Gynaecologists urge early antenatal registration to prevent pregnancy complications
Gynaecologists in Nigeria are urging pregnant women to register for antenatal care before 20 weeks to prevent life-threatening complications. Early registration allows for the detection of risks like hypertension, diabetes, and infectious diseases, which are critical to reducing the country's high maternal mortality rate.
Why it matters
Addressing late antenatal registration is a vital public health intervention to lower maternal and newborn mortality rates in regions with high birth-related risks.
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr. Saheed Jimoh, has said that delayed antenatal registration continues to undermine efforts to prevent avoidable maternal and newborn deaths.
He disclosed that some pregnant women present at hospitals when life-threatening pregnancy complications have set in.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that Nigeria accounts for 34 per cent of maternal deaths in the world, with the NDHS 2018 pegging the maternal mortality rate at 512 per 100,000 live births.
During a recent Media Roundtable Dialogue on Evidence-Based Health Reporting and Public Discourse, the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board raised concerns over late antenatal registration in the state.
The LSPHCB said that many pregnant women still present for care after 20 weeks, exposing them to avoidable complications.
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