Fetomaternal outcomes in postdated pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital: A retrospective study

Abstract

To analyse maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancy which has crossed the expected date of delivery. Background: Pregnancy which last beyond 40 weeks is a known complication of normal delivery. Postdated pregnancy causes specific hazards to both mother and fetus. Mother faces problem like increased incidence of induced labour, instrumental delivery, prolonged labour, shoulder dystocia, LSCS, instrumental delivery which itself associated with many other morbidities, fetal complications ranging from IUGR to macrosomia. The aim of the study was to find out the maternal and perinatal complications associated with postdated pregnancy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of nine month (February 2021 to October 2021) was done in tertiary care hospital to know the outcome of pregnancies which has crossed the expected date of delivery.Results: In our study, Maximum number of patients belonged to the age group of 25-30 years both in study (60%) and control group (58.4%). The maximum number of patients in the study group (81.6%) belonged to the gestational age of 40-41 weeks while all the controls belonged to 37-40 weeks gestational age. 68% of the patients in study group were primigravida and in the control group 62.4% were primigravida. The percentage of LSCS in study group was 36% which was higher than in the control group where it was 16%. Incidence of instrumental delivery was also higher in the study group as compared to control group (11.2% as compared to 3.2%). Among the indications for LSCS, the most common indication in the study group was acute fetal distress which includes meconium stained liquor (28.9%) followed by cephalopelvic disproportion (22.2%) while in the control group, most common indication was nonprogress of labour (35%) followed by acute fetal distress (25%). All maternal and perinatal complications were higher in the study group as compared to the control group. Conclusion:In women with postdated pregnancy an individualized approach to be done. Early intervention should be done in postdated pregnancy to decrease maternal and perinatal complications.

Retrospective study of maternal and neonatal outcomes in post-dated pregnancies

“…Another investigation similarly reported a predominant occurrence of postdated pregnancies in the 25-30 age group (60%). 14 Beischer et al observed a majority in the 25-30 age range among postdated patients. 15 Likewise, Alexander et al and Awoyesuku et al identified a prevalence of patients between 20-30 years.…”

“…Consistent with our findings, Bansal identified maternal morbidities in 42 cases, with PPH being the most prevalent (n=30). 14 Similarly, the most typical complication was PPH, recorded in 61 cases (19.4%). 17 Onyebuchi et al reported PPH as the primary maternal complication in 6.8%, and Botcha et al noted PPH in 6%.…”

“…Consistent with our findings, Bansal and others reported a prevalence of primigravida women ranging from 43.6% to 68%. 14,16,17,22 This parity distribution underscores the significance of understanding the obstetric history of postdate pregnancies, offering valuable insights into the demographics of both primigravida and multigravida cases.…”

“…Correspondingly, Bansal reported a caesarean section rate of 36% in their study group. 14 In Mahapatro's study, the rate of lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) was found to be 28.9%. 22 Additionally, Singhal observed an LSCS rate of 14.7%.…”