Threatened abortion and its consequences on maternal and fetal health

TL;DR

This study shows that threatened abortion increases risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal complications compared to healthy pregnancies.

Contribution

The study quantifies specific maternal and fetal health risks associated with threatened abortion using a comparative cohort design.

Findings

Threatened abortion is linked to higher rates of preterm delivery (25% vs. 12.5%) and low birth weight (23.33% vs. 10%).

Neonates from threatened abortion pregnancies had increased NICU admissions (28.33% vs. 6.67%) and low Apgar scores (10% vs. 3.33%).

Maternal complications like antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage were significantly higher in threatened abortion cases.

Abstract

Threatened abortion, defined as vaginal bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy with a viable fetus, is a common obstetric
complication. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the maternal and fetal health outcomes associated with threatened abortion
and to compare these outcomes with a control group of healthy pregnancies. Hence, a total of 240 pregnant women were included in this
study, with 120 women diagnosed with threatened abortion and 120 healthy controls. Women with threatened abortion showed significantly
higher rates of preterm delivery (25% vs. 12.5%, p<0.001), low birth weight (23.33% vs. 10%, p<0.001) and intrauterine growth restriction
(12.5% vs. 6.67%) compared to the control group. Additionally, the incidence of antepartum hemorrhage (9.17% vs. 3.33%, p=0.001) and
postpartum hemorrhage (10% vs. 4.17%) were significantly higher in the threatened abortion group. Neonatal outcomes also showed higher
rates of low Apgar scores (10% vs. 3.33%, p<0.001) and NICU admissions (28.33% vs. 6.67%). Our study highlights the significant risks
associated with threatened abortion, including increased rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, fetal growth restriction and maternal
complications. These findings emphasize the need for early identification and careful management of pregnancies complicated by threatened
abortion.