Objective: To assess obstetric outcomes in women in their second pregnancy after preeclampsia in the first pregnancy.
Methods: We utilized population-based birth registry data of Kuopio University Hospital to investigate pregnancy outcome measures in 123 nonpreeclamptic parous women with prior preeclampsia and 21 women with repeat preeclampsia in their second pregnancy. The general obstetric population was used as a reference group in logistic regression.
Results: The development of recurrent preeclampsia in 15% of women is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. A first preeclamptic pregnancy may offer protection against disease recurrence and a history of preeclampsia has no significant effects on birth weight, fetal distress, or prematurity rate. However, they have a higher rate of pregnancy-induced hypertension and abdominal deliveries, and, therefore, a greater proportion of newborns are referred to neonatal units for observation.
Conclusions: Women in whom preeclampsia does not recur have good obstetric outcomes in their second delivery, almost comparable to that in the general obstetric population. A genetic susceptibility to preeclampsia alone has minor effects on pregnancy outcome in a second pregnancy if the disease does not recur.