High-Risk Pregnancy and its Outcome among Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Abha, Saudi Arabia

Background: Pregnancy can be complicated by presence of risk factors. These risk factors are detrimental to maternal and fetal health and can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Objectives: To identify distribution of at-risk cases in the risk subgroups; To compare the selected outcomes in the risk group with the non-risk group women; and To compare differences in outcome within the risk subgroups. Material and Methods: A Cross-sectional study was carried out on women who had already delivered during 2012. Their records were studied to classify them into various risk subgroups. Selected outcomes (Caesarean section, abortion and birth weight) were compared between the risk and non-risk group as well as within the risk subgroups. Results: Most women had a single risk factor in current (40.1%) or in previous pregnancy (31.5%). Multiple risk factors were found in (16.1%) of women. Women with risk in current pregnancy had significantly higher rate of abortion (91.7%). They also had higher rate of low birth weight (55.8%) and macrosomic babies (42.8%). Higher rate of delivery by Caesarean section (50.9%) was found in women with risk in previous pregnancies. Conclusions: Having a risk factor in a previous pregnancy leads to a higher rate of Caesarean section. Having a risk factor in the current pregnancy increases the probability of abortion, and delivering low birth weight or high birth weight babies.