Description of the Psychological State of a Pregnant Women with Fetal Death Attended at Hospital General Ambato Iess in Ecuador

Abstract

Background: Fetal stillbirth refers to the death of a fetus after the 20th week of pregnancy, but before delivery and can have multiple causes, including maternal factors and placental or fetal problems.

Objective: The aim of the study was to describe pregnant women with fetal death attended at the Hospital General Ambato IESS in Ecuador.

Methods: It was an epidemiological study corresponding to the descriptive level, being observational, prospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive.  The population study consisted of 20 patients with fetal death, who were surveyed for the corresponding description of their pregnancy.

Results: It was found that most of the patients were married and had a high school education. In addition, they all belonged to the Catholic religion and had a general type of insurance. There was a high prevalence of polycystic ovary disease, as well as a history of hypothyroidism and ovarian cancer in the patients' mothers, and no mammograms were performed. No alcohol, tobacco or drug consumption habits were found.

Conclusions: It was concluded that fetal death can occur at any age of the mother, however, the risk is higher in those younger than 20 years and older than 39 years. New studies are suggested to focus on the effectiveness of different interventions to prevent fetal death; to perform longitudinal studies to better understand its underlying causes; to analyze its psychological and emotional impact on women and their partners; and to evaluate specific risk factors in different populations and contexts.