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Faculty have requested this content not be shared on social media
CME Credit Offered
CME Credit Offered
Abstract Award
Abstract Award
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Poster Session 1

(148) Differences in risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in obese and non-obese patients

Thursday, January 30, 2025
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM  
Objective: Several studies have noted an association between obesity and increased rates of postpartum hemorrhage. However, it is still unclear why this correlation exists. Our objective is to evaluate if there are differences in risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage between obese and non-obese pregnant patients.

Study Design:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients who delivered at our level 4 maternal care hospital between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Records were reviewed for sociodemographic characteristics, pre-existing medical conditions, and whether they had a postpartum hemorrhage, defined as a quantitative blood loss (QBL) of >= 1000ml within the first 24 hours after delivery, based on ReVITALize criteria. Univariate logistic regression was then used to analyze known risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in patients with BMI < 30kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 30kg/m2.

Results: A total of 693 patients delivered during the study period, of which 225 (32%) had BMI < 30 and 468 (68%) had BMI >30. Of note, 76% of our study population identified as Hispanic or LatinX. Risk factors differed between the two BMI groups. Regardless of BMI, having a placental abnormality including placenta accreta spectrum was a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. Having vaginal bleeding or anemia on admission were only risk factors in the BMI < 30 group. Intraamniotic infection was only a risk factor in the BMI ≥ 30 group.  All other variables listed here were not risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in this cohort of patients.

Conclusion: In our primarily Hispanic cohort of pregnant patients, there are differences in risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage between obese and non-obese patients. This study may have been limited due to sample size. Further studies should utilize this information to create better models to predict postpartum hemorrhage.