The effects of post Menarcheal age on pregnancy outcome

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To compare the pregnancy outcome between mothers with low post menarcheal age and notmal post menarcheal age. STUDY DESIGN: Hospital based prospective cohort study STUDY POPULATION AND SAMPLE: One thousand one hundred consecutive primigravidae admitted for confinements were recruited. Mothers with medical disorders, multiple pregnancy, bony deformities of the pelvis, and scarred uterus were excluded. Their post menarcheal age (time span from the menarche to the pregnancy) was calculated by subtracting the age at menarche from the age at delivery. The incidence of outcome measures were compared between low post menarcheal age and normal post menarcheal age categories of mothers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Low birth weight( LEW), Preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), Preterm rupture of membranes (PROM), Urinary tract infection (UTI), Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) Breech presentation at delivery and Mode of delivery {Normal vaginal delivery (NVD), Vacuum delivery, Low forceps delivery, Elective caesarean section (EL LSCS) and Emergency caesarean section (EM-LSCS). RESULTS: Low post menarcheal age women had a statistically significant high incidence of the following pregnancy outcomes over normal postmenarcheal age women: LEW was 28% against 22% (p<0.001) preterm delivery 38.18%, to 21.33% (p<0.001), IUGR 10.88%, to 6.04% (p<0.05), UTI 72%, to 1.57% (p< 0.05), PIH 8%, to 4.72% (p<0.05). The following pregnancy outcomes had no significant difference in the incidence in low post menarcheal age women and normal post menarcheal age women: GDM was 2.9% to 4%, PROM 4% to 5-33%, breech presentation 4.36% to 5-5%, NVD rate of 79.27% to 76.36%, vacuum delivery rate 1.45% to 2.66%, Low forceps delivery rate 2.9% to 3-03%, EL LSCS rate 8% to 7%, EM LSCS rate 8.36% to 10% respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of LEW, Preterm delivery, IUGR, PIH and UTI were significantly higher among the mothers with low post menarcheal age. However there was no association with regard to the incidence of GDM, PROM, breech presentation, NVD rate, vacuum delivery rate, Low forceps delivery rate, EL LSCS rate, EM LSCS rate.