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Abstract

Pregnancy with large fetus is used to describe infants whose weight is more than normal for the number of weeks of pregnancy. Clavicle fracture, brachial plexus damage, and hypoglycemia are major complications. The present study investigates the frequency and maternal and fetal characteristics in pregnancies with large fetus. In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 1625 pregnant mothers referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz during 2019-2021 were included. Maternal and fetal characteristics including maternal age, maternal weight, maternal blood pressure, maternal height, maternal body mass index, gestational age, history of previous childbirth, history of chronic diseases, history of abortion, history of stillbirth, weight gain during pregnancy, shoulder dystocia, and fetal problems after birth were included in the questionnaire. In general, 19379 births were performed in the years 2019 to 2021, of which 1625 were large fetuses, showing a prevalence of 8.3%. The mean age of pregnant mothers was 31.81±6.46 years. The mean body mass index was 27.62±3.91 kg/m2. The history of preeclampsia in pregnant mothers with large fetus was 3.6%. In this regard, 72.1% had cesarean section delivery. Among the maternal underlying diseases, diabetes had the highest frequency with 30% and 58.8% of infants with large fetus were girls. Based on the results, 55 people had dystocia (3 percent), 2 people had Erb's palsy (0.01 percent), 4 people had clavicle fracture (0.02 percent), and 39 people had an Apgar score below 6 (2 percent). Dystocia, low Apgar (below 6), clavicle fracture, and Erb's palsy were significantly different between LGA and severe LGA (P<0.001). Based on the results, the prevalence of large fetuses in Ahvaz city was high (8.3%). Pregnancies with large fetus and macrosomia are associated with serious adverse perinatal outcomes and provide risk estimates that can be used to make decisions about pregnancy management‎.