Outcomes among pregnant recently incarcerated women attending a reentry transitions clinic

Abstract

This mixed methods retrospective case series and qualitative descriptive study describes pregnancy outcomes during the postincarceration period. A retrospective case series via electronic medical record chart review from a subset of women attending a postincarceration primary care clinic with a condition of interest (pregnancy) described demographics, substance use, diagnoses, and pregnancy outcomes. We compared 27 pregnant to 79 nonpregnant women and contextualized quantitative data with qualitative descriptive vignettes. Twenty‐seven women completed 29 pregnancies (2 women with 2 deliveries each), all of which were unplanned; there were 11 live births, 8 pregnant at study closure, 7 miscarriages, and 3 terminations. Although substance use history was high, rates were higher among nonpregnant women (92% vs 74%). Among the 5 births, 4 tested positive for substance use during pregnancy. All 11 infants had pregnancy or delivery complications. Although 7 of the 10 pregnant women with live births had prior pregnancy complications, only 4 were placed in a special care obstetrics clinic. Although unplanned pregnancies were common, most births did not demonstrate maternal substance use. All live births had pregnancy or delivery complications, but few were accepted to specialist prenatal care, suggesting potential considerations for recently incarcerated women.

“They didn’t give up on me”: a women’s transitions clinic from the perspective of re-entering women

“…Simultaneously, the prevalence of depression among re-entering women is described as 56% generally and 88% in our population, but women were not recruited to the clinic on the basis of SUD or depression [68]. Childcare or parenting issues may be underrepresented as interview questions focused on the clinic [69]. Strengths of this exploratory study include the multidisciplinary team, including a formerly incarcerated person, and respondent verification.…”