Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence of an association between early term birth and adverse neonatal outcomes. However, there is a paucity of data on the true neonatal outcomes following term deliveries in lower-income countries, including Nigeria. OBJECTIVES: This study compared the neonatal outcomes of early and late-term deliveries in a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: This was a five-year retrospective cohort study of all term deliveries between January 2013 and December 2017. Data were obtained from the labour ward and neonatal ward admission registers and medical records of the hospital. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed for all relevant data. Statistical significance was reported at a p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 1,001 deliveries reviewed and analysed for this study, 215 recorded adverse neonatal events, with a significantly higher proportion of these occurring in early term compared to late-term delivered pregnancies (75.8% versus 24.2%, p < 0.001). There was a statistically higher rate of NICU admission in early term neonates than in late-term neonates (14.3 versus 3.9%, p < 0.001). Respiratory complications were the most common adverse outcomes experienced by neonates in both groups. However, the early term neonates had a higher risk even when adjusted for sex, birth weight, and mode of delivery. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the substantial impact of gestational age on neonatal outcomes, with early term neonates at a significantly higher risk of adverse events compared to late-term neonates. Strategies aimed at reducing the rates of elective early term induction of labour and caesarean deliveries may help minimize the occurrence of adverse neonatal outcomes in our setting.