Primary post-partum haemorrhage at a university hospital in Nigeria.

Two hundred and four cases of primary postpartum haemorrhage were compared with the same number of normal post-partum mothers, during a period of two years at a University Hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria. Majority of the women (71%) who suffered from primary post-partum haemorrhage were in the age group 15 to 29 years, and there was no difference in the age distribution between the study and the control groups. Primary post-partum haemorrhage occurred more in the primipara and grand-multipara compared with the control and the differences is statistically significant. Atony of the uterus was the commonest cause of post-partum haemorrhage and this was attributed to mismanagement of labour. Many of the women with post-partum haemorrhage had vaginal delivery but the difference in the mode of delivery between the study and the control groups was statistically significant. Anaemia and hypovolaemic shock were the two commonest avoidable complications and the preventable measures and the need for further investigations of cases of primary post-partum haemorrhage are highlighted.