Abortion characteristics for women attended in a philanthropic hospital institution in Caratinga-MG

Abstract

This is a transversal study performed with 44 women from August to November 2008. Its objective was to describe and compare the characteristics of miscarriage in women attended at a philanthropic hospital in Caratinga - MG. The data was collected through a form and the analysis was performed via the Student "t" test and x² test with a statistical significance of 5%. The results show ed that the majority of women were young house wives, non-Caucasian, and Catholic, living with a partner. 22 (50%) of these women did not use any contraceptive methods, 19 (43. 18%) were pregnant once, and 33 (75%) had had no miscarriage before. In total, 38 (86. 36%) stated that they had wanted to get pregnant, however only 17 (38. 64%) of those pregnancies were planned. The most frequent reason for seeking medical care was vaginal bleeding. The average gestational age was 9. 27 weeks and curettage was the treatment performed in 95. 45% of the cases. No special relation was detected between the hospitalization period and the procedure performed, the use of antibiotics and signs of infection, or between the gestational age and the procedure performed. However, there was a link between the time elapsed from the onset of symptoms and the se eking of medical attention, the medical complications and the procedure performed and between the use of antibiotics and complications. In conclusion it is necessary to study the cases of women who seek the health services for a miscarriage treatment and to adapt the types of treatment available so as to improve the quality of medical care, to reduce the risk of complications, and to provide some financial support.