Objective: To study the current status and risk factors of spontaneous abortion of women at reproductive age in rural areas of Shaanxi province.
Methods: Pregnant women who lived in Changwu and Bin counties of Shaanxi province were interviewed on their former reproductive history and being followed on the outcomes of pregnancy from 2002 to 2005.
Results: There were 5844 pregnant women under study with a total number of 9638 pregnancies including 1153 spontaneous abortive episodes. Among the pregnant women in rural areas of Shaanxi province, the ratio between spontaneous abortion and pregnancies was 12.0% and the spontaneous abortion rate(SAR) was 13.6%. Ratio between the number of women who had experienced spontaneous abortion and the total number of women under survey was 16.4 %. The risks of having spontaneous abortion would increase among women who were aged > or =30 years and those with more than 3 pregnancies.
Conclusion: To reduce the incidence of spontaneous abortion among rural area women, the approaches should include: strengthening the family planning management, reducing of the frequency of pregnancy, extending the pregnancy interval and avoiding advanced ageing pregnancies.