared the results with those in our previous study. The prevalence of syphilis-infected pregnant women was 1/1,215. The incidence of preterm delivery, intrauterine fetal demise and congenital syphilis in surviving neonates in the syphilis-infected pregnancy were 9%, 2% and 7%, respectively. The prevalence of syphilis-infected pregnant women has increased significantly, while the incidence of congenital syphilis seems to have decreased clinically.

Mental health of adolescents associated with sexual and reproductive outcomes: a systematic review

Objective

To systematically review the literature on the mental health of adolescents associated with sexual and reproductive outcomes, and compare the mental health outcomes with that of other age groups.

Methods

We searched seven databases for relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2010 and 25 April 2019. Our inclusion criteria required that the study included age-disaggregated data on adolescents, and focused and assessed mental health outcomes associated with pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. We extracted data on the specific health event, the mental health outcome and the method of measuring this, and comparisons with other age groups.

Findings

After initially screening 10 818 articles by title and abstract, we included 96 articles in our review. We observed that a wide-ranging prevalence of mental ill-health has been reported for adolescents. However, most studies of mental health during pregnancy did not identify an increased risk of depression or other mental disorders among adolescents compared with other age groups. In contrast, the majority of studies conducted during the postpartum period identified an increased risk of depression in adolescents compared with other age groups. Three studies reported on mental health outcomes following abortion, with varying results. We found no studies of the effect of sexually transmitted infections on mental health among adolescents.

Conclusion

We recommend that sexual and reproductive health services should be accessible to adolescents to address their needs and help to prevent any adverse mental health outcomes.

Current Status of Social Problems during Pregnancy at a Perinatal Center in Japan

Introduction:

To support pregnant women with serious social problems, we retrospectively examined the current status of social problems during pregnancy in Japan.

Methods:

We examined the frequency, associated factors, and outcomes of the pregnant women with social problems at our institute for each year from 2016 to 2019.

Results:

The frequency of pregnant women with social problems significantly increased year by year (p < 0.01). The breakdown of high-risk factors associated with the social problems has remained almost unchanged; however, the frequency of unmarried pregnant women, unplanned pregnancy, foreigners who cannot speak either Japanese or English, and pregnant women who are somehow anxious significantly increased (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

We will endeavor to solve the various social problems of pregnant women through multidisciplinary collaboration.

Nursing Scientific Production on Teenage Pregnancy: An Integrative Review

Objective: To identify, in the national and international scientific literature, the evidence produced by Nursing that provides subsidies to prevent teenage pregnancy. Material and method: An integrative literature review study, based on papers available in the PubMed, BVS, Scopus and Web of Science metabases, and in the Lilacs and BDEnf databases, in Portuguese, English and Spanish languages, published from January 2013 to March 2020. Results: According to the inclusion criteria, 13 articles were selected. The findings are presented in the categories “lower socio-economic conditions”, “knowledge, attitudes and cultural aspects” and “sexual education and specialized services”. Conclusions: Teenage pregnancy is strongly associated with poverty and other socio-economic issues. Gender relations, communication about sex education in the family and other cultural aspects were found in the discussions, which indicates their impact on this phenomenon. Interventions involving sex education are shown as an alternative to cope. The presence of the nurse at the places that assist or concentrate adolescents can be a great element to reduce pregnancy rates in this phase.

The adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes of adolescent pregnancy: a cross sectional study in Hebei, China

Background

The adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by teenage pregnancy are major public health problems with significant social impact. While China is the most populous country in the world, and 8.5% of the women aged 10–50 years are adolescent women, we aimed to analyze the adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes of the adolescent pregnancy in Hebei Province, China.

Methods

There were 238,598 singleton pregnant women aged 10–34 years from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017 in the database of Hebei Province Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System (HBMNMSS). The 238,598 pregnant women were divided into two groups: adolescent group (aged 10–19 years) and adult group (aged 20–34 years). The adolescent group was divided into two subgroups (aged 10–17 years, aged 18–19 years), the adult group was divided into two subgroups (aged 20–24 years, aged 25–34 years). We compared the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. We also made a stratified analysis of nulliparous and multiparous adolescent pregnancy.

Results

Compared with women aged 20–34 years, women aged 10–19 years had lower risk of cesarean delivery [adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70–0.80], gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (aRR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.41–0.73). Women aged 10–19 years had higher risk of preterm delivery (aRR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.54–2.01), small for gestational age (SGA) (aRR: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.08–1.30), stillbirth (aRR: 2.58, 95%CI: 1.83–3.62), neonatal death (aRR: 2.63, 95%CI: 1.60–4.32). The adolescent women aged 10–17 years had significantly higher risk of stillbirth (aRR: 5.69, 95%CI: 3.36–9.65) and neonatal death (aRR: 7.57, 95%CI: 3.74–15.33) compared with the women aged 25–34 years. Younger adults (20–24 years) also had higher risks of preterm delivery (aRR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.20–1.32), stillbirth (aRR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.23–1.72), and neonatal death (aRR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.21–1.90) compared with women aged 25–34 years. The structural equation model showed that preterm delivery and cesarean delivery had an indirect effect on neonatal death in adolescent pregnancy.

Conclusions

The adolescent pregnancy was related to adverse perinatal (fetal and neonatal) outcomes, such as preterm delivery, stillbirth and neonatal death, especially in younger adolescent pregnancies.