A Swedish register-based study exploring primary postpartum hemorrhage in 405 936 full term vaginal births between 2005 and 2015.

OBJECTIVE: To explore diagnoses of postpartum haemorrhage following vaginal birth, in relation to socio-demographic and obstetrical data from women who gave birth at term, in Sweden, during the years 2005-2015. STUDY DESIGN: A register-based cohort study was carried out, describing and comparing socio-demographic variables, obstetric variables and infant variables in 52 367 cases of diagnosed postpartum haemorrhage compared to 353 569 controls without a postpartum haemorrhage diagnosis. Postpartum hemorrhage was identified in The Swedish Medical Birth Register by ICD-10 code O72. Variables for maternal characteristics were dichotomized and used to calculate odds ratios to find possible explanatory variables for postpartum haemorrhage. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2015 there was no statistically significant decrease in diagnoses of postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal birth at term. Primiparity was associated with the highest risk and women birthing their fifth or subsequent child were associated with the lowest risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Increased maternal age (> 35 years) and/or obesity (BMI > 30) were associated with higher odds of postpartum haemorrhage. The risk of postpartum hemorrhage was 55 % higher when vaginal birth followed induction as compared to vaginal birth after spontaneous onset. Some of the factors known to be associated with postpartum haemorrhage were poorly documented in The Swedish Medical Birth Register. CONCLUSIONS: Birthing women in a Swedish contemporary setting are, despite efforts to improve care, still at risk of birth being complicated by postpartum haemorrhage. Primiparity, increasing maternal age and/or obesity are found to provoke an increased risk and the reasons for these findings need to be further investigated. However, grand multi-parity did not increase the risk for postpartum hemorrhage. Codes for diagnoses require correct documentation in the birth records: only when local statistics are sound and correctly reported can intrapartum care be improved, and the incidence of postpartum haemorrhage reduced.

Mode of first delivery and severe maternal complications in the subsequent pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Severe obstetric complications increase with the number of previous cesarean deliveries. In the Nordic countries most women have two children. We present the risk of severe obstetric complications at the delivery following a first elective or emergency cesarean and the risk by intended mode of second delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A two-year population-based data collection of severe maternal complications in women with two deliveries in the Nordic countries (n = 213 518). Denominators were retrieved from the national medical birth registers. RESULTS: Of 35 450 first cesarean deliveries (17%), 75% were emergency and 25% elective. Severe complications at second delivery were more frequent in women with a first cesarean than with a first vaginal delivery, and rates of abnormally invasive placenta, uterine rupture and severe postpartum hemorrhage were higher after a first elective than after a first emergency cesarean delivery [relative risk (RR) 4.1, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 2.0-8.1; RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.5; RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.5, respectively]. A first cesarean was associated with up to 97% of severe complications in the second pregnancy. Induction of labor was associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture and severe hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Elective repeat cesarean can prevent complete uterine rupture at the second delivery, whereas the risk of severe obstetric hemorrhage, abnormally invasive placenta and peripartum hysterectomy is unchanged by the intended mode of second delivery in women with a first cesarean. Women with a first elective vs. an emergency cesarean have an increased risk of severe complications in the second pregnancy.

National Rates of Uterine Rupture are not Associated with Rates of Previous Caesarean Delivery: Results from the Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study.

BACKGROUND: Previous caesarean delivery and intended mode of delivery after caesarean are well-known individual risk factors for uterine rupture. We examined if different national rates of uterine rupture are associated with differences in national rates of previous caesarean delivery and intended mode of delivery after a previous caesarean delivery. METHODS: This study is an ecological study based on data from a retrospective cohort in the Nordic countries. Data on uterine rupture were collected prospectively in each country as part of the Nordic obstetric surveillance study and included 91% of all Nordic deliveries. Information on the comparison population was retrieved from the national medical birth registers. Incidence rate ratios by previous caesarean delivery and intended mode of delivery after caesarean were modelled using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The incidence of uterine rupture was 7.8/10 000 in Finland and 4.6/10 000 in Denmark. Rates of caesarean (21.3%) and previous caesarean deliveries (11.5%) were highest in Denmark, while the rate of intended vaginal delivery after caesarean was highest in Finland (72%). National rates of uterine rupture were not associated with the population rates of previous caesarean but increased by 35% per 1% increase in the population rate of intended vaginal delivery and in the subpopulation of women with previous caesarean delivery by 4% per 1% increase in the rate of intended vaginal delivery. CONCLUSION: National rates of uterine rupture were not associated with national rates of previous caesarean, but increased with rates of intended vaginal delivery after caesarean.

The Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study: a study of complete uterine rupture, abnormally invasive placenta, peripartum hysterectomy, and severe blood loss at delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the rates and characteristics of women with complete uterine rupture, abnormally invasive placenta, peripartum hysterectomy, and severe blood loss at delivery in the Nordic countries. DESIGN: Prospective, Nordic collaboration. SETTING: The Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study (NOSS) collected cases of severe obstetric complications in the Nordic countries from April 2009 to August 2012. SAMPLE AND METHODS: Cases were reported by clinicians at the Nordic maternity units and retrieved from medical birth registers, hospital discharge registers, and transfusion databases by using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes on diagnoses and the Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee Classification of Surgical Procedure codes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of the studied complications and possible risk factors among parturients in the Nordic countries. RESULTS: The studied complications were reported in 1019 instances among 605 362 deliveries during the study period. The reported rate of severe blood loss at delivery was 11.6/10 000 deliveries, complete uterine rupture was 5.6/10 000 deliveries, abnormally invasive placenta was 4.6/10 000 deliveries, and peripartum hysterectomy was 3.5/10 000 deliveries. Of the women, 25% had two or more complications. Women with complications were more often >35 years old, overweight, with a higher parity, and a history of cesarean delivery compared with the total population. CONCLUSION: The studied obstetric complications are rare. Uniform definitions and valid reporting are essential for international comparisons. The main risk factors include previous cesarean section. The detailed information collected in the NOSS database provides a basis for epidemiologic studies, audits, and educational activities.

Emergency peripartum hysterectomy: results from the prospective Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study (NOSS).

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of emergency peripartum hysterectomy. DESIGN: Nordic collaborative study. POPULATION: 605 362 deliveries across the five Nordic countries. METHODS: We collected data prospectively from patients undergoing emergency peripartum hysterectomy within 7 days of delivery from medical birth registers and hospital discharge registers. Control populations consisted of all other women delivering on the same units during the same time period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Emergency peripartum hysterectomy rate. RESULTS: The total number of emergency peripartum hysterectomies reached 211, yielding an incidence rate of 3.5/10 000 (95% confidence interval 3.0-4.0) births. Finland had the highest prevalence (5.1) and Norway the lowest (2.9). Primary indications included an abnormally invasive placenta (n = 91, 43.1%), atonic bleeding (n = 69, 32.7%), uterine rupture (n = 31, 14.7%), other bleeding disorders (n = 12, 5.7%), and other indications (n = 8, 3.8%). The delivery mode was cesarean section in nearly 80% of cases. Previous cesarean section was reported in 45% of women. Both preterm and post-term birth increased the risk for emergency peripartum hysterectomy. The number of stillbirths was substantially high (70/1000), but the case fatality rate stood at 0.47% (one death, maternal mortality rate 0.17/100 000 deliveries). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of prospective data collected from clinicians and information gathered from register-based databases can yield valuable data, improving the registration accuracy for rare, near-miss cases. However, proper and uniform clinical guidelines for the use of well-defined international diagnostic codes are still needed.

The Nordic medical birth registers--a potential goldmine for clinical research.

The Nordic medical birth registers have long been used for valuable clinical research. Their collection of data for more than four decades offers unusual possibilities for research across generations. At the same time, serum and blotting paper blood samples have been stored from most neonates. Two large cohorts (approximately 100 000 births) in Denmark and Norway have been described by questionnaires, interviews and collection of biological samples (blood, urine and milk teeth), as well as a systematic prospective follow-up of the offspring. National patient registers provide information on preceding, underlying and present health problems of the parents and their offspring. Researchers may, with permission from the national authorities, obtain access to individualized or anonymized data from the registers and tissue-banks. These data allow for multivariate analyses but their usefulness depends on knowledge of the specific registers and biological sample banks and on proper validation of the registers.

Infibulated women have an increased risk of anal sphincter tears at delivery: a population-based Swedish register study of 250 000 births.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk for anal sphincter tears (AST) in infibulated women. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: Nationwide study in Sweden. POPULATION: The study population included 250 491 primiparous women with a vaginal singleton birth at 37-41 completed gestational weeks during 1999-2008. We only included women born in Sweden and in Africa. The African women were categorized into three groups; a Somalia group, n = 929, where over 95% are infibulated; the Eritrea-Ethiopia-Sudan group, n = 955, where the majority are infibulated, compared with other African countries, n = 1035, where few individuals are infibulated but had otherwise similar anthropometric characteristics. These women were compared with 247 572 Swedish-born women. METHODS: Register study with data from the National Medical Birth Registry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AST in non-instrumental and instrumental vaginal delivery. RESULTS: Compared with Swedish-born women, women from Somalia had the highest odds ratio for AST in all vaginal deliveries: 2.72 (95%CI 2.08-3.54), followed by women from Eritrea-Ethiopia-Sudan 1.80 (1.41-2.32) and other African countries 1.23 (0.89-1.53) after adjustment for major risk factors. Mediolateral episiotomy was associated with a reduced risk of AST in instrumental deliveries. CONCLUSION: Delivering African women from countries where infibulation is common carries an increased risk of AST compared with Swedish-born women, despite delivering in a highly technical quality healthcare setting. AST can cause anal incontinence and it is important to investigate risk factors for this and try to improve clinical routines during delivery to reduce the incidence of this complication.

Factors associated with antenatal care adequacy in rural and urban contexts-results from two health and demographic surveillance sites in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal Care (ANC) is universally considered important for women and children. This study aims to identify factors, demographic, social and economic, possibly associated with three ANC indicators: number of visits, timing of visits and content of services. The aim is also to compare the patterns of association of such factors between one rural and one urban context in northern Vietnam. METHODS: Totally 2,132 pregnant women were followed from identification of pregnancy until birth in two Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites (HDSS). Information was obtained through quarterly face to face interviews. RESULTS: Living in the rural area was significantly associated with lower adequate use of ANC compared to living in the urban area, both regarding quantity (number and timing of visits) and content. Low education, living in poor households and exclusively using private sector ANC in both sites and self employment, becoming pregnant before 25 years of age and living in poor communities in the rural area turned out to increase the risk for overall inadequate ANC. High risk pregnancy could not be demonstrated to be associated with ANC adequacy in either site. The medical content of services offered was often inadequate, in relation to the national recommendations, especially in the private sector. CONCLUSION: Low education, low economic status, exclusive use of private ANC and living in rural areas were main factors associated with risk for overall inadequate ANC use as related to the national recommendations. Therefore, interventions focussing on poor and less educated women, especially in rural areas should be prioritized. They should focus the importance of early attendance of ANC and sufficient use of core services. Financial support for poor and near poor women should be considered. Providers of ANC should be educated and otherwise influenced to provide sufficient core services. Adherence to ANC content guidelines must be improved through enhanced supervision, particularly in the private sector.

Satisfaction with a modified form of in-hospital birth center care compared with standard maternity care.

BACKGROUND: For safety reasons an in-hospital birth center was replaced by a modified form of birth center care with the same medical guidelines and equipment as in standard care. The aim of this study was to investigate women's and men's satisfaction with modified care compared with standard care. METHODS: Women in both groups gave birth from July 2007 to July 2008. The same medical low-risk criteria during pregnancy applied to both groups. Of those invited to the study, 547 (82.7%) women in modified birth center care and 445 (66.7%) men returned a questionnaire posted 2 months after the birth, and 786 (71.6%) women and 639 (58.2%) men in standard care. Odds ratios (ORs) for being satisfied were calculated with 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted for possible confounders. We also explored the effects of different components of care on overall satisfaction. RESULTS: Adjusted ORs for being satisfied overall were approximately doubled in the modified birth center group compared with the standard care group: antenatal care-OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.7) in women and OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.5-2.8) in men; intrapartum care-OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.7-2.9) in women and OR: 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3-2.4) in men; and postpartum care-OR: 1.7 in women (95% CI: 1.4-2.2) and OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.8) in men. Important explanations of these differences included perception of the midwife as being more supportive, the presence of a calmer environment and atmosphere (intrapartum), and the option for fathers to stay overnight (postpartum). CONCLUSION: In-hospital birth center with medical equipment on site increased overall satisfaction with all episodes of care compared with standard care. (BIRTH 39:2 June 2012).

Urban - rural disparities in antenatal care utilization: a study of two cohorts of pregnant women in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: The use of antenatal care (ANC) varies between countries and in different settings within each country. Most previous studies of ANC in Vietnam have been cross-sectional, and conducted in rural areas before the year 2000. This study aims to compare the pattern and the adequacy of ANC used in rural and urban Vietnam following two cohorts of pregnant women. METHODS: A comparative study with two cohorts comprising totally 2132 pregnant women were followed in two health and demographic surveillance sites, one rural and one urban in Hanoi province, Vietnam. The women were quarterly interviewed using a structured questionnaire until delivery. The primary information obtained was the number and the content of ANC visits. RESULTS: Almost all women reported some use of ANC. The average number of visits was much lower in the rural setting (4.4) than in the urban (7.7). In the rural area, 77.2% of women had at least three visits and 69.1% attended ANC during the first trimester. The corresponding percentages for the urban women were 97.2% and 97.2%. Only 20.3% of the rural women compared to 81.1% of the urban women received all core ANC services. As a result, the adequate use of ANC was 5.2 times in the urban than in the rural setting (78.3% compared to 15.2%). Nearly all women received ultrasound examination during pregnancy with a mean value of 6.0 scans per woman in the urban area and 3.5 in the rural. Most rural women used ANC at commune health centres and private clinics while urban women mainly visited public hospitals. Expenditure related to ANC utilization for the urban women was 7.1 times that for the urban women. CONCLUSION: The women in the rural area attended ANC later, had fewer visits and received much fewer services than urban women. The large disparity in ANC adequacy between the two settings suggests special attention for the ANC programme in rural areas focusing on its content. Revision and enforcement of the national guidelines to improve the behaviour and practice of both users and providers are necessary.

In-hospital birth center with the same medical guidelines as standard care: a comparative study of obstetric interventions and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: A challenge of obstetric care is to optimize maternal and infant health outcomes and the mother's experience of childbirth with the least possible intervention in the normal process. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of modified birth center care on obstetric procedures during delivery and on maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: In a cohort study 2,555 women who signed in for birth center care during pregnancy were compared with all 9,382 low-risk women who gave birth in the standard delivery ward in the same hospital from March 2004 to July 2008. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI) and adjusted for maternal background characteristics, elective cesarean section, and gestational age. RESULTS: The modified birth center group included fewer emergency cesarean sections (primiparas: OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.58-0.83; multiparas: OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.23-0.51), and in multiparas the vacuum extraction rate was reduced (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.26-0.67). In addition, epidural analgesia was used less frequently (primiparas: OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.41-0.53; multiparas: OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.20-0.32). Fetal distress was less frequently diagnosed in the modified birth center group (primiparas: OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87; multiparas: OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.29-0.69), but no statistically significant differences were found in neonatal hypoxia, low Apgar score less than 7 at 5 minutes, or proportion of perinatal deaths (OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.14-1.13). Anal sphincter tears were reduced (primiparas: OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55-0.98; multiparas: OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.20-0.83). CONCLUSION: Midwife-led comprehensive care with the same medical guidelines as in standard care reduced medical interventions without jeopardizing maternal and infant health.

Increasing incidence of anal sphincter tears among primiparas in Sweden: a population-based register study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the incidence and risk factors for anal sphincter tears (ASTs) at delivery. METHODS: A national population-based study was conducted with data from the Medical Birth Register including all primiparas with singleton pregnancy, who gave birth vaginally in Sweden from 1994 to 2004 (n=365,886). Women with a third and fourth degree AST were compared with those who gave birth during the same period without incurring such tears. RESULTS: The incidence of third degree AST increased by >60%, from 3.4% in 1994 to 5.2% in 2004 in spontaneous births, and from 8.7 to 14.8% in instrumental deliveries during the study period. The proportion of fourth degree AST increased from 0.3 to 0.55% in spontaneous births and from 0.8 to 1.4% in instrumental-assisted deliveries during the same period. Compared with non-instrumental delivery, vacuum extraction (VE) deliveries were related to an increased risk of AST. An infant birth weight of >4,000 g was also associated with an increased risk for both third and fourth degree AST. In addition, women born in Africa and Asia had significantly higher risk for both third and fourth degree AST compared to women born in Sweden. CONCLUSION: The incidence of third and fourth degree AST increased in both spontaneous births and instrumental deliveries. Instrumental delivery and an infant birth weight >4,000 g are the main risk factors for AST. Women from Africa and Asia have pronounced risks.

Birth centre care over a 10-year period: infant morbidity during the first month after birth.

AIM: To study morbidity during the first month of life affecting infants of mothers booked for birth centre care during pregnancy. METHODS: 3238 live single-born infants whose mothers were admitted to an in-hospital birth centre, located at South Hospital in Stockholm, between 1989 and 2000 were compared with 179,502 infants whose mothers received standard maternity care in the Stockholm region during the same period, and who fulfilled the same medical inclusion criteria as those of the birth centre group. Information on other exposures and outcomes was collected from the Swedish Medical Birth and Hospital Discharge Registers. Logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR), using 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Compared with infants born in standard care, infants in the birth centre group had a higher risk of respiratory problems (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.14-1.69), a difference correlated to less serious respiratory diagnoses. However, the difference was not statistically significant if the birth centre group was compared only with infants born in standard care at South Hospital (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.94-1.47). Birth centre care was associated with a lower risk of fractures (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.25-0.63). CONCLUSION: Birth centre care was not associated with severe infant morbidity and even appeared to reduce the risk of birth trauma, such as clavicle and other fractures.

Safety of birth centre care: perinatal mortality over a 10-year period.

OBJECTIVE: To study perinatal mortality in women booked for birth centre care during pregnancy. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: In-hospital birth centre and standard maternity care in Stockholm. POPULATION: Two thousand and five hundred and thirty-four women (3256 pregnancies) admitted to an in-hospital birth centre over 10 years (1989-2000) and 126818 women (180380 pregnancies) who gave birth in standard care during the same period and who met the same medical inclusion criteria as in the birth centre. Multiple pregnancies were excluded. METHODS: Data were collected from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Information on all cases of perinatal death in the birth centre group was retrieved from the medical records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Perinatal mortality. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in the overall perinatal mortality rate was observed between the birth centre group and the standard care group (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% CI 0.9-2.4), but infants of primiparas were at greater risk (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.9). Infants of multiparas tended to be at lower risk, but this difference was not statistically significant (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.3-1.9). These figures were adjusted for maternal age and gestation in multiple regression analyses. CONCLUSION: Birth centre care may be less safe for infants of first-time mothers.

Does birth center care during a woman's first pregnancy have any impact on her future reproduction?

BACKGROUND: Women's experiences of childbirth may affect their future reproduction, and the model of care affects their experiences, suggesting that a causal link may exist between model of care and future reproduction. The study objective was to examine whether the birth center model of care during a woman's first pregnancy affects whether or not she has a second baby, and on the spacing to the next birth. METHODS: Between October 1989 and July 1993, a total of 1860 women at low medical risk in early pregnancy, who participated in a randomized controlled trial of in-hospital birth center care versus standard care, gave birth. The 1063 primiparas in the trial, 543 in the birth center group and 520 in the standard care group, were included in a secondary analysis in which women's personal identification codes were linked to the Swedish National Birth Register, which included information about their subsequent birth during the following 7 to 10 years. Time to an event curves were constructed by means of the Kaplan Meier method. RESULTS: The observation period after the first birth was on average 8.8 years in the birth center group and 8.7 years in the standard care group. No statistical difference was found between the groups in time to second birth, which was 2.85 and 2.82 years, respectively (median; log-rank 1.26; p=0.26). CONCLUSION: A woman's model of care, such as birth center care, during her first pregnancy does not seem to be a sufficiently important factor to affect subsequent reproduction in Sweden.

Does a traumatic birth experience have an impact on future reproduction?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether women's experiences of their first birth affects future reproduction. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: South Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. POPULATION: Six hundred and seventeen women who gave birth to their first child 1989-1992. METHODS: A global measure of women's experiences of their first birth, assessed two months postpartum, was available from a birth centre trial, together with information on a range of background variables. This information was linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register, which included information on the number of subsequent births during the following 8-10 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of births (0 or > or =1) following the first birth. RESULTS: Women with a negative experience of their first birth had fewer subsequent children and a longer interval to the second baby (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.3). Being 35 years and older (RR 2.6, 95% CI 1.6-3.7), or single (RR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7-3.9) was also associated with subsequent infertility. CONCLUSION: A negative birth experience was associated with subsequent infertility, and women's experiences should therefore be considered seriously in the provision of maternity care.