Prevalence and Risk Factors of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in Saudi Women: Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: About 15% of all clinically confirmed pregnancies around the world, result in spontaneous loss. More than 80% of miscarriages occur in the first trimester, or before 12 weeks of gestation, and almost half of them are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. The loss of three or more pregnancies in a row constitutes recurrent miscarriage; there are several potential reasons. According to the WHO, the phases of spontaneous miscarriage are: Threatened miscarriage, inevitable miscarriage, incomplete miscarriage, and full miscarriage. This article will be looking at different RPL causes, its prevalence and psychological effects on Saudi women. Objectives: The study aims to summarize current evidences regarding recurrent pregnancy lost risk factors, and its prevalence among Saudi women in different demographics and regions. Methods: For article selection, the PubMed database and EBSCO Information Services were used. All relevant articles relevant with our topic and other articles were used in our review. Other articles that were not related to this field were excluded. The data was extracted in a specific format that was reviewed by the group members. Conclusion: Our study included 9 studies in total, 3 of these studies focused on the prevalence of RPL in different Saudi regions, 5 others focused on different risk factors correlated with miscarriage among Saudi women such as genetic reasons, long working hours and consanguinity. One study included discussed the psychological effects of RPL on Saudi women.