Does Human Papillomavirus Affect Pregnancy Outcomes? An Analysis of Hospital Data 2012-2014

Objective: To estimate the rate of Human Papillomavirus among pregnant women and its impact on the pregnancy outcomes. Study design: This was a retrospective cohort study of women who sought prenatal care and later delivered at the Nebraska Medical Center from 2012-2014. Human Papillomavirus infection was based on a cytological cervicovaginal diagnosis (Pap test) report. Bivariate and multivariable analyzes were performed using SAS 9.3. Results: Of the total sample size of 4824 women, 221 (4.4%) were HPV-positive. Women with Human Papillomavirus infection had increased risk of preeclampsia (adjusted OR: 2.83 95% CI: 1.28-6.26) and were also 1.8 times more likely to deliver preterm compared to women with no Human Papillomavirus infection (adjusted OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.15-2.83). Additionally, Human Papillomavirus infection was found to be significantly associated with low birth weight (adjusted OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.56-4.27). Conclusions: Although the prevalence of Human Papillomavirus infection was relatively low in this sample, the study clearly indicated a positive association between Human Papillomavirus infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further research is needed to understand the impact of Human Papillomavirus infection in a larger and diverse sample of women. Also, a closer follow-up of pregnant women affected by Human Papillomavirus infection may be warranted.