PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Boivin, Ariane AU - Luo, Zhong-Cheng AU - Audibert, François AU - Mâsse, Benoit AU - Lefebvre, Francine AU - Tessier, Réjean AU - Nuyt, Anne Monique TI - Pregnancy complications among women born preterm AID - 10.1503/cmaj.120143 DP - 2012 Nov 06 TA - Canadian Medical Association Journal PG - 1777--1784 VI - 184 IP - 16 4099 - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/16/1777.short 4100 - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/16/1777.full SO - CMAJ2012 Nov 06; 184 AB - Background: Adults who were born with low birth weights are at increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, including pregnancy complications. Low birth weight can result from intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth or both. We examined the relation between preterm birth and pregnancy complications later in life.Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study in the province of Quebec involving 7405 women born preterm (554 < 32 weeks, 6851 at 32–36 weeks) and a matched cohort of 16 714 born at term between 1976 and 1995 who had a live birth or stillbirth between 1987 and 2008. The primary outcome measures were pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia or eclampsia).Results: Overall, 19.9% of women born at less than 32 weeks, 13.2% born at 32–36 weeks and 11.7% born at term had at least 1 pregnancy complication at least once during the study period (p < 0.001). Women born small for gestational age (both term and preterm) had increased odds of having at least 1 pregnancy complication compared with women born at term and at appropriate weight for gestational age. After adjustment for various factors, including birth weight for gestational age, the odds of pregnancy complications associated with preterm birth was elevated by 1.95-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54–2.47) among women born before 32 weeks’ gestation and 1.14-fold (95% CI 1.03–1.25) among those born at 32–36 weeks’ gestation relative to women born at term.Interpretation: Being born preterm, in addition to, and independent of, being small for gestational age, was associated with a significantly increased risk of later having pregnancy complications.