Antibiotics and Miscarriage Risk

Many classes of common antibiotics, such as macrolides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and metronidazole, were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy, according to a new study published in Canadian Medical Association Journal. Erythromycin was not associated with increased risk, nor was nitrofurantoin, often used to treat urinary tract infections in pregnant women. For this study, researchers looked at data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort between 1998 and 2009 and matched 8,702 case subjects (defined as those with clinically detected spontaneous abortions) with 87,020 control subjects. Mean gestational age at the time of miscarriage was 14 weeks of pregnancy. Of the case subjects, 16.4% were exposed to antibiotics during early pregnancy, compared with 12.6% of control subjects. Participants were between the ages of 15 and 45 years. Women who miscarried were more likely to be older and living alone and to have multiple health issues and infections, all of which were taken into account in the analyses. The authors note that infection severity could contribute to pregnancy loss and explain some of the increased risk, although they did adjust for this variable in the analysis. Find the study here: dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.161020.

Women with endometriosis experience destructive and constructive health care encounters, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Researchers interviewed nine women (ages 23–55 years) with a laparoscopy-confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis to identify and describe their experiences during health care encounters. They used the interpretive phenomenological approach to analyze data and identified two themes in the interview transcripts: Being Treated With Ignorance and Being Acknowledged. Being ignored and feeling exposed and not believed characterized the destructive side, whereas the constructive side made women feel acknowledged and confirmed, enhancing their self-esteem. Find the study here: dx.doi. org/10.1111/jocn.13872.

Briefs

Health Care Experience for Women With Endometriosis

Research & Practice

Antibiotics and Miscarriage Risk

Family History of Preterm Birth

Photo © Pixelistanbul / iStockphoto.com

If a pregnant woman has a family history of preterm birth, then she is also at risk, according to authors of a study published in American Journal of Perinatology. Researchers followed 2,300 mothers and daughters from 1991 through 2013 and found that the risk of preterm birth was significantly higher among the 34% of women whose mothers had given birth early for any of their pregnancies. The risk remained significant even after adjusting for the race and age of the woman giving birth. Additionally, researchers found that if a woman’s aunt or sister had premature births, that woman’s risk of preterm birth was also 30% higher than normal. Find the study here: dx.doi .org/10.1055/s-0036-1592131.

August | September 2017

Nursing for Women’s Health

249