PRETERM BIRTH AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SHORT INTERPREGNANCY INTERVAL; A NORTHWEST GENERAL HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Preterm birth (PTB) refers to a birth that occurs before 37 weeks of gestation. The cause of preterm birth
is in many situations elusive and unknown; many factors appear to be associated with the development of preterm
birth, making the reduction of preterm birth a challenging proposition. Preterm birth is among the top causes of death
in infants worldwide
Objective: To determine frequency of preterm birth among pregnant women presenting with short inter-pregnancy
interval and preterm birth.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Northwest Hospital &
Research center Peshawar, Pakistan. This was a descriptive cross sectional study which was conducted over a period
of one year (August 2014 to July 2015. A total of 120 subjects in labour who presented with history of conception within
six months of the last delivery were included in this study.
Results: In this study mean age of women was 30 years with standard deviation ±3.19. 23% patients previously had
one delivery, 35% patients were grand multipara and 42% patients have more than five deliveries. Frequency of short
inter-pregnancy interval was observed in 79% patients.
Conclusion: We conclude that women should be inform significantly elevated risk of preterm birth and perinatal death
when they conceive shortly after a birth. Contraceptive advice should be targeted towards women who are most likely
to have a subsequent short interpregnancy interval namely, teenagers and women who have just experienced a perinatal
loss
KEY WORDS: Frequency, Short inter-pregnancy interval, preterm birth,