Abstract

This prospective cohort study explored risk factors among 293 women who attended an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) in a tertiary hospital in the Republic of Ireland in 2012. Cohort studies follow groups of individuals over time who are alike in many ways but differ by a certain characteristic and compares them for a particular outcome. These characteristics are what we called “risk factors”, which are things that increase the chance of developing a disease or an outcome. In this cohort study, almost 50% of women who attended the EPAU had a subsequent miscarriage. In line with previous research, advanced maternal age or high-risk pregnancies (e.g. threatened or recurrent miscarriage) were identified as well-established risk factors for miscarriage. High levels of perceived stress and stressful life events were not found to be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in this study. After adjusting for confounding factors, only having balanced emotional wellbeing was associated with a decreased risk of miscarriage. Similar to balanced emotional wellbeing, nausea and vomiting was also associated with a decreased risk of miscarriage; however, this association was no longer significant after adjusting for confounders.