Miscarriage but not stillbirth rates are higher among younger nulliparas in rural Southern Nepal

Purpose: To examine the impact of young maternal age on miscarriages and stillbirths in rural Southern Nepal. Method: Pregnancies, miscarriages, and stillbirths were prospectively identified in two randomized trials of maternal micronutrient supplementation. This analysis included 5861 women of parity 0 (nulliparas) and 4459 of parity 1 (primiparas) who were <26 years of age. Results: Among nulliparous women, 5.7% and 4.6% of pregnancies ended in miscarriage and stillbirth. The adjusted relative risk of miscarriage was 2.07 for girls <15 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17-3.66) compared with those 18 and 19 years, and was 1.40 (95% Cl = 1.06-1.84) among those 15-17 years. Stillbirth rates did not differ significantly by maternal age. There were no differences in miscarriage or stillbirth rates by maternal age among primiparas. Conclusion: Young maternal age increased the risk of miscarriages but not stillbirths for nulliparas. Miscarriages and stillbirths did not differ by maternal age for primiparous women. (C) 2008 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.