Frequency of Preterm Birth in Women with Short Inter Pregnancy Interval
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i2.2640Keywords:
Preterm birth, inter pregnancy interval, pregnancy spacing, descriptive study, maternal healthAbstract
Objective: To estimate the frequency of preterm birth among women with a short inter pregnancy interval (IPI) in a descriptive cross-sectional study of 175 postpartum women. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Bolan Medical Complex Hospital BMCH Quetta. Participants: A convenience sample of 175 postpartum women aged 15–49 years who delivered a live infant and whose conception of the index pregnancy occurred <18 months after a prior live birth. Women with multiple gestation, major fetal anomalies, or missing gestational-age information were excluded. Main outcome measures: Preterm birth, defined as delivery before 37 completed weeks of gestation. IPI was calculated in months from the prior live birth to conception of the index pregnancy and categorized as <6 months, 6–11 months, and 12–17 months. Results: (To be completed after data entry.) Planned reporting includes the overall proportion of preterm births with 95% confidence intervals, proportions stratified by IPI categories, and descriptive statistics for maternal age, parity, antenatal care, and selected comorbidities. Example: if x of 175 births are preterm, the proportion will be reported as x/175 (x%) with exact binomial 95% CI. Conclusions: This study will quantify the burden of preterm birth among women with short IPI in the study setting and inform counseling and family-planning interventions aimed at optimizing pregnancy spacing to reduce preterm births.
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