Prevalence and associated risk factors of intrauterine fetal deaths among pregnant women at El-Manial University Hospital

Background and aim Stillbirth is one of the most dreaded consequence of pregnancy and is distressing when it occurs without warning in pregnancy. It is defined as death at a gestational age of 20 completed weeks or greater or if the fetal weight is 300 g or more. The aim of study was to determine the incidence of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) among pregnant women and relationship between the risk factors and incidence of IUFD. Design A descriptive correlational design was adopted in this study. Setting The study was conducted at the casualty department (section 10) of El-Manial University Hospital affiliated to Cairo University. Sample A convenience sample of 450 pregnant women was recruited throughout a period of 1 year from February 2019 to January 2020 and retrospectively from archived women files 1 year before start of the study from February 2018 to January 2019. Results A total of 255 IUFDs were reported among 13 400 deliveries with a prevalence of 19.02/1000 live births in 2018 from archived files and 165 cases among 14 500 deliveries with a prevalence of 11.4/1000 live births in 2019. The maximum age group of the study sample ranged from 20 to 25 years, with a mean age of 29.59±6.6 years. The risk factors of IUFD were preeclampsia (P=0.00), gestational diabetes mellitus (P=0.050), antepartum hemorrhage (P=0.00), preterm premature rupture of membrane (P=0.033), maternal age (P=0.041), oligohydramnios (P=0.022), gravidity (P=0.005), residence (P=0.05), cardiac disease (P=0.001, previous abortion (P=0.003), and previous IUFD (P=0.000). Conclusion The incidence of IUFDs decreased to 11.4 per 1000 births in 2019. Preeclampsia, antepartum hemorrhage, cardiac disease, and previous IUFD were the major leading causes for IUFD. Recommendations It is recommended to increase the awareness of pregnant women regarding IUFDs with the help of booklets and brochures with emphasis on antenatal care and the benefits of regular attendance on early detection and management of deteriorated pregnancy conditions.