Pregnancy outcome in an active-duty population

Abstract

The number of women in the military has grown since the initiation of the all-volunteer force. Pregnancy is no longer a justification for discharge from active service. Previously published reports have shown that active military service is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. We compared a group of active-duty pregnant women (N = 331) matched for age and gravidity with a control group of dependent wives of active-duty personnel (N = 1218). Study variables examined were the incidences of cesarean and operative vaginal delivery, Apgar scores of less than 7 at 5 minutes, preterm complications (preterm labor and premature rupture of membranes) requiring transfer to a tertiary care center, pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndromes, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (infant weight less than 2500 g), and pregnancy-related complications. In the active-duty group, the rates of primary cesarean (P less than .001), transfer for preterm complications (P less than .0001), pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndromes (P less than .01), and IUGR (P less than .05) were greater than in the control group. Active-duty servicewomen, despite defined limitations of work and ready access to health care, continue to represent a high-risk population.