Potential pregnancy days lost: an innovative measure of gestational age

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2020054002098

Keywords:

Gestational Age, Infant, Newborn, growth & development, Labor, Induced, adverse effects, Cesarean Section, Iatrogenic Disease, Vital Statistics

Abstract

In Brazil, the excess of interventions that anticipate childbirth, such as cesarean sections and labor inductions, has resulted in the shortening of pregnancy, with negative consequences  on maternal-infant outcomes. This commentary presents a novel way to measure gestational age: the continuous variable “Potential pregnancy days lost.” Using data from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC), we counted the missing days between the period until childbirth and the average duration of pregnancy (280 days), or the lost weeks. This measure can be used as an outcome variable (socioeconomic-demographic characteristics of the mother, type of childbirth, financing, etc.) or exposure variable (for neonatal, infant, and maternal outcomes). The indicator can be used in municipal and national cohorts and intervention studies to  nalyze hospitals and regions. We discussed the limits and scope of gestational age measures, and  iven their inaccuracies, the importance of studying their trends.

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Published

2020-08-28

Issue

Vol. 54 (2020)

Section

Original Articles

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Copyright (c) 2020 Carmen Simone G. Diniz, Jessica Reis-Queiroz, Carlos A. Kawai, Marcel Reis Queiroz, Eliana de Aquino Bonilha, Denise Yoshie Niy, Sonia Lansky, Brena Sena

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Diniz, C. S. G. ., Reis-Queiroz, J., Kawai, C. A. ., Queiroz, M. R., Bonilha, E. de A. ., Niy, D. Y. ., Lansky, S. ., & Sena, B. . (2020). Potential pregnancy days lost: an innovative measure of gestational age. Revista De Saúde Pública, 54, 88. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2020054002098

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