Reproductive performance profile for women in a labor community [Shobra El-Khema] El Qualubia governorate Egypt

ABSTRACT

A sample of 1007 women were chosen by the simple random technique from 2 selected companies [El-Delta Steel and Electricity Cables, El- Cablat] in Shoubra El-Kheima area. A standardized questionnaire was developed to describe the sociodemographic background and to explore the reproductive performance with the outcome of pregnancies among the married women in this labor site. The study revealed that wives of laborers are susceptible to certain factors that could influence their reproductive performance and their health status, e.g. age at 1st marriage, number of pregnancies, number of live births. The study showed the outcome of pregnancy among the 2 groups of women laborers and wives of laborers, who differ in their sociodemographic background but share the chance of exposure to the expected pollution in such industrial environment, where 13.7% of pregnancies among women laborers ended in abortion [cumulative incidence] and 3.6% ended in still birth versus 12.1% and 4.6% among wives of laborers, respectively. These figures indicated that women in the labor communities are in a great reproductive risk hazards. The study revealed another issue that is related to reproduction; namely. infertility and subfertility, where about 17% of women laborers attributed their non-current use of family planning to infertility, subfertility