Objective: To assess the relationship between osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type, mode of delivery and outcomes as self-reported by women in the International Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Registry.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using data from 274 women with OI who reported their experience with pregnancy practices, including mode of delivery, number of children, genetic counseling, assisted conception techniques, mean ages at menarche and at menopause, and pregnancy complications. Chi-square analyses were performed to compare pregnancy outcomes, number of children and OI type. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained to quantify exposure-outcome relationships.
Results: The most common mode of delivery was the sole use of cesarean section (C-section) reported by 55% of the participants. Approximately two-thirds had at least two children. Twenty-nine percent (n = 80) reported pregnancy complications. There was a significant relationship between the mode of delivery and OI type (p < 0.001), genetic counseling (p = 0.010), and number of children (p < 0.0001). There was neither evidence of an association between pregnancy complications and number of children (p = 0.16), OI type (p = 0.27), nor mode of delivery (p = 0.11).
Conclusions: These findings suggested that clinical OI type, pre-natal genetic counseling, and number of children were strong predictors for choosing the mode of delivery. Severity of OI, multiparity, and vaginal delivery were not associated with increased pregnancy complications in this cohort of women with OI.
Keywords: Mode of delivery; OI registry; OI type; pregnancy complications; prenatal genetic counseling.