Asian-white couples have distinct pregnancy risks

The risk of having problems in pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, preterm labor or low birth weight, differ among various ethnic groups, studies have shown. Now a study looking at interracial couples, Asian-white couples in particular, also shows a unique risk profile for such couples.

The study, by researchers at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Stanford University School of Medicine, found that pregnant women who are part of an Asian-white couple have an increased risk of gestational diabetes (4% incidence) compared with couples in which both partners are white (1.6%). Gestational diabetes is a known risk factor for Asian-Asian couples: an incidence rate of 5.7%. That is thought to be linked to a genetic predisposition. But the new study found that interracial couples also had an increased risk no matter which partner is Asian.

Asian women whose partners are white are also more likely to have a Cesarean delivery (33%) compared with couples with a white mother and Asian father (23%). That is thought to be linked to body type. The pelvis of an Asian woman tends to be smaller than the average white woman's.

The research, published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, points to the need for more evaluation of health risks unique to interracial couples or people of mixed race. A wealth of information on how to achieve the best possible birth outcomes can be found on the website of the March of Dimes.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times 

Comments

[Shannon Mitchell]

And what percentage of doctors took one look at an Asian woman and was so biased that he/she immediately recommended a cesarean surgery? This doesn't speak to unique health risks, it speaks to the absolute creative bias of the American OB-GYN.

[Shannon Mitchell]

Where are they addressing the bias of the physician when dealing with diagnoses that are INCREDIBLY subjective ? What are they basing this supposed "higher" cesarean rate on? Physicians see a smaller woman and section them ALL THE TIME, this is no different.

[Evelyn Guzman]

It looks like one has to think twice before entering into an interracial marriage knowing that results show there is a higher risk for such type of marriage. I am glad though that the research is calling for more assessment on this issue.

Evelyn Guzman
Free Diabetes
Alert

[Shannon Mitchell]

Can I ask why you aren't allowing comments on this site?

[The Engineer]

Please consider the following weblink which appears to to have an expanded version of the latimesblog version: http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/asian-white-couples-face-distinct-pregnancy-risks-17483.html Here are some excerpts: "... To learn more about outcomes and risks in this population, the researchers looked at data from white, Asian and Asian-white couples who delivered at the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services at Packard Children's from 2000 through 2005. (During that time period, 5,575 white, 3,226 Asian and 868 Asian-white couples delivered babies at the hospital.) The team recorded the type of delivery - caesarean vs. vaginal - and examined perinatal outcomes including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm delivery and birth weight. ... More specifically, the researchers found that white mother/Asian father couples had the lowest rate (23 percent) of caesarean delivery, while Asian mother/white father couples had the highest rate (33.2 percent). Because birth weights between these two groups were similar, the researchers say the findings suggest that the average Asian woman's pelvis may be smaller than the average white woman's and less able to accommodate babies of a certain size. (Asian couples had babies with the lowest median birth weight, so caesarean delivery was less common among those women.) ... El-Sayed and his colleagues also found that the incidence of gestational diabetes was lowest among white couples at 1.61 percent and highest among Asian couples at 5.73 percent - and just under 4 percent for Asian-white couples. These findings weren't altogether surprising: past studies have shown an increased risk of diabetes among Asian couples, which researchers attribute to an underlying genetic predisposition. But the interesting finding, El-Sayed said, was that the risk for interracial couples was about the same regardless of which parent was Asian. ..." It seems odd that the numbers of couples sampled for specific types of couples are disproportionate: 868 couples in question versus three thousand and five thousand couples used as controls. From the article, Asian couples had children with the lowest birth weight when compared to the controls, and Asian couples had highest rate of gestational diabetes when compared to the controls. Does this sound contradictory? Is it possible for to have a fat Asian mother and a small Asian baby? From my own observations, this is extremely rare. I believe the research study should be presented to the public in its entirety without the burden of being a paid subscriber. The study seems to warrant closer scrutiny. Thank you for listening.

[Nia]

This is non-news. How many couples were studied? Where is the data? Gestational diabetes affects 1%-3% of ALL pregnant women. Most often, gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born. So what exactly is the reason for this entry? Scare tactics?