Prevalence and Risk Factors of Preterm Labor: A Comprehensive Epidemiological Analysis in Pregnant Women
Submission: 02 October 2025 | Acceptance: 11 November 2025 | Publication: 30 November 2025
1Dr. Seema Yasmeen, 2Umar Tipu, 3Dr Asma Azhar, 4Qamar Abbas, 5Isma Abbas, 6Faiza Maqsood
1Associate Professor Community Medicine, Shahida Islam Medical and Dental College, Lodhran.
2Sir Gangaran Hospital Lahore.
3Senior Registrar, Amna Inayat Medical College. Lahore
4 UHS Lahore
5UHS Lahore
6UHS Lahore.
ABSTRACT:
Background: One of the major causes of morbidity and death of the newborns globally was the preterm labor, which became one of the causes of continued developmental problems later in life. It had a multifactorial etiology which comprises maternal, fetal and environmental factors, with high variations among the populations. It was important to determine the frequency and risk factors of a certain population group to implement preventative measures that would target the population.
Objective: The aim of the study was to establish the presence of preterm labor among the pregnant women and their key risk factors.
Methods: In this descriptive study, a six-month study period was done and the study conducted at the department of pediatrics, PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad after synopsis approval. The population size in the study consisted of 90 pregnant women who fitted the inclusion criteria. The structured questionnaires, clinical, and antenatal care records have been used to extract the data. Maternal age, parity, antenatal care status, past history of preterm birth, multiple pregnancies, infections, hypertension and other obstetric or medical complications were variables that were assessed. A statistical analysis was carried out to analyze the prevalence of preterm labor and also the connection of preterm with the risk factors that were identified.
Results: The results showed that the prevalence rate of preterm labor in the study population was seen to be 22.2%. Mothers with age of less than 20 years, inadequate antenatal care, previous history of pre-term delivery, urinary tract infections, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were noted as significant risk factors (p<0.05, p<0.01 respectively). There was positive association with multiple pregnancy and maternal anemia which were not significant.
Conclusion: The analysis showed a conclusion that preterm labor where it was still a social health issue with a high prevalence rate in the target population. The risk factors of younger maternal age, inadequate antenatal care, previous preterm births, infections, and hypertensive disorders proved the most significant ones. Improvement of delivery of antenatal care services, early screening of high-risk pregnancies and early intervention of maternal complications helped to decrease the labor burden of preterm labor as well as improve the neonatal outcome.
Keywords: Preterm labor, prevalence, risk factors, maternal health, antenatal care, pregnancy complications, epidemiology.