2025/06/27 by Theresa Andraczek, Anne Tauscher, Noura Kabbani +2 · 1 voice
Medicine · #Global Maternal and Child Health #Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions #Maternal and fetal healthcare
paper · pdf · doi:10.1515/jpm-2025-0141
openalex publication_date 2025/06/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
OBJECTIVES: Depending on risk profile, pregnant women can freely choose their preferred birthplace, especially in the case of a normal pregnancy. In addition to obstetric maternity units in a hospital, options may include out-of-hospital births (such as births at home or in a freestanding midwifery unit. To our knowledge, there is no study comparing the outcomes of peripartum transfers from different places. METHODS: Between 2020 and 2021, all births transferred internally from the AMU of the University Hospital of Leipzig (n=74) were retrospectively analyzed and compared with births transferred from external (home or an FMU; n=72). The main outcome measures were morbidity and interventions. RESULTS: 86.1 % were transfers from an FMU and 13.9 % were transfers of planned home births. There were significantly less spontaneous vaginal births in planned OH births (55.6 %) compared to planned AMU births (73.7 %, p<0.001). For the FMU births, we found a significantly higher rate of caesarean section (20.8 %, to 6.6 %, p<0.001) and postpartum neonatal transfers (8.3-4.1 %, p=0.025). The duration of labor was significantly longer in transferred OH (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In case of an intrapartum transfer, there was a decreased likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth and increased likelihood of secondary caesarean section compared to internally transferred AMU births. Furthermore, OH transfers were associated with a higher morbidity. Hence, pregnant women should be given an informed choice of birthplace, including the likelihood of intrapartum transfer. Out-of-hospital deliveries are associated with a higher rate of adverse perinatal outcome.