Risk and protective factors of miscarriage: Evidence from a nationally representative sample of women in India

Miscarriage is the most distressing complication in early pregnancy, with one in every five pregnant women ending in a miscarriage, and its causes are multifactorial.

This study aimed to find the risk and protective factors of miscarriage among women aged 15-49 years in India by using the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data.

The data were taken from NFHS-5; 53,560 women aged 15-49 years who had reported either a miscarriage (n = 5104) or livebirth (n = 48,456) during the last 12 months preceding the survey were included in the study.

Various sociodemographic, lifestyle, comorbid, and fertility-related factors were considered in the Poisson regression analysis, and adjusted prevalence ratios were obtained.

Significant sociodemographic risk factors were age less than 20 years or more than 34 years, urban residence, primary and higher education levels, wealth index middle and above, and occupation as employed. Muslim religion, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Class castes were statistically significant protective factors. Obesity, severe anemia, hypertension, and thyroid disorder were the significant comorbid risk factors, whereas tobacco chewing was the only significant lifestyle risk factor. A higher number of ever-born children was the fertility-related risk factor, whereas the use of intrauterine devices was a significant protective factor for miscarriage.

To reduce the incidence of miscarriage in developing countries like India, the respective governments and healthcare providers should develop intervention programs targeting women in well-educated and high-income families.