The level of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the residents of front-line city of Kharkiv

Abstract

Background. The city of Kharkiv has been located in the area of armed conflict or the front-line zone since the beginning of the invasion of Russian troops. A part of the female reproductive-aged population constantly remains in Kharkiv which determines the possible negative impact of wartime stress. The purpose – of the work was to study the level of pregnancy and childbirth complications among women living in Kharkiv. Materials and Methods. A retrospective observational study was conducted based on the materials of the municipal non-commercial enterprise «Municipal Perinatal Center» of the Kharkiv City Council. All the examined contingent was divided into three groups. 2914 women who gave birth in 2021 were included in Group I. There were 956 patients in Group II whose pregnancies were completed in term via childbirth in 2022. Group III included 1288 women who gave birth in 2023. The study was conducted by studying the cards of pregnant women in the computer-automated system of the perinatal center Results. The level of thyroid diseases was likely to increase in 2022 compared to the prior level. In 2023, the upward trend continued. A probable increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus in pregnant women in 2023 compared to the data of 2021 was detected. Interestingly, the level of anemia and cardiovascular diseases remained stable. However, a significant increase in the urinary system’s infectious processes was established in 2023 compared to previous years. Unfortunately, a substantial increase in the level of maternal trauma during childbirth has been established. This was especially true concern on vaginal and cervical tears. Therefore, sanitation of the urogenital system can be the key to reducing maternal trauma during childbirth. Conclusions. During the military operations, an increase in the level of medical complications among pregnant women in the city of Kharkiv was noted due to a rise in some endocrine diseases and urinary tract infections. The increase in the prevalence of vaginal infections has led to a rise in the rate of vaginal and perineal ruptures. This requires an emphasis on infection monitoring and timely sanitation of the birth canal. The use of preventive measures made it possible to keep the level of major obstetric syndromes such as premature births, and pre-eclampsia, as well as the level of childbirth complications quite stable. The established features should become the basis for further work in the direction of reducing the negative consequences of military aggression on the health of pregnant women in the city of Kharkiv.

Keywords

• war stress pregnancy childbirth complications