Clinical and Obstetric Characteristics Associated with Placenta Previa Type at Al-Bayda Medical Center: A Prospective Descriptive Study

Abstract

Placenta previa is an obstetric condition associated with potentially serious maternal and fetal complications. The clinical and obstetric characteristics of affected women may vary according to the type of placenta previa. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical and obstetric characteristics of women diagnosed with placenta previa at Al-Bayda Medical Center and to assess the associations between selected maternal and obstetric characteristics and placenta previa type. This prospective descriptive study was conducted at Al-Bayda Medical Center from January 14, 2025, to September 30, 2025. The study included 100 pregnant women diagnosed with placenta previa. Data were collected prospectively using a structured data collection form and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participants’ characteristics, and chi-square tests were applied to examine associations between selected categorical variables and placenta previa type. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 100 participants, 57 (57%) had total placenta previa, while 43 (43%) were classified as having partial placenta previa or low-lying placenta. Initial analyses indicated statistically significant associations between placenta previa type and maternal age group, previous cesarean section, parity category, and previous placenta previa. No statistically significant association was observed between infertility treatment and placenta previa type. The statistical significance of the association with multiple gestation requires confirmation because of the small number of multiple pregnancies