Contributory Factors of Placenta Previa in a Tertiary Care Hospital: Implications for Maternal Health

Background: Placenta previa is an obstetric condition with a rising global prevalence or that is showing rising prevalence. Multiple maternal and obstetric risk factors are associated with placenta previa. Objective: To determine the key maternal and obstetric factors contributing to the prevalence of placenta previa among pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This unmatched case–control study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Services Hospital, Lahore, from July to December 2024. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 225 participants. (75 cases and 150 controls). Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed by SPSS. Odds ratio was used to compare contributory factors between cases and controls. Binary logistic regression was applied to compare significant factors in bivariate analysis. Results: The mean age of study respondents was 27.09 ± 6.74 years. Short stature (p-value 0.011), history of previous placenta previa (p-value 0.012), history of previous cesarean section(p-value 0.000), history of Abortion with Surgical Uterine Evacuation (p-value 0.020), gestational diabetes (p-value 0.023) and mode of delivery (p-value 0.000) were found to be statistically significant between cases and controls. In binary logistic regression, placenta previa was significantly higher with history of cesarean section adjusted odds ratio of 9.278 (95% CI 3.716 to 23.162). Conclusion: Placenta previa was significantly associated with short maternal stature, previous placenta previa, previous cesarean section, history of abortion with surgical uterine evacuation, gestational diabetes, and mode of delivery. After adjustment, previous cesarean section was the strongest independent predictor of placenta previa.