Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this review was to assess the impact of an earthquake on pregnancy outcomes.
Methods
A search through 4 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, CiNii, and ICHUSHI) was conducted for identifying relevant publications in English and Japanese. Two individual reviewers screened the identified articles first based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then selected according to the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS), a bias risk assessment tool.
Results
Six articles were included. The commonly reported outcomes were preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and low birth weight. After the earthquake, the preterm birth rate, IUGR rate and low birth weight rate significantly increased in 4 articles, 1 articles and 2 articles, respectively. We observed particular deterioration of pregnancy outcomes in women who were in the first trimester of pregnancy on the day of the earthquake and those who were pregnant with female fetus.
Conclusion
This review provides evidence that earthquake increases the preterm birth and low-birth-weight rate and that neonatal sex and the stage of pregnancy at the time of the earthquake are important factors for pregnancy outcome. Pregnant women are the most vulnerable for earthquakes during the first trimester of pregnancy.
