Reproductive History of Mothers with Spina Bifida Offspring
Author Information
Author(s): Farley Thomas L
Primary Institution: Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission
Hypothesis
What is the reproductive history of mothers who have given birth to children with spina bifida?
Conclusion
Mothers of children with spina bifida have a higher rate of spontaneous abortions and a preponderance of female offspring.
Supporting Evidence
- 56.5% of affected offspring were female.
- 24.4% of mothers had a history of spontaneous abortion.
- The spina bifida recurrence rate was 4.0%.
- Pregnancy duration was shorter for female than male probands.
Takeaway
This study looked at mothers who had kids with spina bifida and found that they often had more girls than boys and a lot of them had miscarriages.
Methodology
Data was collected through interviews with mothers 18.3 years after the birth of their affected child, analyzing reproductive history and outcomes.
Potential Biases
Potential recall bias due to the long time between the birth of the affected child and the interview.
Limitations
The study did not include a control group and relied on retrospective data, which may introduce recall bias.
Participant Demographics
{"race":{"Caucasian":87.5,"African-American":12.2,"Asian/Pacific Islander":0.4},"mean_age_at_proband_birth":25.2,"mean_age_at_interview":43.5}
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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