Table I.
Maternal and perinatal characteristics of the study groups.
| ART conception (n = 188) | Spontaneous conception (n = 1168) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal baseline characteristics | |||
| Age (years) | 37.1 ± 3.8 | 36.4 ± 3.5 | 0.02 |
| 37 (35–40) | 37 (35–39) | ||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.0 ± 3.2 | 22.1 ± 3.3 | 0.67 |
| 21.3 (19.9–23.1) | 21.5 (19.8–23.4) | ||
| Previous miscarriage (1 or more) | 42/188 (22.3%) | 244/1168 (20.8%) | 0.60 |
| Non-European Union citizenship | 15/186 (8.1%) | 97/1137 (8.5%) | 0.94 |
| Perinatal outcome characteristics | |||
| Gestational age at birth (weeks) | 40.0 ± 1.2 | 40.1 ± 1.2 | 0.61 |
| 40.1 (39.1–41.0) | 40.1 (39.3–41.0) | ||
| Cesarean section | 42/188 (22.3%) | 195/1168 (16.7%) | 0.07 |
| Epidural analgesiaa | 37/81 (45.7%) | 168/438 (38.4%) | 0.22 |
| Episiotomya | 62/146 (42.5%) | 372/973 (38.2%) | |
| Perineal tears > II degreea | 15/91 (16.5%) | 66/591 (11.2%) | 0.20 |
| Blood loss at birth (ml) | 414 ± 279 | 292 ± 236 | 0.00 |
| 400 (200–600) | 200 (100–400) | ||
| Birthweight (g) | 3355 ± 415 | 3319 ± 416 | 0.19 |
| 3345 (3053–3650) | 3300 (3040–3600) | ||
| 5 min Apgar Score <7 | 0/188 (0.0%) | 4/1168 (0.3%) | 0.42 |
| Arterial blood pH | 7.27 ± 0.07 | 7.26 ± 0.08 | 0.29 |
| 7.27 (7.23–7.32) | 7.26 (7.21–7.32) | ||
Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± SD and median (interquartile range). Categorical variables are expressed as n (%).
aAmong cases of vaginal delivery.
The statistical tests applied were Mann–Whitney test (for continuous variables) and Chi-square test (for categorical variables).