Oligohydramnios in Third Trimester and Perinatal Outcomes

Background and objective: Oligohydramnios has been reported to be correlated with unfavorable outcomes in pregnancy, including fetal distress and stillbirth. So, this study aimed to examine the association between oligohydramnios diagnosed during the third trimester of pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 55 pregnant women diagnosed with oligohydramnios in Sulaimani Maternity Teaching Hospital, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, from 15 May 2022 to 30 May 2023. A convenient sampling method was used to collect data from pregnant women with gestational ages of 28 to 41 weeks. Using ultrasound, the amniotic fluid index was measured to analyze the perinatal outcomes, and then correlations between different variables were determined. Results: Highly significant correlations were found between mean women’s age, gestational age, gravida, para, Apgar score 5 minutes after delivery, newborn weight and mean amniotic fluid index levels (p<0.001). Most women (50.9%) received antenatal care >4 times, had <2 years’ pregnancy interval (96.4%), had emergency cesarean section (67.3%), and without induction of labor (94.5%). Most patients did not have any medical disorders (94.5%) or obstetrical disorders (65.5%); however, pregnancy-induced hypertension was the most common disorder (21.8%), followed by gestational diabetes mellitus (7.3%). Additionally, most infants were born alive with average Apgar scores (78.18%), whereas ten infants had low Apgar scores and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Conclusion: Women affected with oligohydramnios were likely to experience unfavorable perinatal outcomes, including admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and stillbirth.