Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes Among Syrian Refugee Women: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Hospital in Türkiye

To compare maternal, obstetric, neonatal, and hematological outcomes between Syrian refugee women and Turkish women giving birth at a tertiary hospital in Türkiye. Retrospective cross-sectional study. Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, a tertiary public hospital in Türkiye, between January 2017 and December 2024. A total of 4815 Syrian refugee women and 4770 Turkish women who gave birth during the study period. All Syrian refugee women with accessible hospital records were included. Turkish women were selected by stratified random sampling according to year of delivery. Maternal demographic characteristics, obstetric history, delivery mode, high-risk pregnancy, neonatal outcomes, and maternal complete blood count parameters were compared. Chi-square tests (with exact tests where expected cell counts were below five), independent-samples t-test, and Mann–Whitney U tests were used as appropriate. Delivery mode, high-risk pregnancy, gestational age at birth, neonatal birth weight, Apgar scores, stillbirth, and maternal hematological parameters. Syrian women had higher rates of adolescent pregnancy, multiparity, vaginal delivery, and high-risk pregnancy. Turkish women had higher rates of advanced maternal age and cesarean delivery, including both primary and repeat cesarean sections. Apgar scores were statistically lower among Syrian neonates but remained within clinically normal ranges. Stillbirth rates and neonatal birth weights were similar between groups. Contrary to expectations, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were significantly lower among Turkish women. Turkish and Syrian women showed distinct sociodemographic, obstetric, neonatal, and hematological profiles. These findings support the need for context-sensitive antenatal care strategies for both host and refugee populations.