Obstetric performance of women who have previously delivered a baby of low birthweight.

OBJECTIVES To investigate pregnancy outcomes in women who have previously given birth to a baby weighing less than 2500 grams in a population in which the low birthweight rate is high. METHODS We compared the obstetric performance of 100 women who had delivered a low birthweight baby (<2500g) at term in a previous pregnancy (cases) with those of 100 women who were matched for age, height, body mass index at booking, parity and medical disorders, who had previously delivered a baby above that threshold (controls). RESULTS We found the following significant differences between cases and controls (p<0.001 for all). Gestation at delivery (mean±SD = 38.0±1.9 vs. 39.1 ± 1.2 weeks); risk of delivery before completion of 37 weeks (19.0% vs. 3.0%); birthweight (mean±SD = 2.553 ± 0.444 vs. 3.015 ± 0.413 Kg); risk of delivery of a low birthweight (LBW) baby in the current pregnancy (27.0% vs. 4.0%). The stillbirth rate was also significantly higher among cases (4 vs. 0; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Birth of a LBW baby points to adverse events in future pregnancies even where its prevalence is high. It is a useful criterion for assessment of risk in antenatal care and for directed interventions.