BIRTH-DEFECTS IN RELATION TO THREATENED-ABORTION

The evidence for the association between threatened abortion and birth defects is limited and inconsistent. This study examined this elation using data from the Shanghai Birth Defects Monitoring Program. A tota l of 1,013 cases of birth defects and an equal number of controls were analyzed. Our study showed that women with threatened abortion had a 50% higher risk of having a baby with birth defects compared with thos e without this complication, controlling for other factors (adjusted o dds ratio = 1.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.1-2.1). Threatened aborti on was generally related to defects of the urogenital system, heart an d circulatory system, and musculoskeleton and limbs and was specifical ly associated with polydactyly, undescended testicle, and hypospadias.