Risk factors for premature rupture of membranes after twenty-eight complete weeks of gestation

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the risk factors for premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Materiel and methods: This case-control study was carried out between 1st February and 31st July 2021. Files of women who delivered after having PROM or not were examined. The main variables recorded included maternal age and parity, familial, medical and obstetrical histories, the presence or not of nuchal cord at delivery, gestational age at delivery, birth weight and sex of newborn. Fisher exact test, t-test and logistic regression were used for comparison. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Our frequency of PROM was 6.2% (94/1524 births). PROM occurred mostly at or after 37 weeks gestation (77.6%). Significant risk factors for PROM were 1st degree family history of PROM (aOR 31.36, 95%CI 2.57-382.11), fetal weight ≥4000g (aOR 14.78, 95%CI 2.72-80.20), cord round neck (aOR 6.36, 95%CI 1.17-34.66), past history of preterm delivery (aOR 3.42, 95%CI 1.02-11.52) and parity 4 or 5 (aOR 3.27, 95%CI 1.25-8.56). Conclusion: Women with these risk factors should be well followed up during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester, to allow prevention, if not, early diagnosis of PROM