The impact of social and biological factors on pregnancy outcome in a cohort of Jamaican mothers

ABSTRACT

Social factors associated with poor pregnancy outcome included high parity (3 or more previous pregnancies); and union status, particularly women in visiting and common-law unions and money available for food as women in the lowest expenditure quartile were at excess risk. Significant biological factors include previous poor outcome, the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, bleeding at any time during pregnancy, syphilis and diabetes. Women with these biological risk factors in particular should be encouraged to deliver at a hospital with obstetric and paediatric consultant care. When these women present in labour they should be carefully monitored and if not progressing satisfactorily or if signs of fetal distress are present they should be scheduled for operative delivery. Women should be encouraged to attend early for antenatal care if the hazardous consequences of highly preventable complications from syphilis, for example, are to be avoided. (AU)