Pregnancy Outcomes in A Community-Based Cohort Study in Rural Dakshina Kannada

Introduction: According to the 2011 census report, the 0-6 child sex ratio decreased by 5 points registering 947 female children to 1000 male children in Dakshina Kannada district as compared to 2001 census. The skewed sex ratio can adversely affect society in various ways. The objectives were to determine the proportion of total pregnancy loss and different trimester pregnancy loss in rural Dakshina kannada and to identify the causes of 2nd trimester pregnancy loss. Methodology: A community based prospective cohort study was conducted in Dakshina Kannada. Multi stage sampling was done with application of thumb rule. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel for data management and data analysis. Total number of pregnancies in each PHC was calculated monthly. Incidence of pregnancy loss for each trimester was calculated along with the proportion of loss in each trimester. Causes for second trimester pregnancy loss was determined using a validated questionnaire. Results: A total of 5135 pregnancies during the study period in the sampled PHCs were followed up. 138 of the registered pregnancies underwent abortion in various trimester. The proportion of pregnancy loss was found to be 67%, 27.5% and 5% in the first, second and third trimester respectively. Incidence of second trimester pregnancy loss was found to be 0.7%. The major cause for second trimester pregnancy loss was found to be spontaneous. Conclusion: The study concludes that the proportion of pregnancy loss and incidence of second trimester pregnancy loss in the district is within the normal range.