Pregnancy wastage in two tribal communities (Gujars and Bazigars) of Punjab, India.

The present report is an attempt to secure adequate data about pregnancy wastage in Gujar and Bazigar females of Punjab. Gujars in general are primarily cattle breeders and shepherds but Gujars of Punjab are farmers, too. In Punjab they mostly occupy the submountainous regions and riverline lowlands. Bazigar is a persian word meaning "he who does Bazi" or any sort of game or play but it is applied only to jugglers and acrobats. Bazigars are a gypsy tribe of vagrant habits. Most of them are now settled in the vicinity of large villages or towns. Analysis of reproductive histories of 250 Gujar females and 360 Bazigar females reveals that in the maternal age group 25-29 years, mothers experienced the least number of abortions and stillbirths. However, beyond this, the risk of pregnancy wastage increases with age. An overall rate of pregnancy wastage is 140.55 and 130.09 per 1000 pregnancies among Gujars and Bazigars of Punjab, respectively.