Maternal morbidity and death associated with pregnancy loss before 28 weeks in Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of maternal morbidity and death from pregnancy loss before 28 weeks in referral-level hospitals in Nigeria.

Design: Secondary analysis of a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Setting: Fifty-four referral-level hospitals.

Population: Women admitted for complications arising from pregnancy loss before 28 weeks between 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020.

Methods: Frequency and type of pregnancy loss were calculated using the extracted data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with early pregnancy loss. Factors contributing to death were also analysed.

Main outcome measures: Prevalence and outcome of pregnancy loss at <28 weeks; sociodemographic and clinical predictors of morbidity after early pregnancy loss; contributory factors to death.

Results: Of the 4798 women who had pregnancy loss at <28 weeks of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion accounted for 49.2%, followed by missed abortion (26.9%) and ectopic pregnancy (15%). Seven hundred women (14.6%) had a complication following pregnancy loss and 99 women died (2.1%). Most complications (26%) and deaths (7%) occurred after induced abortion. Haemorrhage was the most frequent complication in all types of pregnancy loss with 11.5% in molar pregnancy and 6.9% following induced abortion. Predictors of complication or death were low maternal education, husband who was not gainfully employed, grand-multipara, pre-existing chronic medical condition and referral from another facility or informal setting.

Conclusion: Pregnancy loss before 28 weeks is a significant contributor to high maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Socio-economic factors and delays in referral to higher levels of care contribute significantly to poor outcomes for women.