Preterm Birth Risk May Increase With Moving House During Early Pregnancy, Study Says

A healthy pregnancy is associated with a relaxed body and mind. But certain things in life, like moving homes or changing jobs, could make a pregnant woman’s life stressful.

Stress during pregnancy can lead to several complications, including premature birth, babies smaller than the gestational age and low-birth weight, according to a study. The study found that women are at increased risk of these pregnancy-related complications in the first three months.

Premature births and low birth weight are two of the most common problems faced by the medical world currently, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). One in every seven babies born globally is underweight, the international health body reported.

The study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health last month focussed on the various risk factors associated with residence change during the first three months of pregnancy. The research recommended pregnant women to seek their healthcare provider’s advice before deciding to move to a new home as it can ensure proper support to them.

“Moving is pretty common during pregnancy, and it makes sense because it’s a time in people’s lives to think about expanding to a larger house or finding a new place to raise a child,” lead researcher Julia Bond from the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, told Reuters.

“Don’t panic and think you can’t move. It’s simply worth talking about potential stressors with your doctor,” the researcher added.

For the study, the researcher team analyzed the data of 140,000 women who gave birth between 2007 and 2014 in Washington. While 28,000 participants in the study moved to a new home during the first three months of their pregnancy, 112,000 women did not change residence.

The researchers tried to find out if the women who moved to a new home during the first trimester had a higher risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and smaller-sized babies.

The research team considered infants born before completing 37 weeks of gestation as premature babies; those who born with nearly 5.5 pounds or 2,500 grams as low birth weight; and babies 10 percent less in size to their gestational age as small.

They found that women who shifted to a new home during pregnancy had a higher risk of preterm birth than those who did not move during this period. The preterm birth risk was 9.1 percent for those who moved, while the risk was 6.4 percent for those who did not move during pregnancy.

Similarly, the risk of low birth weight was 6.4 percent for those who shifted to a new home and it was 4.5 percent for the pregnant women who did not shift. Among women who changed their residence, the risk of small sized infants was 9.8 percent compared with 8.7 percent for those who did not change their residence.

The researchers took into consideration various other factors that can result in low birth weight, premature birth and small-sized infants. Some of these factors are marital status, maternal age, race, income, education and health insurance.

“If anything, this identifies moving as an exposure worth investigating, but there are many unanswered questions. There may be no downside to moving if you have movers and family to help, for instance, but I can imagine it would be a huge stressor if you were evicted,” the lead researcher said.

The study also stated that pregnant women preferring to change residence were more likely to be a single parent with a low household income, young and lacked a school degree. These women were more likely to go through psychosocial stress, physical strain, inability to access regular healthcare and face disruptions in social support.

“Residential moves may indicate a more chaotic lifestyle. If possible, try to minimize the stress experienced when moving house in early pregnancy,” the researcher added.