Abstract
Objective To summarize the overall conclusions of Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group (PCG)
reviews where interventions have different effects on maternal and infant outcomes.
Methods PCG reviews were analyzed and primary outcomes extracted and categorized by maternal
and infant outcomes. The overall conclusions were categorized depending on whether
they follow the benefit or harm for one group or are inconclusive due to the discrepancy.
Results A total of 451 current PCG reviews were assessed out of which 206 were analyzed.
In general, the overall conclusions of reviews followed both beneficial and harmful
outcomes. Around 58 (28.2%) recommended the intervention, 60 (29.1%) discouraged the
intervention, and 88 (42.7%) were inconclusive. Total 10 Reviews reported opposing
maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes. Six (60%) contained inconclusive final recommendations.
Three of the remaining four (75%) had a summary recommendation following the fetal/neonatal
outcome. We did not detect bias based on whether the author group was obstetric or
pediatric providers.
Conclusion The final author conclusions in PCG reviews generally follow the overall assessment
of maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes. There were, however, a large number of inconclusive
final recommendations in PCG reviews. These findings highlight the fact that many
interventions represent trade-offs between maternal and fetal outcomes.
Keywords
Cochrane review - pregnancy - outcomes - systematic review
