Abstract:
Background: The proper management of every pregnancy is largely dependent on accurate
estimation of gestational age (GA) which every clinician face in their daily practice. In
developing countries where ultrasound is not widely available, the establishment of GA mainly
depends on the calculation of LNMP though many studies have proven its unreliability. This
study aimed at comparing the magnitude of certainty of GA and its association with pregnancy
outcome among pregnant mothers admitted to Jimma Medical Center (JMC) for delivery from
March 1/2019 to May 31/2019.
Methods: Hospital based cross sectional comparative study was conducted among pregnant
mothers admitted to JMC for delivery. Using a systematic random sampling technique a totals of
418 samples were selected. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and entered into
Epidata version 4.31 and finally exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. Cross tabs and
logistic regression was applied to determine the association of variables with outcome variable
with specific AOR, 95% CI and p-value less than 0.05 statistically significant. The result of the
study was presented by using tables, charts and narration.
Results: The general mean age was 25.67±5.01 that ranges from 14-40 years and there was no
mean difference of age between groups. About 218 (52.2%) of the study subjects were living in
urban area while the rest 200 (47.8%) were from rural. The proportion of uncertain gestation
was 64.1% while the remaining 35.9% belongs to certain GA. Unknown LNMP was a major
contributory factor (86.9%). The other responsible factor for uncertain GA was contraceptive use
(34.7%), irregular cycle (19%), prolonged cycle (2.2%), lactational amenorrhea (2.2%) and early
pregnancy bleeding (2.2%). The factors associated with uncertain GA were educational status
(no formal education), time of U/S scanning (not done) and mode of delivery (emergency C/S)
with specific AOR, 95% CI of 3.24 (0.96-10.73) p-value 0.04; 5.86 (1.05-34.43) p-value 0.04;
and 2.65 (1.41-4.95) p-values 0.00 respectively.
Conclusion and recommendation: uncertain gestation has a strong association with adverse
pregnancy outcome. Thus, health education is recommended by different means of
communication about the significance of this problem and its solution.
