The Relationship between Short Cervix and Pregnancy Outcome on Nulliparous and Low Risk Multiparous Pregnancy in Chaiyaphum Hospital

Abstract

Background: To investigate the relationship between short cervixes in women with low-risk first or subsequent pregnancies with preterm birth and pregnancy outcomes.
Methods: The research employs a prospective cohort study. Data were collected on pregnant women who received prenatal care and gave birth at Chaiyaphum Hospital between April 1st., 2023, and February 29th., 2024, a total of 144 women were recruited. Data were collected by measuring cervical length between 16 and 24 weeks of gestation and tracking until delivery. The researcher used the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test to determine the relationship between data points.
Results: The results demonstrate that the average cervical length in the first pregnancy group was 34.0 ± 0.7 mm. In the low-risk pregnancy group, it was 38.0 ± 0.9 mm. In the first pregnancy group, a short cervix was observed in 12 people, accounting for 16.7 percent. In the low-risk pregnancy group, 6 people were diagnosed with a short cervix, accounting for 8.3 percent. In addition, it was found that a short cervix was associated with premature birth in the group with first pregnancy, and there were relationship with maternal complications during delivery such as underweight infants and hypoxia in newborns.
Conclusion: The mean cervical lengths of the two populations were found to be statistically comparable. However, finding a short cervix in the second trimester of pregnancy is thought to be favorable to pregnant women, particularly those in their first pregnancy. This can assist doctors and patients in becoming aware of the danger of premature birth, which can lead to progesterone medication in this pregnancy and avoid the incidence of premature birth in future pregnancies. Healthy pregnancy results can minimize infant mortality and disability rates.