Prevalence of polyhydramnios at a Danish hospital – a population‐based study

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of polyhydramnios, the related maternal and perinatal morbidity, and to estimate the association between perinatal outcome and the degree of polyhydramnios in a Danish population. Methods. The study population consisted of 168 women with singleton pregnancies and polyhydramnios diagnosed by ultrasound as a largest two-diameter pocket of >50 cm2. Mild polyhydramnios defined a s>50 and <100 cm2, and severe polyhydramnios defined as ≥100 cm2. The background population consisted of 8,347 pregnant women from the same hospital. Outcome measures were compared using χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. Results. The incidence of polyhydramnios was 2%, with 66.7% of cases mild, and 33.3% were severe polyhydramnios. The study population had an increased risk of emergency (19 versus 10.5%, p<0.001) and elective (11.3 versus 5.0%, p<0.001) caesarean section, as well as perinatal death (1.2 versus 0.3%, p<0.05) compared to the background population. In cas...