A Study of Socio-Economic Risk Factors for Missed Abortion

Missed abortions represent a significant gynecological emergency workload. Nearly 20% of all confirmed pregnancies end in missed abortion. Clinicians still do not recognize risk factors for miscarriage Early identification of the at risk women could help decrease this incidence. The investigators did a hospital based analytical study to investigate the risk factors for these abortions Women with pregnancy which had ended in first trimester missed abortion (<12 weeks of gestation) were compared with normal pregnant women. Socio-demograpic profile was assessed and data analyzed to evaluate risk factors difference between the two groups which showed that women with higher age and under 20 years age, poor literacy, lower educational status and with lower income had an elevated risk of missed abortion. Gravidity and interpregnancy interval showed no effect in the study. The socially patterned risk indicated that a proportion of missed abortions may be preventable and that factors related to social position, probably of the environmental and behavioural type, may affect missed abortion risk.