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Perceptions of pregnancy complications in Haiti
Author(s) -
Anderson Frank W.J.,
Naik Sujata I.,
Feresu Shingairai A.,
Gebrian Bette,
Karki Manju,
Harlow Sioban D.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2007.08.005
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , odds ratio , obstetrics , complication , confidence interval , incidence (geometry) , dispensary , surgery , family medicine , genetics , physics , optics , biology
Abstract Objective To determine the incidence of perceived pregnancy complications and associated factors. Methods During a census, 450 women identified themselves as pregnant and 388 were interviewed postpartum. Results Complications were reported by 58.6%. Bleeding post‐delivery was the most frequent complication (42.5%), followed by great pain (33.8%), bleeding during pregnancy (20.1%), and fever post‐delivery (11.6%). Prenatal care at either a dispensary or a clinic was associated with reports of bleeding during pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 9.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71–48.00 and OR 7.58; 95% CI, 1.53–37.48, respectively). Women who visited a doctor were less likely to report bleeding during pregnancy (OR 0.20; 95% CI, 0.08–0.55) or fever post‐delivery ( P = 0.015). Herb use was associated with reported bleeding during pregnancy (OR 2.22; 95% CI, 1.12–4.40) and great pain (OR 1.94; 95% CI, 1.05–3.58). Conclusion The perceived pregnancy complication rate in Haiti is high and is associated with access to health care. The association between use of herbs and pregnancy complications warrants investigation.