Pre-pregnancy risk factors for miscarriages: A prevalence study

Abstract

Background: Risk factors for a normal first-trimester transition to a long-term pregnancy are well established. The common risk factors include increasing maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and low level of serum progesterone. Recently, lifestyle factors such as caffeine intake, exercise, stress, exposure to smoking, and alcohol consumption have been implicated as risk factors.

Objective: To determine the frequency of different maternal pre-pregnancy modifiable risk factors for miscarriages.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from October 2022 to April 2023. Total 234 women were presented with miscarriage and 18 to 40 years of age were included. Various pre-pregnancy modifiable risk factors (drinking coffee/tea No. of cups/day, obesity, smoking, short inter-pregnancy interval, iron deficiency anemia, genital infections, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) were studied.

Results: The patient’s mean age was 27.72±4.29 years. 65.4% patients were between the age of 18 to 30 years. The frequency of different maternal pre-pregnancy modifiable risk factors for miscarriages were as follows; drinking coffee ≥ 5 cups/day was 64.9%, obese 45.3%, smoking 29.9%, short interpregnancy interval 33.8%, iron deficiency anemia 38.5%, genital infections 22.2%, hyperthyroidism 15.4% and hypothyroidism was 9.4%.

Conclusion: This study concluded that there is significant impact of modifiable pre-pregnancy risk factors on the high incidence of miscarriages.