The effect of consanguinity on reproductive outcomes in Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil city

Background and objectives: Consanguinity is a wide spread practice, increases the incidence of multifactorial disorders such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, obesity has been associated with stillbirths, low birth weight, preterm delivery, abortion, infant and child mortality, congenital birth defects and malformations. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of consanguinity on maternal and neonatal health measurement. Methods: This case control study was carried out in Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil city, Kurdistan region, Iraq. The study duration was from 1st April 2020 to 1st April 2021. Data obtained from group I, two hundred fifty women had consanguineous marriage and group II, 250 women had non consanguineous marriage, regarding their pregnancy outcomes such as full term or premature live birth or still birth and miscarriage and any obvious congenital malformation. Results: The mean age of women of Group I (26.9 years) was significantly less than the mean age of women of group II (28.1 years). No significant differences were detected between the two study groups regarding the gestational age ,parity, antenatal care, stillbirth, miscarriage and rate of preterm deliveries. The rate of Cesarean section in Group I (26.8%) was significantly less than the rate of Group II (37.2%). Conclusions: Pregnant women with history of consanguinity had lower mean age than those without consanguinity without important differences in their parity, educational level and mean gestational age. Consanguinity had not resulted in increased rates of stillbirth, preterm labor, miscarriages or twin pregnancies in the studied sample.