To estimate the effect of general health prior to pregnancy on the risk of pre-pregnancy complications, six categories were created based on reported medical history: (i) Gynecological history (diagnosed or suspected endometriosis or PCOS), (ii) Non-gastrointestinal chronic inflammatory diseases (diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases or multiple sclerosis (MS)), (iii) Gastrointestinal problems (gastric acid medication, diagnosed Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), (iv) Mental health (eating disorder, anti-depressive-, anti-anxiety- or sleeping medication), (v) Chronic respiratory diseases and allergies (asthma, hay fever, allergies, asthma- or allergy medication) and (vi) Endocrine indications (thyroid medication or diagnosed hypothyroidism). These categories were not mutually exclusive. Participants with each comorbidity were compared to those without the specific comorbidity; and the group with any of these comorbidities was also compared to those without.
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