Private Maternity Hospitals Research Articles

What good emotional care for miscarriage looks like: A mixed-methods investigation in an Australian private hospital setting.

Miscarriage is a common medical occurrence which can be associated with significant psychological distress. Patients and partners are frequently disappointed by aspects of their care, especially with regard to emotional support. Although most published studies investigated the experiences of patients and partners in emergency departments (EDs) of public hospitals, miscarriage is also frequently diagnosed in non-emergency settings, such as during sonography or antenatal appointments, and approximately 25% of Australian women receive maternity care in private hospitals. Because the experience of miscarriage is known to be setting-dependent, it is important to understand how patients and partners experience care outside the ED. Here, we addressed this gap by investigating the experiences of patients and partners who attended a private maternity hospital for miscarriage using a mixed-methods approach. Eighteen patients and six partners who had recently experienced a miscarriage were recruited at a private maternity hospital to take part in both semi-structured interviews and online surveys. Overall, patients and partners were highly satisfied with the emotional care they received. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews allowed us to identify a total of ten themes that contributed to satisfaction with emotional care. We provide the first specific insights into the experiences of women and partners who received care for miscarriage in an Australian private hospital setting, and the first example of a healthcare setting that achieves high satisfaction with emotional care around miscarriage. The ten themes we identify provide a framework for improving satisfaction with care also in other settings.

Investigating midwives and nurses reporting of ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’: an online survey across NSW Australia

BackgroundThe collection of data on ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’ is used to monitor breastfeeding outcomes, health service benchmarking, and research. While some Australian states have clear definitions of this data collection point, there is no operational definition of ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’ in the Australian state of New South Wales. Little is known about how midwives interpret the term ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’, in particular, the timeframe used to calculate these important indicators. The purpose of this study was to explore midwives’ and nurses’ practices of reporting ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’ in the Australian state of New South Wales.MethodsAn online survey was distributed across public and private maternity hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. The survey asked midwives and nurses their practice of reporting ‘infant feeding at discharge’ from categories offered by the state Mothers and Babies report of either “full breastfeeding”, “any breastfeeding”, and “infant formula only”. The Qualtrics survey was available from December 2021 to May 2022.ResultsThere were 319 completed surveys for analysis and all 15 NSW Health Districts were represented. Some participants reported using the timeframe ‘since birth’ as a reference (39%), however, the majority (54%, n = 173) referenced one of the feeding timeframes within the previous 24 h. Most midwives and nurses (83%, n = 265) recommended 24 h before discharge as the most relevant reference timeframe, and 65% (n = 207) were in favour of recording data on ‘exclusive breastfeeding’ since birth.ConclusionThis study identified multiple practice inconsistencies within New South Wales reporting of ‘infant feeding at hospital discharge’. This has ramifications for key health statistics, state reporting, and national benchmarking. While the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative accreditation requires hospitals to demonstrate and continuously monitor at least a 75% exclusive breastfeeding rate on discharge, only 11 New South Wales facilities have achieved this accreditation. We recommend introducing an option to collect ‘exclusive breastfeeding’ on discharge’ which is in line with participant recommendations and the Baby Friendly Hospital accreditation. Other important considerations are the updated World Health Organization indicators such as, “Ever breastfed”; “Early initiation of breastfeeding” (first hour); “Exclusively breastfed for the first two days after birth”.

Effectiveness of the Adequate Childbirth Program in reducing cesarean section rates in private maternity hospitals in São Paulo , Brazil

Cesarean section is a life-saving intervention, but its use without obstetric indication leads to short- and long-term complications. Brazil is internationally known for its high cesarean rates, especially in the private sector. To reverse this problem, the Brazilian National Regulatory for Private Health Insurance and Plans launched the Adequate Childbirth Program, and this retrospective study aims to analyze its effectiveness. We included the total of births performed in private maternity hospitals between 2014 and 2019 registered on the Brazilian Information System on Live Births (SINASC) database to compare the evolution of cesarean section rates in hospitals participating and not participating in the project. A total of 277,747 births were analyzed, showing a reduction in the cesarean section rate in both groups but more pronounced among the participant institutions. No reduction in cesarean performance was observed before the program launch (2014), but there was a constant downward trend after 2014, until it became significant in 2018. This result occurred independently of demographic, maternal, and Robson group variables. The cesarean section rate of hospitals participating in the program went from 83.8% to 72.3% (95% confidence interval - 95%CI: 71.7-72.9). Despite the reduction, it remains well above the expected rates according to the c-model tool, which would be 45.2% (95%CI: 33.9-56.5) for this population. Results showed that a well-conducted public policy together with private institutions can change the scenario of labor and birth care, reducing high cesarean section rates.

Pregnant Women’s Knowledge and Expectations about Prenatal Ultrasound: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundUltrasound imaging has been shown to improve maternal health outcomes through timely diagnosis of pregnancy problems. Despite ultrasound being vital for women's management in pregnancy, studies have reported low awareness among African women ObjectiveTo evaluate the knowledge and expectations of pregnant women in Harare about prenatal ultrasound. MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 385 pregnant women was done at the ultrasound department of a private maternity hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 27.0 and Windows Excel were used to analyse the data.Results The majority of women (85.4%) concurred that ultrasound scans are important during pregnancy, but most (79.3%) were not aware that congenital abnormalities can be detected through ultrasound. Despite low overall knowledge of congenital abnormalities, 80.2% of women were familiar with Down's syndrome, and this knowledge tended to increase with higher education levels, although not statistically significant (linear-by-linear association = 0.057). The primary expectation of ultrasound scans among pregnant women was to confirm the expected delivery date, and gender determination, with the least expectation being a diagnosis of congenital abnormalities.ConclusionKnowledge levels were lower in our setting relative to other similar studies, and hence this underscores the need for further public education.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2023;6(3):346-354

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Perineal Massage on Labour Outcome among Primi mothers at selected Hospital, Erode

Background: Child birth is a painful and stressful event in a woman's life. Pregnant women commonly worry about pain during labour and birth. Labour pain is considered as one of the most intense forms of pain. Psychological challenge such as anxiety can contribute towards women’s perception of pain and may also affect their labor and birth experience. There are modern many non-invasive methods to relieve pain during childbirth. Among these methods is aromatherapy which is the most popular complementary therapy during child birth. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of aromatherapy massage using lavender oil on the level of pain and anxiety during labor among primi gravida women. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of perineal massage on labour outcome among primigravida mothers in both the groups. Design: The research design selected for the present study was true experimental design where posttests only with control group design. Setting: The study was conducted in private maternity hospital, Erode district. Sample: The sample consisted of 30 (15 control and 15 experimental group) primi mothers attending antenatal OPD in private maternity Hospital, Erode District, were selected by simple random technique. Data collection procedure: The data were collected for 4 weeks in the month of June 2021.From both group the personal data were collected and to the experimental group external perineal massage was taught to the primi mother by demonstration. Post test was conducted for both control and experimental group with maternal outcomes observational rating scale while mother was admitted in labour ward with pain and assessed labour outcome. Results: The findings revealed that after the perineal massage the ongoing assessment tool to evaluate maternal outcome was fair and more effective during labour among the primi mothers in experimental group. In both control and experimental group there was no significant association between maternal outcome and demographic variables such as age, education, occupation, income per month, type of family, living area and previous source of information. Conclusion: The perineal massage was more effective in improving maternal outcome during labour among the primi mothers in experimental group.

The Role of Diet during Pregnancy in Protecting against Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Population with Mediterranean Dietary Habits: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder among pregnant women. Dietary habits during pregnancy might alter the risk of GDM development, and populations following the Mediterranean diet are relatively understudied. This was a cross-sectional, observational study of 193 low-risk women admitted to a private maternity hospital in Greece to give birth. Food frequency data on specific food categories, selected based on previous research, were analyzed. Logistic regression models, both crude and adjusted for maternal age, body mass index before pregnancy, and gestational weight gain, were fitted. We observed no association of carbohydrate-rich meals, sweets, soft drinks, coffee, rice, pasta, bread and crackers, potatoes, lentils, and juices with GDM diagnosis. Cereals (crude p = 0.045, adjusted p = 0.095) and fruits and vegetables (crude p = 0.07, adjusted p = 0.04) appeared to have a protective effect against GDM, while frequent tea consumption was linked to higher risk of GDM development (crude p = 0.067, adjusted p = 0.035). These results strengthen previously identified associations and underline the importance and potential impact of changing dietary habits even during pregnancy in adjusting one's risk of metabolic pregnancy complications, such as GDM. The importance of healthy dietary habits is highlighted, with the goal of raising awareness amongst obstetric care specialists regarding the provision of systematic nutrition recommendations to pregnant women.

Breastfeeding in the first hour of life in Brazilian private hospitals participating in a quality-of-care improvement project

BackgroundThe Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’s Step 4 recommends: “support mothers to start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth”, thus contributing to the reduction of neonatal mortality. The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of breastfeeding in the first hour of life in private maternity hospitals participating in the “Adequate Childbirth Project”, a quality-of-care improvement project, and to analyze determinants of this outcome.MethodsSecondary analysis of data collected by the cross-sectional evaluative “Healthy Birth Study”, conducted in 2017 in 12 maternity hospitals participating in the Adequate Childbirth Project, where 4800 mothers were interviewed, and hospital records were observed. Conditions that prevented breastfeeding at birth, such as maternal HIV-infection and newborns’ severe malformations, were excluded. Multiple logistic regression was performed according to a hierarchical theoretical model.ResultsThe prevalence of breastfeeding in the first hour of life was 58% (CI 95% 56.6–59.5%). Lower maternal education (aOR 0.643; CI 95% 0.528–0.782), lower economic status (aOR 0.687; CI 95% 0.504–0.935), cesarean section delivery (ORa 0.649; CI 95% 0.529–0.797), preterm birth (aOR 0.660; CI 95% 0.460–0.948) and non-rooming-in at birth (aOR 0.669; CI 95% 0.559–0.800) were negatively associated with the outcome. Receiving information during prenatal care about the importance of breastfeeding at birth (aOR 2.585; CI 95% 2.102–3.179), being target of the quality-of-care improvement project (aOR 1.273; CI 95% 1.065–1.522), skin-to-skin contact at birth (aOR 2.127; CI 95% 1.791–2.525) and female newborn (aOR 1.194; CI 95% 1.008–1.415) were factors positively associated with the outcome.ConclusionsThe private maternities participating in the Healthy Birth Study showed a good prevalence of breastfeeding in the first hour of life, according to WHO parameters. Prenatal guidance on breastfeeding at birth, being target of the quality-of-care improvement project and skin-to-skin contact at birth contributed to breastfeeding in the first hour of life.

Amamentação na primeira hora de vida em município do interior do Rio de Janeiro: fatores associados

Abstract Objective to analyze breastfeeding in the first hour of life and associated factors in a city in the countryside of Rio de Janeiro. Method a cross-sectional online study, carried out between May 2021 and August 2022, with 97 parturient women in the municipality of Rio das Ostras. In the association between variables, the chi-square test and logistic regression were used. Results among the participants, 77.3% gave birth in the public maternity hospital and 22.7% in the private maternity hospital. The prevalence of breastfeeding in the first hour of life in the delivery room and in rooming-in was, respectively, 21.6% and 58.3%, with significant differences between maternity hospitals. Postpartum women from the public maternity hospital were more likely to not breastfeed in the first hour of life. Having basic education increased the chances of the baby not being breastfed in the delivery room and not having early skin-to-skin contact and not breastfeeding breastfed in rooming-in. Conclusion and implications for practice breastfeeding in the first hour of life did not reach recommended levels and different factors associated with its occurrence were identified, such as education level, place of childbirth and skin-to-skin contact. It is recommended that maternity hospitals implement humanized practices in newborn care to increase breastfeeding rates in the first hour of life.

Factors in the Provision of High Quality Midwifery Care: A Qualitative Content Analysis.

Introduction: In recent years, health care has faced many changes. Thereupon, it would be beneficial to investigate the quality of midwifery care and its related factors. Many factors contribute to the provision of quality care, and recognizing factors to ensure the quality of midwifery care. This qualitative study was conducted to explain the factors that affect the provision and quality of midwifery care. Methods: This qualitative study with content analysis approach was conducted between June 2017 and February 2018 on 15 midwives working in private and public maternity hospitals in the city of Qom. The participants were selected by purposeful sampling. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were performed with open ended questions to find out how midwives describe high quality midwifery care. Data were analyzed by conventional content analysis method through MAXQDA-11 software. Results: The findings of this study revealed two main themes, including individual factors (personal efficiency, staffs' psychological status, value-centeredness, cultural-educational issues, and professional attachment), and professional-organizational factors (professional characteristics, patient characteristics, personal-professional welfare, professional empowerment system, value-centered culture of organization, and organizational monitoring and evaluation). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that individual and professional factors are associated with the quality of midwifery care. Midwives who participated in this study believed that providing high quality midwifery care requires a broad range of prerequisites. Since high quality midwifery care decreases maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, it is imperative for policymakers to pay attention to all the factors that contribute to the quality of midwifery care.

Intestinal Parasites And Associated Risk Factors among Primary School Children in Duhok City-kurdistan Region/iraq

Background: The present study was carried out during the period from October 2021 until March 2022, to detect the presence of parasites in stool samples of primary school children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 1172 diarrheic stool specimens were randomly collected from primary school children of both sexes and different ages (6-12 years) visited Azadi Teaching Hospital, Heevi Pediatric Hospital, and Kurdistan private (Maternity and Pediatric) Hospital in Duhok city. RESULTS: In the current study, 40.96% (480/1172) of the examined specimens were positive for parasitic stages, they included 56.67% (272) males and 43.33% (208) females. High prevalence (40%) of intestinal parasites was reported among the age group 6-7 years. The recorded intestinal parasitic species included: Entamoeba histolytica which was the most dominant intestinal protozoa with infection rate of 21.67% (254/1172), followed by Enterobius vermicularis 13.48% (158/1172), then Giardia lamblia of about 5.46% (64/1172) , while Blastocystis hominis was reported only in four children at a rate of 0.34% (1172). As regards to some sociodemographic factors, significant correlations (P <0.05) were observed between the rates of infection with intestinal parasites and residency, dirty fingers and family size. While regarding other factors such as, literacy, hand washing and having pets the correlations were non-significant (P >0.05)

Associated factors for post-partum weight retention in adolescent mothers: a prospective study

Objective: To assess weight retention in adolescent mothers at the fourth postpartum month and its association with sociodemographic, reproductive, anthropometric and behavioral factors. Methods: Prospective longitudinal study. The survey was conducted in all public and private maternity hospitals in a city in the east of Minas Gerais State. All adolescent mothers (age <20 years) with childbirth at gestational age ≥37 weeks, without chronic disease, living in the municipality, whose delivery occurred between October/2018 and October/2019 participated. The first one took place 48-hours postpartum and the second, four months later. Four months postpartum the interview took place at the home of the mothers. Associations between variables were verified using Simple and Multiple Linear Regression. Results: Of the 367 interviewed adolescent mothers at the maternity hospitals, the predominant characteristics were age between 18-19 years, non-white skin color and education above nine years of study. Four months postpartum, 317 mothers were evaluated and the incidence of weight retention was 79.4% (n=247) with an average of 6.86 kg ±5.34. Higher means of weight retention were observed in mothers with less school years, greater number of children, higher daily consumption of ultra-processed food during pregnancy, without nutritional guidance during pregnancy, higher pre-gestational Body Mass Index and greater gestational weight gain (p<0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of weight retention was considered high, a fact that highlights the importance of prenatal care quality, including nutritional education strategies, especially for this age group, highly vulnerable.

Environmental and individual factors associated with gestational weight gain

BackgroundEnvironmental factors have an impact on inappropriate food choices and sedentary lifestyle, and both individually and in combination these factors favour improper gestational weight gain (GWG) and consequent maternal and neonatal health problems. The objective of this study was to analyze the environmental and individual factors associated with GWG.MethodsData were from “Born in Belo Horizonte: Survey on childbirth and birth”, a hospital-based retrospective cohort of 506 pregnant women with deliveries in public and private maternity hospitals in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews from November 2011 to March 2013. The outcome variable of this study was the GWG categorized based on the Institute of Medicine Guidelines. Explanatory environmental variables included the availability and access to food environment and places available for physical activity in the neighborhood. Explanatory individual variables included socioeconomic and demographic, obstetric and childbirth variables. Generalized estimating equations examined the association of environmental and individual factors with insufficient or excessive GWG.ResultsThe final sample consisted of 506 mothers. There was 36.4% pregnant women showing excessive GWG and 22.7% showing GWG below the recommended interval. Regarding excessive GWG, there was a positive association with the number of mixed food purchasing establishments close to the place of residence, pre-pregnancy body mass index in the categories of overweight and obesity, arterial hypertension and the private sector as the predominant place for prenatal consultations.ConclusionGWG outside of the recommended interval was associated with individual and environmental factors, and most pregnant women had insufficient or excessive gestational weight gain. Such results can complement previously published evidence, important for creating more effective strategies for the prevention of excessive and inadequate GWG and the consequent problems related to it during pregnancy.

180 Dietary habits and pregnancy-associated hypertension in a sample of greek women

Introduction and aims: Pregnancy-associated hypertension (PAH) consist a hypertensive condition occurring after the 20th week of gestation. PAH’s global prevalence ranges from 8 to 10% worldwide and is a risk factor for maternal, fetal and neonatal complications. Aim of this study was to investigate any potential association between dietary habits of Greek pregnant women and PAH. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of 193 pregnant women (mean age: 31.5±4.4 years old), who were followed-up in a private maternity hospital in Athens, Greece.

182 The role of diet during pregnancy in prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterised by glucose intolerance during pregnancy in previously normoglycemic women. The role of adiposity, diet, and physical activity before pregnancy is well known. However, pregnancy is a less well-studied period. This study’s aim was to examine the preventive potential of diet during pregnancy against GDM. Methods: Pregnant women were recruited from a private maternity hospital in Athens, Greece. They self-reported the carbohydrates-rich foods that they frequently consumed and the daily frequency of carbohydrates-rich meals and sweets both before and during pregnancy.

188 Occupational physical activity during pregnancy in greece: A cross-sectional study

Introduction and aims: The majority of existing guidelines state that Occupational Physical Activity (OPA: prolonged standing, heavy lifting or unusual workload) might increase the risk of pregnant workers for adverse outcomes, such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age offspring. This study describes OPA of pregnant women in Greece and compares it with the pre-gestational period. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of 193 women was conducted in a private maternity hospital in Athens.

60 COVID Collaboration – NHS elective caesarean sections in a private maternity hospital setting – The portland hospital experience

Objective: To review the logistical utilization of private health care by the National Health Service (NHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic for maternity patients, in London. Design: Retrospective analysis of NHS elective Caesarean sections (CS) carried out in The Portland Hospital (TPH). Results: TPH carried out 214 CS delivering 216 babies between 31/5/2020 - 17/7/2020 for four local NHS Hospitals. The demographics of the patients mirrored the general obstetric population. 95.8% performed after 38 weeks gestation.

A study to assess the effectiveness of antenatal Exercises in reduction of labour pain among primi mothers in selected hospital, Erode.

Giving birth is a life-changing event, and the care that a woman receives during labour has the potential to affect her both physically and emotionally the short and longer term. Therefore, improving the quality of maternity care in both developed and developing countries is an important part of attempts made to decrease maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. In obstetric care, many interventions are complex, containing a number of different components which may have an effect on the impact of the interventions in healthcare settings. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of antenatal exercises in reduction of labour pain among primi gravida mothers in both the groups. Methodology: A quantitative approach and evaluate in nature and true experimental design where post test only with control group design. The study population were Primi mothers, 30(15 control and 15 experimental group) mothers attending antenatal OPD in private maternity Hospital, Erode District. Visual analog scale was used to assess the level of pain. Result: The findings revealed that after the antenatal exercise the visual analog pain scale score was reduced in experimental group compared to the control group among primi mothers. In control group there was no significant association between the level of labour pain and demographic variables. In experimental group there was no significant association between the level of pain and demographic variables such as age, family, living area, habit of regular exercise and previous source of information and highly significant association in education, occupation and income. Conclusion: The antenatal exercise was more effective in reduction pain during labour among the primi mothers in experimental group.

Collaborative model of intrapartum care: qualitative study on barriers and facilitators to implementation in a private Brazilian hospital

IntroductionA collaborative (midwife-obstetrician) model of intrapartum care (CMIC) is associated with lower caesarean section (CS) rates than physician-led models. In 2019, the largest private maternity hospital in Latin America (14.000...

“A STUDY OF INCIDENCE AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTOR OF SEVERE ACUTE MATERNAL MORBIDITY (SAMM) IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL”

INTRODUCTION- Maternal mortality is still a signicant public health problem now severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) has emerged as an important indicator in maternal health care to review the . cause of maternal deaths Severe morbidity data is very important for policy planner to evaluate the quality of health care system, to know the requirement of emergency obstetrics care (EMOC) and to improve the health care system. MATERIAL AND METHOD- This is a retrospective study done in a private maternity hospital in Gwalior (M.P.). The study was done during a period from 01/01/2017 to 01/01/2021. In our study 4808 live birth were there during this period 59 cases were diagnosed as severe maternal morbid cases. RESULTS- In present study the incidence of SAMM was 12.27 per one thousand live birth. In this study – most (54.23%) of women were in the age group of 21-25, were unbooked (57.62%) , primipara (38.98%), full term (47.45) and of low-income group (64.40%) In this study we found the most common morbidity was (30.50%) hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, the second one was (23.72%) of severe hemorrhage. In our study, severe anemia was the most frequent medical disorder present in morbid Patients. During the study period four patients died. The most common cause of maternal death was pregnancy-induced hypertension and its associated disorders. CONCLUSION- This study summarized that lack of awareness, lack of education, rst delay in reaching to the health care system, lack of antenatal visits, preexisting chronic medical disease, inadequate use of magnesium sulphate before transferring patient of severe PIH/eclampsia, and improper use of antibiotics and delay in diagnosis and referral to higher center are the main factor contributing to severe maternal morbid cases. Identication of SAMM cases is very useful in monitoring the quality and effectiveness of obstetrics care, it helps in improving the health care system.

“PREVALENCE OF BETA-THALASSEMIA TRAIT IN PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CLINIC”

INTRODUCTION- Iron deficiency anemia and thalassemia syndromes,especially beta thalassemia trait (BTT),are the two most commonly ccuring microcytic hypochromic anemias highly prevalent in countries like India. Iron deficiency anemia is the first most common cause of anemia in pregnancy,beta thalassemia trait is the second most frequent cause of anemia of pregnancy. Patients with thalassemia trait shows an increased incidence of anemia during the second trimester of pregnancy. Beta Thalassemia Trait (BTT) patients are usually asymptomatic and ignorant of their carrier state unless diagnosed by testing. Screening for thalassemia can be done by measuring HbA2 levels MATERIAL AND METHOD- This is a retrospective study. The data were collected from a clinic and associated st pathology in Shivpuri and a private maternity hospital in Gwalior from 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2021.94 patients were included in the study.All pregnant women between the age of 18-45 years and at any gestational age with hemoglobin level <10g/dL and microcytic hypochromic anemia (report of CBC) were included in the study. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and serum ferritin report were collected. RESULTS- In our study the most common age group in which the anemia was found between 19-35 years (80.85%).Most of the patients were primigravida (44.68%),between 26-37 wks of gestational age (82.97%),from a rural area (70.21%). Only 2 patients had a family history (2.12%) of beta-thalassemia and 6 patients had a history (6.38%) of blood transfusion. In our study moderate anemia was found in 55.31% of cases followed by mild anemia 25.53% and severe anemia 19.14%. In our study iron deficiency anemia was found in 87.23% only minor Beta-thalassemia was found to be 4.25%, of the patient,and the coexistence of iron deficiency anemia and beta-thalassemia in pregnant women is 8.51%. In our study total of 12 patients (4 cases of only minor beta-thalassemia and 8 cases of minor beta-thalassemia associated with IDA) The prevalence rate of beta-thalassemia in our study was 7.8%. CONCLUSION- the recommendation is to diagnose beta-thalassemia in pregnant patients is essential to give proper treatment.The screening of pregnant patients prevents unnecessary parental iron therapy and iron overload in case of anemia.further studies are needed in this field and less expensive and accurate methods should come in place.