Maternal Risk Factors Retarding Intrauterine Growth in Pregnant Adolescents at Ambato General Teaching Hospital, Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: In the world, 20 million underweight children are born every year and around 14 million with poor fetal growth in the womb.
Objectives: To determine the main maternal risk factors that predispose intrauterine growth retardation in pregnant adolescents that would allow the design of a guide for the management and prevention of this condition and reduce neonatal mortality.
Methods: A qualitative and quantitative research was conducted to base bibliographically and to numerically relate the variables under study. We reviewed medical records and we used survey with their respective instruments (data collection sheet and questionnaire), as a research technique. The sample consisted of 19 pregnant adolescents aging 17 and 21 years with a presumptive diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation.
Results: 57.89% of the women were single and the same percentage came from a rural area; 26.09% and 17.39% respectively, consumed alcohol and smoked cigarettes. 40.19% had anemia during their pregnancy; 36.85% attended five or fewer prenatal controls, and hypertensive disorders predominated as pregnancy complications, mainly gestational hypertension (47.83%). 57.89% had a definitive diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation and the newborns mostly presented fetal distress and respiratory distress syndrome. As a result of this study, a guide for the management and prevention of this condition in pregnant adolescents was designed.
Conclusions: The main maternal risk factors associated with intrauterine growth retardation in pregnant women were identified, so the design of the management and prevention guide for this condition was primarily based on the variables studied. The importance of education for these patients, as well as for health professionals related to this specialty, is pointed out in order to reduce intrauterine growth retardation.