Pelvic Injuries and Pregnancy

Pelvic Injuries and Pregnancy

When someone is pregnant, the body goes through some changes. Some of these changes can make the body more vulnerable in the event of an accident. Pelvic injuries can be a significant risk to an unborn child. A recent review article helped put this into perspective. According to research studies, several different traumatic injuries could lead to the loss of a pregnancy. Based on the statistics, the breakdown of injuries is as follows:

• Gunshots: Almost a quarter of maternal deaths result from gunshots. Depending on the location of the wound, a bullet can have significant consequences for the life of both the mother and the unborn child.
• Car Accidents: About 20% of maternal deaths were due to an auto accident. Because of the physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy, it is crucial for the mother to wear her seatbelt every time she gets in a car.
• Stab Wounds: Stab wounds, particularly to the abdomen, can cause damage to both the mother and the child. Based on the research study, about 15% of maternal deaths occurred due to stab wounds.

While these statistics have to do with the mother of the unborn child, serious injuries can impact the life of the fetus as well.

A Medical Records Review

A team of medical professionals conducted a study where they reviewed all of their hospital records over a ten year period. They were looking at the information regarding their pregnant patients. They found that over 30,000 pregnant patients had visited their hospital during this time period. Then, they looked at all of the patients who had sustained injuries while pregnant. They found several thousand had visited the emergency room during their pregnancy. One of the most common reasons was for a pelvic fracture. The pelvis is slightly larger in females than males because it has to accommodate the uterus. The most common reason that a patient sustained a pelvic injury was due to a car accident. While none of the mothers were killed in the car accident, 5% of them lost the baby.

Significance: Moving Forward

The study serves to highlight the severe nature of pelvic injuries in pregnancy. There are several reasons why a pelvic injury could lead to an adverse outcome. Some of the most common causes include:

• Bone Fractures: If bone fractures occur in the pelvis, fragments of the bones can puncture the uterus. If it damages the baby or severs the blood supply, this can cause a miscarriage.
• Blunt Trauma: Sometimes, pelvic injuries can lead to blunt trauma of the uterus itself. Should this happen, direct damage can be done to the fetus. This could be too much for the baby to bear.

Photo by: The pregnancy image at the top of this page was found in its original form on Unsplash. The picture has been reproduced here with permission
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