Pregnancy following eclampsia: a longitudinal study at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Abstract

Objective: To find out the reproductive performance of patients in the immediate pregnancy following an eclampsia. Design: Longitudinal survey. Setting: Obstetrics Unit of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a teaching hospital. Subjects and Methods: Three hundred and ninety seven women whose previous pregnancies were complicated by eclampsia were followed up based on a schedule of antenatal care from 14-16 weeks gestation till delivery. The occurrence of hypertensive complications, timing of delivery, fetal outcome and birth weight were noted. Results: There were no cases of recurrent eclampsia and no maternal death. Pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampia recurred in 15.8% of the women. These recurrencies were more significant among those who had changed their male partners (p = 0.0005). The caesarean section rate was 65.9%. The mean ponderal indices in those who developed hypertensive complications were significantly lower than the normotensives (P<0.03 However, the overall perinatal mortality rate of 23.3 per 1000 deliveries was lower than the 62.8 per 1000 in the general obstetric population. Conclusion: Previous episode of eclampsia does not necessarily affect perinatal and maternal outcome adversely in subsequent pregnancy, provided adequate antenatal surveillance and timely delivery are offered to the patients.