Frequency of postpartum hemorrhage in obese primigravida women

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of PPH among obese primigravida women presenting in our institute.

Methodology: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad over a period of six months. (i.e., 10th January 2022 to 9th July 2022). Non-probability consecutive sampling technique was employed.

The inclusion criteria were obese women with singleton pregnancy of 37-41 weeks gestational age, and age range of 18-40 years, who underwent delivery either vaginally or through cesarean section. The exclusion criteria included patients with twin/multiple pregnancies, placenta Previa, fibroid uterus or associated severe systemic illnesses such as uncontrolled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), cardiac disease, bleeding disorders, chronic liver disease (CLD) and chronic renal failure (CRF). All women were followed till 24 hours to record any PPH.

Results: There were a total of 130 patients. The mean age was 26.03 ± 3.71 years. Majority of them (n=79; 60.77%) were between 26-35 years of age. Mean gestational age was 38.37 ± 1.33 weeks. Mean BMI was 34.79±2.45kg/m². Mean pre-operative hemoglobin (Hb) was 10.60 ± 0.94 g/dl. PPH in obese primigravida women was found among 29 (22.31%) patients.

Conclusion: We observed high frequency of PPH among obese primigravida women. Obesity constituted a risk factor for the development of PPH.  Public awareness should be created among women of reproductive age group regarding the fact that obesity should be avoided as it leads to adverse maternal outcomes.