Paternity change does not increase abruption risk

This study sheds light on the association between change in paternity and abruption risk, as well as the role of the interval between births. The results show that a change in paternity between pregnancies is not associated with increased risk of abruption. However, women with birth intervals of less than a year are at an over threefold increased risk for abruption, regardless of partner change, even among women with no abruption in their first pregnancy.

Using birth registry data to study family risk

Professors Rolv Skjærven and Kari Klungsøyr of the Registry-based Studies of Familial Risks research group at IGS were 2 of the authors of the study.

• Change in paternity, risk of placental abruption and confounding by birth interval: a population-based prospective cohort study in Norway, 1967-2009.  BMJ Open. 2015 Feb

 The authors write that placental abruption is a devastating obstetrical complication. The syndrome is a condition that involves the placenta, including inadequate placental attachment and premature placental detachment. The paper explains that the mother and the father each play important roles in the implantation, development, maturation and subsequent detachment of the placenta; and that  while placental implantation is under the control of maternal genes, the growth of membranes surrounding the embryo is primarily influenced by paternal genes.

The results of their study showed that regardless of partner change, a birth interval of less than 1 year is strongly associated with increased risk of abruption. This association was confined to women with no abruption in their first pregnancy. In addition, they found that intervals of longer than 4 years are also associated with increased risk, although this was only seen among women who did not change partners.

Reducing abruption risk

According to the authors adequate nutritional counselling, coupled with evidence of reduced risk of abruption in women who consume folate and multivitamin supplementation before and during pregnancy, may help to reduce the burden of placental abruption and associated complications.

Understanding adverse pregnancy complications long-term consequences on health

The Registry-based Studies of Familial Risks research group studies the relation between adverse pregnancy complications and long-term morbidity and mortality of the mother and the father, with emphasis on the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and reproductive related cancers. The researchers in this group believe that focusing on future maternal and paternal health has strong potential for preventing chronic diseases in the long term. They are able to study long-term health in relation to an individual's complete reproductive history, by utilizing high-quality family structured data from the Norwegian Health Registries. Learn more from the group’s web pages.