Abstract
BACKGROUND: More than 25% of maternal deaths in low and middle-income countries were due to post-partum hemorrhage (PPH). The PPH is considered as the maternal mortality leading cause worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of postpartum hemorrhage and to identify its associated factors among women who delivered at Rwinkwavu District Hospital in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. METHODS: A facility based cross-sectional study design, was used. Four hundred ten (410) participants were selected systematically. The SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence of PPH at Rwinkwavu District Hospital. Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were used to generate adjusted odds ratios with 95%CI to identify the PPH associated factors. The findings were considered significant for p-value <0.05. RESULTS: The PPH prevalence was 15.1%. The odds of bleeding in postpartum were 2.411 times [AOR=2.411, 95%CI: 1.027-5.661, p-value=0.043] higher among married women than single ones. Women who delivered by Cesarean section were 3.092 times more likely to bleed in postpartum [AOR=3.092, 95%CI: 1.176-8.128, p<0.001] compared to those who delivered normally. Women whose delivery labors were induced were 25.689 times more likely to suffer from PPH [AOR=25.689, 95%CI: 3.864-45.759, p<0.001] compared to those whose labor was not induced. Women with prolonged labor were 11.391 times more likely to bleed in postpartum [AOR=11.391, 95%CI: 5.011-25.893, p<0.001] compared to those with normal length of delivery labor. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PPH was high, and this is a great public health concern; therefore, the Ministry of Health and health facilities need to strengthen strategies to prevent PPH. Marital status, mode of delivery, labor induction and prolonged labor were significantly associated with PPH.