ABSTRACT

Objectives: To determine the frequency of preterm labour in association with interpregnancy interval among pregnant women visiting tertiary care Hospital.

Subject and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed at Unit-I, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Civil Hospital Karachi; from June to November 2020. A total of 190 women with singleton pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound were included. After taking detailed medical history regarding previous fetal death and C-section was recorded either patient goes into preterm labour or not and confirmed by history for short and prolong interpregnancy interval (IPI). Data was collected by pre-designed study proforma.

Results: The average age of study subjects was 26.27±4.07 years. The frequency of preterm labour among the pregnant women was 51.05%. The rate of preterm was significantly higher in those women who had with short inter interpregnancy interval (p=0.0005).

Conclusion: Our findings clearly show that a short interval in inter-pregnancy is a cause of premature birth. Preterm birth can also be indicated by the antenatal care visits, inter-pregnancy complications, and having a birth defect. Premature birth minimization can enhance overall newborn's health and can lead to considerable minimization of neonatal death in the future.