Disparities in Prenatal Sexually Transmitted Infections among a Diverse Population of Foreign-Born and US-Born Women

This study examined association between foreign-born (FB) status and a sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, or syphilis among a cohort of expecting mothers, and stratified by race/ethnicity. As a secondary analysis, subsequent adverse birth outcomes following STIs were examined. We used data from a large perinatal database to conduct a retrospective cohort study of 37,211 singleton births. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between FB status and STIs. We adjusted for maternal demographics, prior complications, and chronic disease. As a secondary analysis, we examined the association between STIs, and adverse birth outcomes stratified by FB status. FB women had lower odds of STI diagnosis (ORadj 0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.93); this was observed for each STI. Among Hispanic women, FB status did not reduce odds of STIs (ORadj 0.89, 95% CI 0.76-1.04). However, FB Black women had reduced odds of STIs (ORadj 0.53, 95% CI 0.36-0.79). Secondary analyses revealed that STIs increased odds of adverse birth outcomes among US-born Black women but not US-born Hispanic women. Among FB Black women, STIs increased odds of medically indicated preterm birth (ORadj 3.77, 95% CI 1.19-12.00) and preeclampsia (ORadj 2.35, 95% CI 1.02-5.42). This was not observed among FB Hispanic women. Previous studies suggest that FB women are less likely to have adverse birth outcomes; our study extends this observation to risk of prenatal STIs. However, FB status does not protect Black women against adverse birth outcomes following an STI.

Automated summary

This study examined the association between foreign-born status and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in a cohort of expecting mothers. The findings showed that foreign-born women had a lower risk of STI diagnosis. Stratified analysis by race/ethnicity revealed that foreign-born status did not reduce the risk of STIs among Hispanic women, but it did reduce the risk among Black women. Furthermore, STIs increased the risk of adverse birth outcomes among US-born Black women, but not among US-born Hispanic women.