Incidence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Hemorrhage in China: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide but the incidence and its risk factors in China is limited. The objective of this study is to investigate the incidence and the risk factors of PPH in Chinese women. Methods: A multi-center retrospective study of pregnant women at >= 28 weeks of gestation was conducted. Logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors of PPH and receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive performance of the identified risk factors. Subgroup analysis focusing on the number of fetus and the mode of delivery was conducted. Results: A total of 99,253 pregnant women were enrolled and 804 (0.81%) experienced PPH. The subgroup analysis revealed that the incidence of PPH was 0.75, 2.65, 1.40, and 0.31% in singletons, twin pregnancies, cesarean sections, and vaginal deliveries, respectively. Placenta previa and placenta accreta were the predominant risk factors of PPH in the overall population and all subgroups. A twin pregnancy was a risk factor for PPH regardless of the mode of delivery. Obesity, and multiparity were risk factors for PPH in both singletons and cesarean section cases, but the latter predicted a reduced probability of PPH in vaginal deliveries. Macrosomia was associated with increased risk of PPH in singletons or vaginal deliveries. In women who delivered vaginally, preeclampsia was associated with a higher risk of PPH. The areas under the curve for the overall cohort, singletons, twin pregnancies, cesarean section cases, and vaginal deliveries were 0.832 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.813-0.851), 0.824 (95% CI 0.803-0.845), 0.686 (95% CI 0.617-0.755), 0.854 (95% CI 0.834-0.874), and 0.690 (95% CI 0.646-0.735), respectively. Conclusions: The risk factors of PPH varied slightly based on the number of fetuses and the mode of delivery, while placenta previa and placenta accreta were the two major risk factors. A combination of the identified risk factors yielded a satisfactory predictive performance in determining PPH in the overall cohort, singletons pregnancies, and women who delivered by cesarean section, whereas the performance was moderate in twin pregnancies and in women delivering vaginally.

Automated summary

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a significant concern for maternal health globally, but its incidence and risk factors in Chinese women were investigated in this study. Placenta previa and placenta accreta were found to be major risk factors for PPH, with predictive performance varying depending on the number of fetuses and mode of delivery. Factors such as obesity, multiparity, macrosomia, and preeclampsia were also identified as influencing the risk of PPH in different scenarios.