Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Cases of Premature Preterm Rupture of Membranes and the Effect of Latency Periods (Rupture of Membranes to Delivery) on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Premature preterm rupture of membranes (PPROM) occurs in about 2-5% of singleton pregnancies and is known to cause one-third of preterm births. Our primary aim was to determine the maternal and neonatal outcomes in PPROM cases in mothers with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks.

In this prospective cross-sectional study, eligible singleton women between 24+0-37+6 weeks of gestation with the PPROM enrolled who had referred to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol, Iran, during the years 2019-2020. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were obtained by the checklist.

The mean age of the studied mothers was 29.3± 6.19 years, and their mean body mass index was 30.6 ±5. The incidence of chorioamnionitis at the gestational age of >32 weeks was more than that in women at gestational age equal to or over 32 weeks (P≤0.0001). Vaginal bleeding was almost more than twice as high in women with a gestational age of less than 32 weeks compared to those with a gestational age equal to or over 32 weeks (P≤0.0001). Neonatal morbidity was higher in all cases at less than 32 weeks of gestation (P≤0.0001). The neonatal mortality rate was 5.35%, but it was 25% at less than 32 weeks of gestation (P≤0.0001). The latency period greater than 7 days had more odds ratio for neonatal morbidity.

Due to the high incidence of maternal and neonatal outcomes in gestational age less than 32 weeks, it is suggested that appropriate instructional materials and proper proceeding should be taken to prevent preterm labor and preterm rupture of the membranes.