A One Year Retrospective Study of the Incidence and Causes of Intrauterine Foetal Deaths in GMC Jammu

Abstract

Background: Intrauterine foetal death or IUFD is defined as fetal demise after 20 weeks of gestation. It is a distressing condition for the mother, the family as well as the obstetrician.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and the causative factors associated with foetal deaths in our institution.
Material and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted in GMC Jammu for a period of one year from January 2019 to December 2019. The data was analysed to study the incidence and the foetal, maternal and placental factors related to IUFD.
Results: The incidence of intrauterine deaths in our study was found to be 24/1000 births. Among the 540 cases enrolled in the study, the predominant age group was 21-25 years (37.7%), primigravida was the predominant parity (40%), 18.5-24.5 was the most common BMI range to which the patients belonged (40.9%), and 37-40 weeks was the commonest gestational age at which IUD occurred (39.8%). Among the causal factors of intrauterine deaths, majority of the IUDs were unexplained (25.5%), followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy as a major cause (14.8%), followed by obstructed labour (7.7%), meconium-stained liquor (7.4%) and congenital malformations (7.4%). Majority of the cases underwent induction and normal vaginal delivery (39.8%).
Conclusion: In our study, the majority of the IUDs were unexplained, followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, obstructed labour, meconium-stained liquor and congenital malformations. Hence these factors must be thoroughly evaluated and prompt action must be taken before any complication occurs.