ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In Bangladesh, the perinatal mortality is very high. This study examined the differentials and determinants of perinatal mortality in rural Bangladesh. METHODS: The study was based on the prospective data on maternal morbidity collected by the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Promotion of Essential and Reproductive Health and Technologies (BIRPERHT). This prospective study was conducted during the period November 1992 to December 1993. In this study, the factors associated with perinatal deaths were examined, employing differential and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: It was found that assisted delivery caused higher risks of stillbirth and death among live births during the first week of life. It was also observed that five or more pregnancies, prior to the index pregnancy, were positively associated with perinatal death. CONCLUSION: If the delivery is assisted or there are complications in delivery, then it is likely that the incidence of perinatal mortality will increase sharply. If the newborn baby was given colostrum, then perinatal mortality decreased to a great extent.
