Risk of preeclampsia in planned and unplanned pregnancies: a comparative study

To determine and compare the risk of preeclampsia in planned versus unplanned pregnancies in Tehran, Iran.

We studied 1800 pregnant women attending the urban and rural health centers of Shahr-e-Rey in Tehran for their routine prenatal care. The subjects were divided into 2 groups: Group A consisted of women with planned pregnancy and group B included women with unplanned pregnancy. Inclusion criteria were: gestational age less than 28 weeks at the time of entering the study and consent to take part in the research. Both groups were followed through their prenatal care and up to their delivery. The occurrence of preeclampsia was ascertained by the presence symptoms (hypertension and edema) in the prenatal visits. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure> 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure> 90 mmHg measured on 2 separate occasions, at least 6 hours apart.

There were 23 cases of preeclampsia in Group A (2.5%) and 37 cases in Group B (4%). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P =0.066, Odds ratio=l.635, 95% CI=0.96-2.77). In multiple logistic regression analysis, there was no significant relationship between unplanned pregnancy and preeclampsia (P-value=0.081, Odds ratio= 1.603, 95% CI= 0.943-2.724).

There was no significant relationship between unplanned pregnancy and preeclampsia. As there is not enough evidence in the literature to support this finding, larger studies are recommended to evaluate the relationship between unplanned pregnancy and preeclampsia.