Uncontrolled pregnancy

Epidemiological analysis

Abstract

Introduction: The need to find out the reasons why women fail to control their pregnancies arose given the high number of patients consulting at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center undergoing uncontrolled pregnancies.
Objective: To study the social and cultural characteristics of the patients who consult at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center, when in labor or during the immediate puerperium, after having undergone uncontrolled pregnancies with the purpose of finding out the reasons why these women fail to attend their follow-up visits.
Method: Descriptive, observational study through the quantitative analysis of data. Data corresponding to all uncontrolled pregnancies seen or referred to the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center were collected from 1 May, 2009 through 10 July, 2009. The sample was made up of 135 patients, what accounted for 8.6% of the total number of births recorded in the above mentioned period of time - which was 1,576.
Results: The social and cultural characteristics of the population studied were analysed. With regards to the causes for patients' failure to attend their pregnancy follow-up visits, 48.9% state they are not interested in the follow-up visit, and it is the most frequent cause regardless of the age and parity of women, followed by 17,8% of women who declare they are unable to attend the visits since the have children to look after, 10.4% state they do not have a health care card; 7.4% refer they do not have a gynecologist or midwife, 4,5% refer lack of money and 3.6% say the policlinic is far from where they live.