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Cyberseminars
Cyberseminar Series HERC Health Economics Seminar
Session Title Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma and Preterm Birth – Evidence from 16,000 VA Pregnancies
Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality, yet remains poorly understood. Maternal stress and depression are increasingly recognized as risk factors for poor birth outcomes, but the effect of posttraumatic stress is less studied. As a growing number of reproductive-age females return from military service, the invisible wounds of war might impact pregnancy and thus the next generation. In the largest cohort of PTSD-affected pregnancies ever reported, we examine over 16,000 deliveries (12% with active PTSD diagnoses) covered by the VA since 2000, to determine the extent to which posttraumatic stress is associated with preterm birth. Preterm delivery rates are found to be significantly higher in those with an active diagnosis of PTSD, and this association remained in multivariate analysis that included adjustment for history of deployment and military sexual trauma, and was a stronger predictor than alternative mental health diagnoses. I will present our findings, which add strong support to prior small studies suggesting PTSD is a risk factor for preterm delivery, and further suggests subgroups (e.g. those with a history of sexual trauma) that appear particularly at risk.
Date 9/18/2013
Time 2:00pm-3:00pm ET
Presenters
 Name  About the presenter
Jonathan Shaw, MD
Presenting: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma and Preterm Birth – Evidence from 16,000 VA Pregnancies

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