Women, girls with ADHD six times more likely to have teenage pregnancy
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Women and girls with ADHD are significantly more likely to give birth as teenagers than those without ADHD, according to a nationwide cohort study conducted in Sweden and published in JAMA Network Open.
“We found that girls and women with ADHD have a sixfold risk for teenage pregnancy compared to those without ADHD,” Charlotte Skoglund, PhD, from the department of clinical neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, told Healio Psychiatry. “In addition, girls and women with ADHD also are at risk for several relevant and preventable obstetric and psychiatric risk factors such as over- and under-weight and substance use disorders.”
Skoglund and colleagues noted previous findings that highlighted an increased risk for externalizing and risk-taking behaviors, including risky sexual behavior, among adolescents with ADHD compared with those without ADHD.
The researchers analyzed six national longitudinal population-based registries in Sweden and included data for 384,103 nulliparous Swedish women and girls aged 12 to 50 years who gave birth between January 2007 and December 2014. Among this group, 6,410 had ADHD.
They reported that teenage deliveries occurred among 15.3% of women and girls with ADHD vs. 2.8% among those without (OR = 6.23; 95% CI, 5.8-6.68). Those with ADHD were more likely than those without to present with risk factors for adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes, including smoking during the third trimester (OR = 6.88; 95% CI, 6.45-7.34), BMI less than 18.5 (OR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12-1.49), BMI more than 40 (OR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.6-2.52) and alcohol and substance use disorder (OR = 20.25; 95% CI, 18.74-21.88).
“Clearly, the standard of care in girls and women with ADHD should include active efforts to prevent teenage pregnancies in order to reduce long-term adverse consequences for both women and their children,” Skoglund said. “One way to provide adequate care and suitable contraception for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders could be trans-disciplinary collaboration between psychiatric clinics for youth and youth clinics and further studies on tolerability of hormonal contraception in women with ADHD.” – by Joe Gramigna
Disclosures: Skoglund reports serving on an advisory board and as an invited speaker at scientific meetings for Shire and serving as a member of the scientific council at the Swedish Medical Products Agency. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.