# Pregnancy follow-ups in Family Medicine: A retrospective study

## TL;DR

This study shows that increased pregnancy follow-ups, especially psychosocial ones, reduce complications and improve birth outcomes.

## Contribution

The study highlights the importance of psychosocial follow-ups in reducing pregnancy complications.

## Key findings

- Pregnant women with more follow-ups had fewer complications like miscarriage and abortion.
- 59.5% of pregnancies resulted in normal live births, while 29.6% were cesarean live births.
- Psychosocial follow-ups averaged 1.11 per pregnancy, and fewer were linked to adverse outcomes.

## Abstract

To evaluate the effects and results of modern improved pregnancy follow-ups.

This retrospective study was conducted with a total of 248 pregnant women between 20 to 43 years of age. In the study, all data belonging to the follow-up of pregnant women who were registered to the Family Health Center between April 1st, 2022, and March 31st, 2023, were retrieved from the database retrospectively. Sociodemographic characteristics, habits, pregnancy information and counseling process, pregnancy physical examination and laboratory findings, risk factors, drugs used, vaccinations, danger signs developing during pregnancy, and complications were determined and recorded. The data of all follow-ups were analyzed in terms of risk, disease, complications, and outcomes.

The age of the pregnant women was found to be 28.72±3.97 years. While the mean number of general follow-ups was 3.56±1.04 in pregnant women, the mean number of psychosocial follow-ups was 1.11±0.48. The mean weeks of gestation were found to be 36.59±7.65. It was seen that 59.5% of the pregnant women had a normal and live birth, 29.6% had a cesarean and live birth, 4.5% had an abortion, 6.1% were still pregnant and 0.4% had other result pregnancies. The number of general and psychosocial follow-ups of the pregnant women with miscarriage, abortion, and other complications during pregnancy was lower than in the other groups (p=0.01).

Our study showed that miscarriage, abortion, and other complications are very rare with the increase in the number of general and especially psychosocial follow-ups before and during pregnancy. Pregnancy follow-ups carried out by family physicians with developed guidelines are important for the health of the mother and baby.