Asian-White couples face higher pregnancy related risks

California, October 3: According to the researchers at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford University School of Medicine, the rates of having pregnancy problems varies in Asian, Caucasian and interracial Asian-Caucasian couples.

The new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, says that during pregnancy the race of couples determines their risks of having cesarean deliveries, gestational diabetes and other pregnancy related problems

The findings of the study are based on data from 5,575 white, 3,226 Asian and 868 Asian-white couples, who had their babies at the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services at Packard Children’s Hospital from the year 2000 to 2005.

According to the researchers it was found that Asian-white couples face greater risks as compared to others, but it depends upon the fact that which partner is Asian by origin.

While on one hand, a white mother-Asian father combination in couples had the lowest caesarean rate of 23 percent, an Asian mother/white father combination, on the other hand, had the highest rate at 33.2 percent.

These findings could also be related to the smaller pelvic size of average Asian women as compared to that of average white women. As a result of this, the Asian women find it difficult accommodating babies of a certain size and hence the pregnancy related risks and problems are seen to be higher in their case.

The birth weights were lowest for Asian couples, highest for Caucasian couples and intermediate for the mixed couples.

While gestational diabetes is a known risk factor for Asian-Asian couples and not much of a factor to be concerned about in case of a Caucasian-Caucasian couple, the Asian mother/Caucasian father, couples have a greater chance, almost 2.6 times more than the others, to face this problem. The Caucasian mother-Asian father combination too was on a 2.4 times greater risk.

Concluding that Asian-white couples are at the greatest risk out of the group studied for pregnancy related risks, the study advises medical practitioners and gynecologists to keep the origin/race of the parents, especially the mother in mind while providing prenatal counseling to the couple.