Pregnancy trauma and risks of hypoxia, convulsions, cerebral palsy and respiratory complications in offspring
7 affiliations
- 1Kuang Tien General Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Taichung, Taiwan
- 2Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Department of Medical Research, Taichung, Taiwan
- 3National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Institute of Public Health and Community Medicine Research Center, Taipei, Taiwan
- 4UCL, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, London, United Kingdom
- 5National Chung Hsing University, College of Medicine, Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, Taichung, Taiwan
- 6Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Children’s Medical Center, Division of Neonatology, Taichung, Taiwan
- 7Chung Shan Medical University, School of Medicine, Taichung, Taiwan
Abstract
Objectives: Pregnancy trauma affects 5% to 8% of pregnancies, yet evidence regarding neurological and respiratory consequences for offspring remains limited. The authors investigated the association between pregnancy trauma and adverse neurological and respiratory outcomes in children.
Method: This population-based cohort study used linked data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and Maternal and Child Health Database. The study included 2,018,401 mother-infant pairs between 2004 and 2020. Mothers with pregnancy trauma (n = 55,500) were matched 1:4 with mothers without pregnancy trauma (n = 222,000) based on maternal age, neonatal sex, and birth month. Participants were followed up through December 31, 2023. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.
Results: Compared with controls, children of exposed pregnancy trauma had significantly increased risks of intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia (aHR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13-2.18), composite neonatal respiratory morbidity (aHR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22), convulsions in newborn (aHR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.04-2.03) and cerebral palsy, unspecified (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.51). Risks were markedly higher when pregnancy trauma required hospitalization (aHR for intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.67-6.50; composite neonatal respiratory morbidity, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.14-1.79) or occurred during the second trimester (hypoxia and asphyxia, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.20-2.93).
Conclusion: Pregnancy trauma is associated with increased risks of adverse neurological and respiratory outcomes in offspring, particularly following severe or second-trimester trauma. These findings highlight the need for pregnancy trauma prevention and underscore the importance of appropriate postnatal care and neurological surveillance for offspring exposed to pregnancy trauma.
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BibTeX
@article{hsieh2026pregnancy,
title = {{Pregnancy trauma and risks of hypoxia, convulsions, cerebral palsy and respiratory complications in offspring}},
author = {Yao-Chi Hsieh and Ching-Heng Lin and Ming-Chih Lin},
journal = {Jornal de Pediatria},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jped.2026.101632},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2026.101632},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pregnancy trauma and risks of hypoxia, convulsions, cerebral palsy and respiratory complications in offspring
AU - Yao-Chi Hsieh
AU - Ching-Heng Lin
AU - Ming-Chih Lin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Jornal de Pediatria
DO - 10.1016/j.jped.2026.101632
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2026.101632
AB - Objectives: Pregnancy trauma affects 5% to 8% of pregnancies, yet evidence regarding neurological and respiratory consequences for offspring remains limited. The authors investigated the association between pregnancy trauma and adverse neurological and respiratory outcomes in children. Method: This population-based cohort study used linked data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and Maternal and Child Health Database. The study included 2,018,401 mother-infant pairs between 2004 and 2020. Mothers with pregnancy trauma (n = 55,500) were matched 1:4 with mothers without pregnancy trauma (n = 222,000) based on maternal age, neonatal sex, and birth month. Participants were followed up through December 31, 2023. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Compared with controls, children of exposed pregnancy trauma had significantly increased risks of intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia (aHR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13-2.18), composite neonatal respiratory morbidity (aHR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22), convulsions in newborn (aHR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.04-2.03) and cerebral palsy, unspecified (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.51). Risks were markedly higher when pregnancy trauma required hospitalization (aHR for intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.67-6.50; composite neonatal respiratory morbidity, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.14-1.79) or occurred during the second trimester (hypoxia and asphyxia, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.20-2.93). Conclusion: Pregnancy trauma is associated with increased risks of adverse neurological and respiratory outcomes in offspring, particularly following severe or second-trimester trauma. These findings highlight the need for pregnancy trauma prevention and underscore the importance of appropriate postnatal care and neurological surveillance for offspring exposed to pregnancy trauma.
SN - 0021-7557
SN - 1678-4782
ER -