From: Born Too Soon: Care before and between pregnancy to prevent preterm births: from evidence to action
 |  | How great is the risk? |
---|---|---|
Pregnancy in adolescence | + | Increased prevalence of anemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, low birthweight, prematurity, intra-uterine growth retardation and neonatal mortality |
Birth spacing | + | Â |
Short intervals | Â | PTb: OR 1.45, LBW: OR 1.65 |
Long intervals | Â | PTb: OR 1.21, LBW: OR 1.37 |
Pre-pregnancy weight status | + | Â |
Underweight | Â | PTb: OR 1.32, LBW: OR 1.64 |
Overweight & obesity | Â | PTb: OR 1.07 |
 |  | Maternal overweight is a risk factor for many pregnancy complications including hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, postpartum hemorrhage, stillbirth, congenital disorders Both underweight and overweight women have a higher chance for requiring obstetric intervention at delivery |
Micronutrient deficiencies | +/- | Â |
Folic acid | Â | Folic acid deficiency is definitively linked to neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns |
Iron | Â | Anemia increases the risk for maternal mortality, low birthweight, preterm birth and child mortality |
Chronic diseases | + | Â |
Diabetes mellitus | Â | Babies born to women with diabetes before conception have a much higher risk of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, congenital disorders, as well as spontaneous pregnancy loss, preterm labor, hypertensive disorders, and delivery by cesarean birth. |
Hypertension | Â | Â |
Anemia | Â | A study shows that anemia before conception increases the risk of low birthweight (OR 6.5) |
Poor mental health (especially depression) and Intimate partner violence | ++ | Increased risk for preterm birth, low birthweight and depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period IPV-PTb OR 1.37, LBW OR: 1.17 Also increased risk for spontaneous pregnancy loss, stillbirth, gynecological problems including sexually-transmitted infections, depression |
Infectious diseases | ++ | Â |
STIs - syphilis | Â | Infectious diseases increase the risk for spontaneous pregnancy loss, stillbirths and congenital infection |
HIV/AIDS | Â | Â |
Rubella | Â | Â |
Tobacco use | ++ | A single study shows risk PTb OR: 2.2 Smoking increases the risk for spontaneous pregnancy loss, placental disorders, congenital malformations, sudden infant death syndrome, stillbirths and low birth weight |