Antenatal hospitalization among enlisted servicewomen, 1987-1990.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of, and indications for, antenatal hospitalization among women who delivered live and stillborn infants.


METHODS
We reviewed the records of a cohort of 1825 black and white enlisted women who delivered from 1987-1990 at the four largest Army medical centers in the United States. Women with multiple gestations and those whose pregnancies ended before 20 weeks' gestation were excluded. Records of all women with preterm deliveries and a one-third sample of women with term deliveries were abstracted.


RESULTS
Overall, 26.8 +/- 1.6% (mean +/- standard error) of the women were hospitalized antenatally. Of the estimated 702 antenatal hospitalizations, 44.0 +/- 3.4% were related to preterm labor, 10.3 +/- 1.9% to preeclampsia, 5.5 +/- 1.5% to hyperemesis, and 4.7 +/- 1.5% to urinary tract or kidney infection. The prevalence of hospitalization was lowest before 20 weeks (5.0 +/- 0.8%) and highest at 33-36 weeks (12.2 +/- 1.2%). Small and probably clinically insignificant differences between black and white women were noted in the overall prevalence of antenatal hospitalization and in the indications for hospitalization.


CONCLUSIONS
As measured by hospitalization, severe antenatal morbidity is common in this population of healthy enlisted women.
Adams
M M
MM
Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Harlass
F E
FE
Sarno
A P
AP
Read
J A
JA
Rawlings
J S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006939:Hyperemesis Gravidarum / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009017:Morbidity; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data