Life event stress and the association with spontaneous abortion in gravid women at an urban emergency department

In this study, the authors hypothesized that life event stress is associate d with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Using a nested case-contr ol design in an emergency department (N = 970), stress was measured using a life event inventory and a sample drawn from R. B. Ness et al.'s (1999) Ea rly Pregnancy Study. Gestational age at time of fetal loss served as a mark er of chromosomal status. Women experiencing more than one life event used more alcohol and public assistance. Spontaneous abortion at 11 weeks or gre ater was associated with more life event stress (adjusted odds ratio 2.9, 9 5% confidence interval 1.4-6.2), whereas spontaneous abortion at any gestat ional age was not, implying that life event stress increases the risk of ch romosomally normal spontaneous abortion. An analysis of confounders showed tobacco use was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion, whereas prenatal care was only associated with fetal loss at 11 weeks or gr eater.