Perfil epidemiológico de gestantes atendidas no pré- natal especializado

ABSTRACT: The development of gestation is marked by physical, psychological and social changes that can affect a woman's quality of life. When it does not evolve adequately for the mother-baby binomial, gestation is considered high risk and requires specialized prenatal care to prevent complications. This is a quantitative descriptive study that was approved by the Research Ethics Committee by the number 2.578.632 whose purpose was to describe the epidemiological profile of pregnant women attending the specialized prenatal care of a University Hospital in Maranhao. Data were collected in the months of April and May of 2018 through a semistructured interview and a sample composed by data of 150 high-risk pregnant women who were followed up at the research site. The results showed that 50% of the pregnant women were in the age range of 26 to 35 years, 69% were selfdeclared grayish-brown, 45% had completed high school, 63% had family income between 1 and 2 minimum wages, 67% were married or lived with their partners and came from the urban area. Regarding the obstetric history, 58% had at least one previous pregnancy and 28% had spontaneous abortion. The data referring to the clinical information show that 57% of the pregnant women started specialized prenatal care between 17 and 21 weeks and were significantly followed by elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, endocrinopathies and other comorbidities. Through this study, it was possible to verify that the epidemiological profile resembles that of other Brazilian municipalities. This is evidenced mainly when analyzing the variables: age, schooling, marital status and reason for the onset of high-risk prenatal care. The early identification of these factors implies the reduction of maternal mortality, which is a global health problem and has high rates in Brazil.