Trends in preterm birth according to data from the Georgian birth registry

Abstract

Introduction: Preterm birth is relevant issue for both developed and developing countries. In the developed countries if premature birth is related to planning motherhood at a late age, in low and middle income countries it is related to gap in pregnancy care services and various pathologies. The aim of the study was to study premature birth tendencies in Georgia which based on the analysis of birth register data. Methodology: The data was collected and studied with retrospective analysis of 4 year data (2017-2020). The data was analysed by SPSS program.  As a study population were defined women who gave birth during the study period and the delivery status was preterm. Results, Discussion: The study revealed an increasing trend in preterm birth. During the research was revealed that premature births are mostly present in the age group of 20-29. Most preterm births (42.6%) occurred in mothers who had 3 or more pregnancies. In the case of premature birth, the number of stillbirths tends to decrease. Furthermore, the highest number was recorded in Tbilisi, which is due to high urbanization rates in the city and in most cases of premature births the rate of caesarean sections (59.4%) was higher than physiological births. In case of premature birth 7.7% of pregnant women (n=1305) did not apply for antenatal visits even once. Conclusion: Every pregnant woman should be covered in an antenatal care program. In order to reduce premature birth rates, it is important to promote a healthy lifestyle in pregnant women. It is necessary to study the reasons of the high rates of caesarean section.