Association of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss with the risk of dementia

Chen Liang, Annette J. Dobson*, Hsin Fang Chung, Yvonne T. van der Schouw, Sven Sandin, Elisabete Weiderpass, Gita D. Mishra

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Emerging evidence has shown the association between female reproductive histories (e.g., menarche age, parity, premature and early menopause) and the risk of dementia. However, little attention has been given to infertility and pregnancy loss. To examine the associations of infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and stillbirth with the risk of dementia, this study used data from four cohorts in the International Collaboration for a Life Course Approach to Reproductive Health and Chronic Disease Events. Women with data on at least one of the reproductive exposures of interest, dementia, and all covariates were included. Histories of infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth were self-reported. Dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) was identified through surveys, aged care, pharmaceutical, hospital, and death registry data. Cause-specific Cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios of dementia, accounting for well-established risk factors of dementia, study variability, and within-study correlation. Overall, 291,055 women were included at a median (interquartile range) age of 55.0 (47.0–62.0) at baseline. During the median (interquartile range) follow-up period of 13.0 (12.0–14.0) years, 3334 (1.2%) women developed dementia. Compared to women without stillbirth, a history of recurrent stillbirths (≥ 2) was associated with 64% higher risk of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.46–1.85). Compared to women without miscarriage, women with recurrent miscarriages (≥ 3) were at 22% higher risk of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.19–1.25). These findings suggest that recurrent stillbirths is a risk factor for dementia and may need to be considered in risk assessment of dementia in women.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)785-793
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Journal of Epidemiology
Volume39
Issue number7
Early online date18 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024

Keywords

  • Cohort study
  • Dementia
  • Infertility
  • Miscarriage
  • Stillbirth

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Association of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss with the risk of dementia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this