Outcomes of 17,137 pregnancies in 2 urban areas of Ukraine.
OBJECTIVE
Frequent terminations of pregnancy and high rates of fetal loss have been reported, but not confirmed, in the former eastern bloc. A census of pregnancies in Ukraine, a former eastern bloc country, was conducted to determine the rates of these events.


METHODS
All pregnancies registered in 2 urban areas were enumerated. During a 19-month period between 1992 and 1994, 17,137 pregnancies and their outcomes were recorded.


RESULTS
Sixty percent of the pregnancies were voluntarily terminated, generally before the 13th week. In pregnancies delivered at 20+ weeks, fetal mortality was 29 per 1000, nearly 5 times the rate among Whites in the United States. There was a greater proportion of very early deliveries (20-27 weeks) in Ukraine, as well as higher death rates at all gestational ages. Perinatal mortality was estimated to be 35 per 1000, about 3 times the US rate.


CONCLUSIONS
This is believed to be the first study in the former eastern bloc to ascertain all of the clinically recognized pregnancies in a specified period and to determine their outcomes. The data document elevated reproductive risks in a former Soviet state.
Little
R E
RE
Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. little1@niehs.nih.gov
Monaghan
S C
SC
Gladen
B C
BC
Shkyryak-Nyzhnyk
Z A
ZA
Wilcox
A J
AJ
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology