Volume 29, Issue 164, October 2025

Preterm birth risk in pregnant women diagnosed with ADHD: A literature review

Olga Samsel^1♦, Marta Tortyna¹, Natalia Sioch¹, Julia Urbańska¹, Danuta Borowska¹, Kamil Nieczaj¹, Julia Sztubińska¹, Marta Urszula Marciniak¹, Julia Krotofil¹, Paula Szarek², Maciej Trzciński¹

¹Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
²Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum of the University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Olga Samsel, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 3a, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland

ABSTRACT

Background: The medical community now acknowledges ADHD as a condition that affects women during their reproductive years. The presence of ADHD during pregnancy increases the chances of adverse perinatal outcomes, especially preterm birth (PTB), but this correlation needs further investigation in clinical practice. Methods: The review gathers findings from seven major studies which include population-based cohorts and meta-analyses performed in Sweden, the United States and Australia. The studies underwent analysis to determine ADHD diagnostic criteria, population characteristics, risk statistics (e.g. adjusted odds ratios) and both spontaneous and medically indicated PTB differentiation. Results: The prevalence of ADHD among pregnant women has experienced a substantial increase according to U.S. data, which shows a 39.4% rise during five years. Most ADHD patients were younger women who also had co-occurring conditions. The available research demonstrates that ADHD leads to a moderate increase in preterm birth risk. The risk of PTB persisted even after controlling for stimulant medication use, which suggests that ADHD-related behavioral, biological and psychosocial factors play a more significant role. The available data indicate that PTB occurs more frequently in both spontaneous and medically induced cases. Conclusion: Maternal ADHD is an important and under-recognized risk factor for preterm birth. In the prenatal care should be included both early psychiatric assistance and proper interventions to reduce associated risks Future research needs to establish the causal pathways of ADHD while differentiating between its subtypes and assessing treatment effects during pregnancy to develop safer and more effective perinatal care.

Keywords: ADHD, pregnancy, preterm birth, maternal health, obstetric outcomes

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e207ms3644

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i164.e207ms3644

Published: 14 October 2025