A cross sectional study of pregnancy outcome in women with recurrent pregnancy loss

Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss occurs in approximately 1-2% of reproductive aged women. Aetiology is unknown in approximately 50% of RPL. Common established causes include uterine anomalies, antiphospholipid syndrome, hormonal and metabolic disorders, and cytogenetic abnormalities. Maternal age and number of previous miscarriages are two independent risk factors. The study was conducted to determine the pregnancy outcomes in women with history of recurrent pregnancy loss.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal. The study was carried out during a period of 2 years with effect from September 2019 to August 2021.Results: A total of 116 pregnant women with history of recurrent pregnancy loss were included in the study. The mean age among participants was 30.28±5.48 years. The average number of abortions prior to this pregnancy was 2.53±1.02. About 85.34% had spontaneous onset of labour and nearly equal proportion of (48.27% and 46.56%) of the participants delivered by NVD and CS. Maternal complications were present in 51.72%. Most common were hypertensive disorder (12.06%) and preterm labour (12.06%). Fetal complications were observed in 22.4% of newborn, commonest being low birth weight.Conclusions: Women with history of recurrent pregnancy loss encountered increased adverse maternal complications however fetal complications were similar to that of the general population. The definition, diagnosis and treatment of patients with a history of RPL remains difficult. Increased antenatal surveillance to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications with better screening of the obstetrical history and the necessary investigations to identify a treatable cause associated with previous miscarriages can lead to early prophylactic interventions for a better outcome.