Factors influencing delivery-related complications and their consequences in hard-to-reach areas of Bangladesh.

Background and Objectives: Bangladesh's high maternal mortality ratio is exacerbated by delivery-related complications, particularly in hard-to-reach (HtR) areas with limited healthcare access. Despite this, few studies have explored delivery-related complications and factors contributing to these complications among the disadvantaged population. This study aimed to investigate the factors contributing to delivery-related complications and their consequences among the mothers residing in the HtR areas of Bangladesh.
Methods: Data were collected using a cross-sectional study design from 13 HtR sub-districts of Bangladesh between September 2019 and October 2019. Data from 1,290 recently delivered mothers were analysed.
Results: Around 32% (95% CI: 29.7-34.8) of the mothers reported at least one delivery-related complication. Prolonged labour pain (21%) was the highest reported complication during the delivery, followed by obstructive labour (20%), fever (14%), severe headache (14%). Mothers with higher education, a higher number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, complications during ANC, employed, and first-time mothers had higher odds of reporting delivery-related complications. More than one-half (51%) of these mothers had normal vaginal delivery. Nearly one-fifth (20%) of mothers who reported delivery-related complications were delivered by unskilled health workers at homes. On the other hand, about one-fifth (19%) of the mothers without any complications during delivery had a caesarean delivery. Nine out of ten of these caesarean deliveries were done at the private facilities.
Conclusion: Delivery-related complications are significantly related to a woman's reproductive history and other background characteristics. Unnecessary caesarean delivery is prominent at private facilities.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)