Pregnancy-related health status in a remote rural area of Bangladesh: results from a clinic-based cross-section of antenatal check-up visits

Abstract

Background: Assessing and monitoring the pregnancy-related health status through antenatal check-up are important for successful pregnancy outcomes. However, there is a substantial paucity of relevant information among women in rural Bangladesh. The objective of this paper was to determine pregnancy-related health status among women in a rural primary care center to facilitate necessary clinical and public health measures. Methods: We used cross-sectional secondary data obtained through antenatal check-up of all pregnant women (n=109) who visited Ekhlaspur Center of Health, Matlab North, Chandpur district of Bangladesh. We extracted socio-demographic, behavioral risk factors and pregnancy-related information, and related health statuses such as blood pressure, pitting edema, urinary albumin, capillary blood glucose, and blood hemoglobin. Then, we used hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg), albuminuria, impaired blood glucose (≥7.8–<11.1 mmol/L) and diabetes mellitus (≥11.1 mmol/L), and anemia (hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL) for profiling the health status of the pregnant women. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age was 23.5 (4.8) years. Nearly 3 in every 5 (58.7%) of them were in the second trimester of pregnancy, and 45.9% were in the first gravida. Albuminuria (5.9%), impaired blood glucose (9.1%), and anemia (8.6%) were the most prevalent conditions, while hypertension, edema, and diabetes mellitus were found in 0.9%, 2.8%, and 2.0% cases, respectively. Conclusions: Almost one in 10 pregnant women in this rural setting have impaired blood glucose and anemia. Grassroot level health settings should be equipped for diagnosis and provision of services for these two conditions.