Complications during pregnancy - epidemiology and risk factors

Abstract

Complications of pregnancy are the problems that are associated with pregnancy. The routine problems are common complications, and pose no significant danger to either the mother or the fetus. Serious problems can cause both maternal death and fetal death if untreated. Estimates from the World health organization in 2001 suggests that complications during pregnancy and childbirth are responsible for the deaths of 515 000 women each year. Sub-Saharan Africa is the area of greatest mortality. The common causes of maternal mortality worldwide are hemorrhage, infections, eclampsia, unsafe abortions and many more. Ectopic pregnancy occurs in about 1-2% of pregnancies. The incidence has increased the past decades, likely due to increased incidence of salpingitis, improved detection, increased maternal age, tubal sterilization techniques, assisted reproductive techniques, and the use of tubal surgery. The miscarriage of an early pregnancy is the commonest complication , with one in two conceptions lost before the end of the first trimester. Risk factors for miscarriage include increased maternal age, uterine abnormalities, infections, and chemical agents like tobacco.