It takes at least two: male partner factors, racial/ethnic disparity, and Chlamydia trachomatis among pregnant women.

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States, disproportionately infects women and people of color. This study aimed to identify risk factors for racial and ethnic disparities for CT infection, re-infection, and persistent infection among pregnant women. We present a secondary analysis of births from a retrospective cohort study in Syracuse, NY from January 2000 through March 2002. African American women [OR 3.35 CI (2.29, 4.92)], Latin American women [OR 4.35 CI (2.52, 7.48)], unmarried women [OR 7.57 CI (4.38, 13.10)], and teen mothers [OR 3.87 CI (2.91, 5.16)] demonstrated statistically significant increased risk for infection. In multivariate analyses that included male partner variables, father's race/ethnicity but not the mother's race/ethnicity remained statistically associated with CT. Despite near universal rates of screening pregnant women, challenges to CT control remain and reflect barriers to testing and treatment of male partners.

Effects of intimate partner violence on pregnancy trauma and placental abruption.

AIMS: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy increases women's risk of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine the association between IPV and prenatal trauma and placental abruption during pregnancy. METHODS: Prenatal and hospital obstetrical charts were reviewed for 2873 women who gave birth between January 2000 and March 2002 in a Northeastern city. We examined associations among sociodemographic characteristics, health-related variables, IPV, and pregnancy trauma and placental abruption using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 2873 women in the analyses, 105 (3.7%) reported IPV during prenatal care. After controlling for sociodemographic variables; tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; preeclampsia; and gestational diabetes during pregnancy, women who reported IPV also had higher odds of pregnancy trauma and placental abruption (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 32.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 14.33-71.80, p < 0.01, and OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.37-19.51, p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that IPV is a significant and independent risk factor for pregnancy trauma and placental abruption after controlling for factors typically associated with these outcomes. This study has implications for partner violence screening and intervention policies among pregnant women and highlights the importance of making distinctions about the type of IPV that women experience.