The effect of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy on perinatal outcomes: A population-based cohort study

Objective. To determine the magnitude of the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in comparison with women with normotensive pregnancies.;Study design. A population-based cohort study using the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database was carried out using maternal and neonatal/perinatal outcomes data on pregnant women delivering in Nova Scotia, 1988--1999.;Results. 123,151 pregnancies were identified. After controlling for relevant confounders, women with any hypertension in pregnancy were 1.9 (95% CI 1.8--2.0) and 1.8 (95% CI 1.6--2.1) times more likely to have a livebirth with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), respectively, and 1.4 (95% CI 1.0--1.8) times more likely to have a stillbirth as compared with normotensive women.;Conclusions. This large, population-based cohort study demonstrates that women with hypertensive disease in pregnancy are at significantly higher risk of stillbirth, and a livebirth with IUGR or RDS, in comparison with women with normotensive pregnancies.