1036 Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Neurosurgery

INTRODUCTION: There has been an increase in the recruitment of women into neurosurgery. Despite this, there's limited research on their childbearing experiences. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey (August-December 2023) of neurosurgery residents and faculty at ACGME-accredited programs collecting data on demographics, obstetric history, and breastfeeding experiences. The primary outcome was pre-term delivery; secondary outcome was Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed with statistical significance at a p-value < .05. After testing various multiple logistic regression models, the full model was chosen as the final model. RESULTS: Survey response rate was 15% with a total 145 participants. 49 participants were eligible for this sub-analysis. The mean age at first pregnancy was 32 years. 90.3% conceived by spontaneous-conception, 6.9% in-vitro fertilization. 66.7% delivered via vaginal delivery. 95.8% intended to breastfeed for an average of 10.6 months with 54.3% reporting a gap between desired and achieved breastfeeding which had a mean of 8.6 months. There was a significant relationship between preterm delivery and requiring NICU care (p = 0 .008) and no significant association with working > 40 hours a week in the third trimester and preterm delivery (p=0.580). On multivariate analysis, age had a significant association with preterm delivery (OR: 1.11 95% CI: 1.011-1.22; P= .029). With every 5-year increase in age, there is a 71% increased odd of pre-term delivery (OR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.05-2.79). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a higher age that advanced age is associated with increased risk of pre-term delivery for women in neurosurgery. Also, it shows a gap between achieved and intended breastfeeding length. Larger studies are needed to identify and address barriers to childbearing in neurosurgery.