Prenatal stress and risk of spontaneous abortion

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between exposure to life-threatening rocket attacks and spontaneous abortions (SAs). STUDY DESIGN: This is a historical cohort study comparing 1345 pregnancies of female residents of a town exposed to rocket attacks with 2143 pregnancies of female residents of an unexposed town. Demographic and medical data were obtained from hospital records and exposure information from official local databases. Intensity of exposure was calculated for preconception and pregnancy periods. RESULTS: Compared with unexposed group, women in the exposed group had higher rates of SA (6.9% versus 4.7%, adjusted odds ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval = 1.17-2.2, p = .003). Intensity of preconception and pregnancy exposure were nonlinearly associated with SA risk; both the highest and the lowest quintiles of exposure were associated with increased risk of SA. CONCLUSIONS: Stress during preconception and pregnancy was associated with increased risk of SA.