Postpartum blood loss and hematocrit levels of Navajo women

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage among Navajo women and to examine the hematocrit as an indicator of postpartum blood loss in this population. Twenty-one Navajo women who delivered babies at the Shiprock Indian Health Service Hospital in Shiprock, New Mexico were studied. Sixty-one percent of the study sample had a blood loss of over 500 ml, a twelve-fold greater incidence than reported in other non-Indian populations. Change in hematocrit from admission to thirty-six hours postpartum showed that the hematocrit was a good indicator of postpartum blood loss. The estimate of blood loss by health care providers, compared with weighed and calculated blood loss, was significantly lower than the actual blood loss. Forty-eight percent of the women studied had various obstetrical problems identified during the current pregnancy.