Pregnancy

Objective: To examine birth outcomes between children conceived with in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) and sibling births from unassisted conceptions. Design: Retrospect...

BACKGROUND: Down's syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal congenital condition diagnosed in pregnancy. Antenatal screening for DS is available in Scotland, and in September 2020, non-invasive pr...

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10% to 20% of mothers, with higher rates among marginalized communities. Mental health issues contribute to 22.7% of pregnancy-related deaths. Doulas pr...

Objectives. To quantify the impact of state abortion bans on trends in fertility and preterm birth following the June 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization. Met...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the combined role of prenatal imaging and stepwise genetic testing in diagnosing fetal congenital heart defects (CHDs) over a 30-year period, focusing on CHD subtypes, extracardia...

STUDY QUESTION: Are maternal concentrations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) influenced by the frozen embryo transfer (FET) protocol in early ...

Stress is ubiquitous in health and plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of many underlying diseases. Stress and health - this review highlights the interplay between stress and health, focusing on s...

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine if Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at delivery discharge are predictive of EPDS scores at 2-6 weeks postpartum. METHOD: Thi...

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), a replacement for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), on mammary gland development of...

The psychological effects of first-time childbirth on parents have long been a focal point in social science research. This study provides a new perspective by applying demographic transition theory t...

BACKGROUND: Subchorionic hemorrhage (SCH) is characterized by a fluid-filled hypoechoic area in early pregnancy. This study investigates how laminin subunit β1 (LAMB1) modulates type III collagen (COL...

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous intrauterine and rudimentary horn pregnancies are exceedingly rare, particularly when one arises from assisted reproduction and the other naturally. Early diagnosis is essenti...

Objective: Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological condition affecting reproductive-aged women. It has been associated with infertility and potential risks for adverse pregnancy outcomes, although p...

Objectives: Restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) is an emerging approach that can be used to treat infertility. Our goal was to compare RRM to IVF outcomes in 2019. Design: We conducted a retrospec...

Introduction: Physical activity is known to improve physical and psychological outcomes in pregnant women. While aerobic exercise is typically emphasized in physical activity guidelines for pregnant w...

Global textile production, driven by consumer demand, raises significant concerns about exposure to chemicals in clothing and related products. This review synthesizes evidence (2019-2025) on hazardou...

Prenatal exposure to air pollution is an important risk factor for child health outcomes, including asthma. Identification of DNA methylation changes associated with air pollutant exposure can provide...

Importance: Identifying atypical body mass index (BMI) trajectories in children and understanding associated, modifiable early-life factors may help prevent childhood obesity. Objective: To character...

Objectives: The objective of this study is to test the association between preconception polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using Utah's Pregnancy Risk Assessment...

There is growing interest in the use of microbial-seeding interventions to mitigate the impacts of prenatal antibiotics, C-section, and lack of breastfeeding on mother-child microbe sharing. However, ...

Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterine cavity, a condition that affects approximately 1% to 2% of pregnancies in the United States. Ectopic pregnancy is a potentia...

Background: Previous research on the role of maternal diet in relation to autism has focused on examining individual nutrient associations. Few studies have examined associations with multiple nutrien...

Prevalence of autism diagnosis has historically differed by demographic factors. Using data from 8224 participants drawn from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we e...

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and is associated with increased risks of infertility and miscarriage. Although the spontaneous miscarriage rate in wom...

During early pregnancy, human endometrial stromal cells differentiate into secretory decidual cells via a process regulated by ovarian steroid hormones. Decidual cells play a crucial role by secreting...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vaginal progesterone used to prevent spontaneous preterm birth in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This is ...

STUDY Question: What are the roles of maternal preconception diabetes and related periconceptional hyperglycemia on the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in offspring? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mat...

STUDY Question: Could the risk of subsequent pregnancy loss be predicted based on the risk factors of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) patients? SUMMARY ANSWER: A nomogram, constructed from independent...

STUDY Question: What are the outcomes of pregnancies exposed to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), and what factors predict the course of these pregnan...

Hypoandrogenemia is not usually considered as a potential cause of recurrent miscarriage. We present the case of a 30-year-old female with 6 previous pregnancies resulting in one live birth and 5 preg...

Objective: To determine the association between fertility treatment, socioeconomic status (SES), and neonatal and post-neonatal mortality. STUDY Design: Retrospective cohort study of all births (19,3...

Background: Very little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression among women with vaginal births without major pregnancy complications. Objective: This study aimed to a...

Objective: Fetal Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction (LUTO) is associated with oligohydramnios and significant fetal morbidity, resulting in poor lung development and perinatal death. However, oligohydram...

Objective: Women who have experienced reproductive loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion) evaluated the usefulness of a novel screening tool, Reproductive Grief Screen (RGS), to identify patie...

Background: The maternal status of multiple micronutrients during pregnancy and postpartum and their potential associations with maternal health outcomes are largely undescribed. Objectives: This stu...

Background: Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduces the risk of miscarriage and preterm birth in selected high-risk women. The hypothesis that vaginal progesterone can reduce the risk of hypertens...

Maternal b-HCG levels fell to undetectable levels one month after birth without treatment. She was doing well and a follow-up six months later revealed no evidence of retained tissue or recurrence.

Data sharing not applicable - no new data generated

Background: Spontaneous preterm birth significantly increases the risk for a recurrent preterm birth. Only a few identifiable clinical risk factors can be referenced in counseling for recurrent preter...

Background: Second-trimester ultrasound is the standard technique for fetal anatomy evaluation in the United States despite international guidelines and literature that suggest that first-trimester ti...

Objectives: As maternal body mass index (BMI) increases, fetal anatomy ultrasound becomes more challenging, less sensitive, and less likely to be complete. We sought to report our experience of incomp...

Background: Cesarean delivery is a major source of maternal morbidity, and repeat cesarean delivery accounts for 40% of cesarean delivery, but recent data on the trial of labor after cesarean and vagi...

Introduction: Perinatal depression and anxiety are major causes of maternal morbidity, and are more common in high-risk pregnancies compared to low-risk pregnancies. This study used validated screenin...

Objective Complicated grief reactions follow some pregnancy outcomes, like miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, infant death, selective reduction, or termination of pregnancy. Stigma can delay tre...

Aim: The objectives of this review are to identify and characterize attempts to transfer ectopic embryos to the uterus, and to understand arguments for and against the feasibility of such an intervent...

Human embryogenesis is a complicated process by which a fertilized egg develops into an embryo. During the first eight weeks of development, the conceptus shifts from a single-celled zygote into a mul...

Importance: The evidence on the association between diet and miscarriage risk is scant and conflicting. Objective: To summarize the evidence on the association between periconceptual diet and miscarr...

Selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) complicates 10%-26% of monochorionic twins. Treatment options include cord coagulation, expectant management, and fetoscopic laser photocoagulation. This revi...

Prenatal antidepressant exposure has been associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study utilized multi-cohor...

Objective: To evaluate the effect of birth ball abdominal core training on fatigue, waist pain, and delivery outcomes in middle and late pregnancy. Methods: A prospective study of 209 primipara in to...

Background: Perinatal palliative care is an emerging concept in fetal medicine that offers quality-of-life options and anticipatory grief management for families of fetuses with complex conditions. Fe...

STUDY Question: What is the association between perceived stress during peri-conception and early pregnancy and pregnancy loss among women who have experienced a prior pregnancy loss? SUMMARY ANSWER:...

Objective: To assess risk factors for anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic using Mind-COVID, a prospective cross-sectional study that compares outcomes in middle-in...

Over the last 5 decades, the fulfillment of maternity wishes in solid organ transplanted women has become a reality. Despite pregnancy contraindication in transplanted women during the early post-tran...

Background: Women with endometriosis may have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Research has focused on infertility clinic populations limiting generalisability. Few studies report diff...

Background: In vitro fertilization (IVF) births contribute to a considerable proportion of preterm birth (PTB) each year. However, there is no formal surveillance of adverse perinatal outcomes for les...

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The recurrence rate of spontaneous preterm birth is high, and additional preventive measures are required. Our objec...

Objective: Perinatal palliative care (PPC) is an option for patients who discover that their infant has a life-limiting fetal condition, which decreases the burden of the condition using a multidiscip...

The definition of a cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) is the localization of the gestational sac (GS) in the cicatrix tissue, which is created in the front wall of the uterus after a previous cesarean sec...

The field of fetal medicine has evolved significantly over the past several decades. Our ability to identify and treat the unborn patient has been shaped by advancements in imaging technology, genetic...

Purpose: Does the OPtimization of Thyroid function, Thrombophilia, Immunity, and Uterine Milieu (OPTIMUM) treatment strategy, developed for treating repeated implantation failure (RIF), contribute to ...

α-Lipoic acid (ALA) is a natural molecule that is inconsistently synthesized by the human body and must be provided from exogenous sources, such as food and dietary supplements. Once absorbed, the oxi...

Objective: Preoperative short cervical length (CL) remains a major risk factor for preterm birth after laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), but the optimal intervention to prolong ...

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are potentially a high-risk population during infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, because of physiologic immune suppression in pregnancy. However, data on the mor...

Objective: Donor demise after laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is well-characterized, but recipient demise is not, nor is neonatal death. This study aims to characterize factors...

Background: Childbearing women have been using various herbs to assist with pregnancy, labour and birth for centuries. One of the most common is raspberry leaf. The evidence base for the use of raspbe...

Background: Childbearing women have been using various herbs to assist with pregnancy, labour and birth for centuries. One of the most common is raspberry leaf. The evidence base for the use of raspbe...

Background: Incidence, risk factors, and perinatal morbidity and mortality rates related to amniotic fluid embolism remain a challenge to evaluate, given the presence of differing international diagno...

Objective: Function of the lower extremities after prenatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair is best assessed with ambulatory function at 30-36 months of age, but parents often ask about function before ...

Despite the available research investigating uterine physiology during and immediately following pregnancy, including at the vascular and muscular levels, knowledge of the potential long-term timeline...

This study aims to evaluate the effects of myo-inositol supplementation on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rates and body water distribution in overweight non-obese women. 223 overweight non-obese...

Introduction: Breastfeeding has immediate and long-term benefits for both maternal and child health. This study examines the association between Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) experiences an...

Interventions to prevent pregnancy complications have been largely unsuccessful. We suggest this is because the foundation for a healthy pregnancy is laid prior to the establishment of the pregnancy a...

Objective: To estimate the association between physical activity and risk of subclinical and clinical pregnancy loss among women with a history of pregnancy loss. Design: Prospective cohort study as a...

Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. Several small trials have suggested that progesterone supplementation may reduce the risk of miscarriage in women with recurrent or threaten...

BACKGROUND: Preconception health may have intergenerational influences. We have formed the PrePARED (Preconception Period Analysis of Risks and Exposures influencing health and Development) research c...

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is one of the most frequent complications of pregnancy and is characterized by a carbohydrate intolerance which is diagnosed with the oral glucose tolerance test. T...

Thyroid autoantibodies, specifically thyroid peroxidase antibodies, have been associated with miscarriage and pre-term birth in women with a normal thyroid function. Small randomised controlled trials...

IMPORTANCE: Birth by cesarean delivery is increasing globally, particularly cesarean deliveries without medical indication. Children born via cesarean delivery may have an increased risk of negative h...

Perinatal palliative care refers to a coordinated care strategy that comprises options for obstetric and newborn care that include a focus on maximizing quality of life and comfort for newborns with a...

Poor social support is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. Maternity group homes (MGHs), residential programs for pregnant women, have been found to improve social support in small studies. Th...

Introduction: Hospitals are in a unique position to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. However, the association between in-hospital events and breastfeeding success within population-based s...

Objectives: The association between caffeine and pregnancy loss remains controversial due to limitations of prior studies such as relying on self-reported intake only, exposure measurement after clini...

Background: Bleeding in early pregnancy is strongly associated with pregnancy loss. Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. Several small trials have suggested that progesterone th...

Background: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analyses was to assess the risk of preeclampsia among women who conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART). Methods: We searche...

Fetal survival and development is supported by the maternal immune system. Questions regarding those mechanisms have risen from development of transplantation medicine and observation of graft rejecti...

Objective: The aim of the present study was to perform a comprehensive review of the literature to provide a complete and clear picture of isthmocele-a hypoechoic area within the myometrium at the sit...

Ultrasound is a form of energy with effects in tissues it traverses (bioeffects). The major bioeffects are a rise in temperature (thermal effects) and some effects secondary to the alternating positiv...

Objective: To identify the effects of different dietary inositol stereoisomers on insulin resistance and the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women at high risk for this disorder....

Catholic bioethicists have extensively addressed extrauterine tubal pregnancies, which represent the great majority of ectopic pregnancies. However, additional management options have been developed f...

Study Question: Is physical activity (PA) associated with fecundability in women with a history of prior pregnancy loss? Summary Answer: Higher fecundability was related to walking among overweight/o...

Although maternal nutrition may affect fecundity, associations between preconception micronutrient levels and time to pregnancy (TTP) have not been examined. We assessed the relationship between preco...

BACKGROUND: Limited evidences were reported about the risk of pre-pregnancy hair dye use or irregular menstruation with abnormal birth weight during pregnancy, and their joint effects were also unknow...

Problem/condition: Since the first U.S. infant conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) was born in 1981, both the use of ART and the number of fertility clinics providing ART services ha...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of adjuvant 17-α-hydroxy-progesterone caproate (17OHP-C) in reducing the risk of preterm delivery <34 weeks and adverse perinatal outcomes in women with ≥3 second tr...

BACKGROUND: Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is a well-known cause of mental retardation. It can be diagnosed in early pregnancy. Scientists have made great strides in outlining the pathophysiologic mechani...

The US cesarean delivery rate remains 30%-32%. Increases in maternal age, obesity, and diabetes put upward pressure on this rate. Alternatives to cesarean delivery, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)...

An isthmocele appears as a fluid pouchlike defect in the anterior uterine wall at the site of a prior cesarean section and ranges in prevalence from 19% to 84%, a direct relation to the increase in ce...

Background: Probiotics may help to prevent symptoms of anxiety and depression through several putative mechanisms. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnos...

The literature on the relationship between diet and human fertility has greatly expanded over the last decade, resulting in the identification of a few clear patterns. Intake of supplemental folic aci...

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate that the use of inositol and folic acid from the first trimester of pregnancy, counteracts the onset of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women at ...

BACKGROUND: Preterm preeclampsia is an important cause of maternal and perinatal death and complications. It is uncertain whether the intake of low-dose aspirin during pregnancy reduces the risk of pr...

Late preterm infants are at risk for short-term morbidities. We report that late preterm singletons conceived with fertility treatment have increased risk for admission to the neonatal intensive care ...

The Zika virus has spread rapidly in the Americas since its first identification in Brazil in early 2015. Prenatal Zika virus infection has been linked to adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, most no...

STUDY Question: Were spontaneous miscarriages more frequent in women with histologically proven endometriosis when compared with endometriosis-free controls? SUMMARY ANSWER: Endometriosis-affected wo...

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid dysfunction has been described as a possible risk factor for having an abnormal fetal position at birth. In this study we aim to determine the association between thyroid function i...

Study Question: What is the association between daily preconception-initiated low-dose aspirin (LDA) treatment and very early pregnancy losses or euploid (chromosomally normal) losses among women with...

Our study supports the hypothesis that there is no physiologic evidence for delaying pregnancy attempt after an early loss.

Progesterone support in pregnancy has been in use for over 60 years, having received its start in the 1940s. Its initial use was in patients who had habitual spontaneous abortion caused by luteal phas...

Objective: To evaluate whether myo-inositol supplementation may reduce gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rate in overweight women. Methods: In an open-label, randomized trial, myo-inositol (2 g plu...

BACKGROUND: Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. However, whether progesterone supplementation in the first trimester of pregnancy would increase the rate of live births among w...

Introduction: Very few studies describe the obstetric and neonatal outcome of spontaneous pregnancies in women with irregular menstrual cycles. However, menstrual cycle irregularities are common and m...

Over the past quarter century it has become clear that adult onset chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes have their roots in early development. The report by David Barker and colleag...

Background: Several lines of evidence suggest that male embryos may have greater vulnerability than female embryos to disordered inflammation; therefore, antiinflammatory drugs, such as low-dose aspir...

Objective: To evaluate whether myo-inositol supplementation, an insulin sensitizer, reduces the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and lowers insulin resistance in obese pregnant women. Meth...

The prevalence of the herbal medicines use is on the rise across the world, especially amongst pregnant women. The scenario in the Middle Eastern region was reviewed to explore the prevalence, usage p...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate perinatal outcomes associated with fertility treatments, including assisted reproductive technology (ART), intrauterine insemination with ovulation stimulation (IUI), and ovu...

The prevalence of the herbal medicines use is on the rise across the world, especially amongst pregnant women. The scenario in the Middle Eastern region was reviewed to explore the prevalence, usage p...

Objective: The objective was to determine the effect of preconception-initiated daily low-dose aspirin (LDA; 81 mg/day) treatment on time to pregnancy in women with a history of pregnancy loss. Design...

Background. Several studies have shown a possible involvement of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in individuals with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), but the relationship remains controversial. ...

Objective: We sought to assess the relationship between a short interpregnancy interval (IPI) following a pregnancy loss and subsequent live birth and pregnancy outcomes. Study Design: A secondary an...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been recognized as a significant risk factor for unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among women with GDM. Th...

Novel findings in microbiology question the long-standing paradigm that a healthy pregnancy implies a sterile uterus. It now seems that the placenta is frequently colonized with bacteria, and a placen...

Thrombophilia alters normal hemostasis, shifting the balance in favor of thrombus formation. Inherited conditions include factor V Leiden (FVL), prothrombin G20210A mutation, deficiencies in natural a...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of coital lubricants and oils on sperm motility. DESIGN: Comparative prospective in vitro study. SETTING: University Andrology laboratory. PATIENT(S): Twenty-two ...

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is defined as 3 or more miscarriages before 20 weeks' pregnancy. In recent years, interest has been focused on chronic endometritis (CE), a subtle inflammation thought to be...

Background: Low-dose aspirin (LDA) has been proposed to improve pregnancy outcomes in couples experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss. However, results from studies of LDA on pregnancy outcomes have bee...

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy are the most common conditions affecting pregnancy, occurring in about 80% of all pregnancies and always disappearing on the 16th to 18th weeks of gest...

OBJECTIVE: To present a series of cases demonstrating successful reversal of mifepristone effects in women who chose to reverse the medical abortion process. CASE REPORTS: Four of 6 women who took mi...

Use of metformin throughout pregnancy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has shown to reduce the rates of early pregnancy loss, preterm labor, and prevention of fetal growth restriction. M...

The majority of miscarriages are sporadic and most result from genetic causes that are greatly influenced by maternal age. Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is defined by two or more failed clinical preg...

OBJECTIVE: To study the outcomes of women with infertility or miscarriage treated with natural procreative technology (NaProTechnology or NPT), a systematic medical approach to promoting conception in...

An obstetric hemorrhage may occur before or after delivery, but more than 80% of cases occur postpartum. Worldwide, a massive obstetric hemorrhage, resulting from the failure of normal obstetrical, su...

Amy Kuebelbeck was 25 weeks into her pregnancy when she received the terrible news. Her fetus had been diagnosed with an incurable heart defect. If she carried through with her pregnancy, her baby's l...

Via its interaction in several pathways, normal thyroid function is important to maintain normal reproduction. In both genders, changes in SHBG and sex steroids are a consistent feature associated wit...

Background: Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is commonly prescribed to women immediately postpartum due to its efficacy, convenience and lack of estrogen. It is unclear whether administering a...

CONTEXT: The definition of what constitutes a normal TSH during pregnancy is in flux. Recent studies suggested that the first trimester upper limit of normal for TSH should be 2.5 mIU/liter. OBJECTIV...

BACKGROUND: Oral contraceptives (OCs) are the most commonly used reversible contraceptive method among US women. Although the majority of previous studies have reported no association between OC use d...

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between suboptimal maternal thyroid function during gestation and breech presentation at term. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study during three trimesters of gest...

Pregnancy could be associated with a state of oxidative stress that could initiate and propagate a cascade of changes that may lead to pregnancy wastage. This process of oxidative stress may be suppre...

This is the first known case of extended somatic support beyond viability for a pregnant woman with brain death resulting from metastatic malignant melanoma, resulting in a live birth.

Background: We postulated that impaired endometrial differentiation in women with pelvic endometriosis predisposes for pre-eclampsia. Methods: A retrospective case-control study set at the University...

BACKGROUND: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are considered to be at increased risk of miscarriage. Since metformin has beneficial effects on the risk factors contributing to first-trimeste...

CONTEXT: Euthyroid women with autoimmune thyroid disease show impairment of thyroid function during gestation and seem to suffer from a higher rate of obstetrical complications. OBJECTIVE: We sought ...

Furthermore, direct questioning and a scrutiny of records of these patients showed that before the full development of the signs of toxaemia—that is, oedema, hypertension, and albuminuria—most had ear...

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine proportions of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) multiple birth infants receiving neonatal intensive care whose mothers received various types of infertili...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of neurologic morbidity in preterm monochorionic (MC) and dichorionic (DC) twins. STUDY DESIGN: We collected perinatal, neonatal, a...

OBJECTIVE: Long-term outcome, including school-age function, has been infrequently reported in infants born at ages as young as 23-26 weeks' gestation. The objective of this study is to report outcome...

The determinants of successful human reproduction and development may act as early as periconceptionally, underscoring the need to capture exposures during these critical windows when assessing potent...

Preterm birth affects 12% of all births in the United States. Recent studies support the hypothesis that progesterone supplementation reduces preterm birth in a select group of women (ie, those with a...

This review addresses questions related to medicosocial concerns surrounding the care of women with multiple births and their infants. Relevant articles and texts on twin and triplet pregnancies were ...

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of intrauterine growth restriction on mortality and morbidity in the Israel cohort of very low birth weight premature infants. METHODS: The study population included...

OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence of effectiveness of prenatal care for preventing low birth weight (LBW). METHODS: We reviewed original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and commentaries ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the outcome of infants with a gestational age (GA) <27 weeks, born in the mid-1990s. DESIGN: Regional, prospective study; part of the Leiden Follow-Up Project on Prematurity. ...

BACKGROUND: Women who have had a spontaneous preterm delivery are at greatly increased risk for preterm delivery in subsequent pregnancies. The results of several small trials have suggested that 17 a...

It has become almost a platitude to lament the complexity and intractability of the problem of preterm delivery, the poor predictive value of screening tests for its occurrence, its resistance to atte...

OBJECTIVES: This report presents 2001 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, r...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic vaginal progesterone in decreasing preterm birth rate in a high-risk population. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, double-bli...

Adrenomedullin (AM) gains its bioactivity by amidation at its C-terminal, forming "mature AM." The mature AM and the expression of AM receptor component mRNAs, receptor activity-modifying protein 2 an...

The incidence of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection and the possible correlation between couples presenting with first-trimester spontaneous abortions and active Ct infection was assessed. Additiona...

CONTEXT: As a result of oocyte donation, women in their sixth decade of life are now able to conceive and carry pregnancies to term. However, little is known about pregnancy outcomes in this populatio...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale versus routine clinical evaluation to detect postpartum depression among a low-income inne...

OBJECTIVE: To more precisely understand the changes in triplet births in recent years. STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of recent government and medical publications pertaining to triplets. RESULTS: Triplet b...

The first 3 postpartum months represent a high-risk period for psychiatric illnesses. This article reviews the prevalence and diagnostic criteria for postpartum illnesses, including the "maternal blue...

BACKGROUND: Women who are positive for thyroid antibodies in early gestation are prone to post-partum depression, apparently independent of thyroid dysfunction, as measured by serum levels of free thy...

OBJECTIVE: Early ultrasound scanning estimation of gestational age is known to increase the reported preterm delivery rate (<37 completed weeks) compared with estimation by date of the last normal men...

BACKGROUND: It is not known whether infants conceived with use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection or in vitro fertilization have a higher risk of birth defects than infants conceived naturally. METH...

BACKGROUND: The increased risk of low birth weight associated with the use of assisted reproductive technology has been attributed largely to the higher rate of multiple gestations associated with suc...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether metformin safely reduced development of gestational diabetes in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective and retrospective study. SETTING: Ou...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety of ICSI, this study compared data of IVF and ICSI children by collecting data on neonatal outcome and congenital malformations during pregnancy and at birth. METHOD...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the relationship of assisted reproductive technologies and ovulation-inducing drugs with preeclampsia in multiple gestations. METHODS: This historical cohort study was conducte...

BACKGROUND: There is an absence of population-based long-term studies on the risk of neurological sequelae in children born after in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Our aim was to compare the frequency of ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify and test the predictive power of potential independent risk factors of postpartum depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the perinatal period. METHODS: We conducted a case-co...

The implantation of fertilized ova and the formation of the placenta are crucial steps in reproduction. This review summarizes current information about these steps, including some of the molecular me...

OBJECTIVE: We examined the hypothesis that amniotic fluid (AF) infection and elevated cytokine concentrations may cause neonatal injury beyond that expected solely from prematurity. METHODS: The effe...

BACKGROUND: To determine the influence of chorioamnionitis and neonatal sepsis on procalcitonin (PCT) levels in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants within the first week of life. DESIGN: PCT serum l...

The role of luteal phase estrogen in pregnancy outcome has been a matter of considerable debate. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of estrogen supplementation in gonadotropin releasing hormone ag...

OBJECTIVE: To review validation studies of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). METHOD: A systematic search was performed in Medline and the Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI) from the...

This review presents data to suggest that postnatal estradiol and progesterone replacement therapy may be beneficial in preterm infants. During pregnancy, maternal plasma levels of estradiol and proge...

Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) is approved for use in a number of conditions that may occur in obstetrical patients, including autoimmune thrombocytopenia and immune deficiency syndromes. IVIG als...

CONTEXT: Although shortened cervical length has been consistently associated with spontaneous preterm birth, it is not known when in gestation this risk factor becomes apparent. OBJECTIVE: To determi...

A high prevalence of psychiatric illness has been noted in the postpartum period. Recent research looks to the potential effects of maternal illness during this period on child development. With the p...

And his daughter‐in‐law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant near to giving birth, and got to hear the report that the ark of the true God was captured and that her father‐in‐law and her husband had di...

OBJECTIVE: To examine prenatal, maternal, and infant outcomes and costs through 1 year after delivery using a model of prenatal care for women at high risk of delivering low-birth-weight infants in wh...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine survival, morbidity, and resource use in a large cohort of extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: We examined all (n = 754) neonatal intensive ...

BACKGROUND: The postpartum period is a time when women are vulnerable to depressive disorders, which can be severe and have long-lasting adverse sequelae. In spite of multiple contacts with health car...

The role of human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) in the maintenance of early pregnancy is well known. Recent data suggests that hCG may play a role in the maintenance of the later stages of pregnancy as...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between indomethacin tocolysis and neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage. METHODS: Fifty-six preterm neonates with intraventricular hemorrhage were matched by g...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between prematurity and birth defects. STUDY DESIGN: In a population-based cohort study, infants with birth defects were ascertained through the Metropolita...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate maternal serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) levels in patients with preterm labor without clinical signs of chorioamnionitis and to compare these with levels in nonla...

OBJECTIVES: Over the last 10 years, diffusion of assisted reproduction techniques (ovarian stimulation, IVF, GIFT) has led to an increased incidence of multiple pregnancies and consequently, of the re...

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression refers to a non-psychotic depressive episode that begins in or extends into the postpartum period. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of depressive ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contributions of ovulation-inducing drugs and assisted reproductive technologies to multiple birth. METHODS: This historic prospective study was conducted in a cohort of...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether metformin would safely reduce the rate of first-trimester spontaneous abortion without teratogenicity in 19 women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Pr...

OBJECTIVE: To relate serum allopregnanolone and progesterone levels postpartum to maternity "blues." METHODS: Forty primiparous, healthy, married women (24-39 years of age; at least 13 years of educa...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension in patients with and without polycystic ovary disease (PCOD). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective, case-control analysis o...

The number of births, the crude birth rate (14.5 in 2001), and the fertility rate (67.2 in 2001) all declined slightly (by 1% or less) from 2000 to 2001. Fertility rates were highest for Hispanic wome...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serial measurements of salivary estriol (E3) to detect increased risk of spontaneous preterm labor and preterm birth. METHODS: A masked, prospective, multicenter trial of 956 w...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between subfertility and spontaneous abortion. METHODS: A total of 1572 women in New York and Vermont reported 3269 pregnancies bet...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the degree of cervical lengthening after cerclage and whether serial follow-up measurements of cervical length after cerclage are predictive of pregnancy outcome. METH...

CONTEXT: The World Health Organization defines preterm birth as birth at less than 37 completed gestational weeks, but most studies have focused on very preterm infants (birth at <32 weeks) because of...

Multiple births (of all orders) increased in epidemic proportions in the years 1971-1997. Twins increased 53%, 32%, 31%, and 83% in white, Afro-American, Native American and Mexican American women, re...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the community prevalence in Olmsted County, Minnesota of elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a self-report screening tool for postpartum depression. ME...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk of adverse outcomes in women whose first day of the last menstrual period (LMP) was unreliable. METHODS: Among 20,244 singleton pregnancies with measurements of bipari...

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that human myometrium contains receptors for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and that hCG can inhibit myometrial contractions in vitro. Objective: To...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential role of amniotic fluid (AF) interleukin (IL)-6 as a predictor of preterm delivery and to consider possible explanations for the proportion of women with elevated A...

PURPOSE: To quantify the contribution of in vitro fertilization (IVF) on changes in the rates of low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery, very low birth weight, and multiple births during the past 3 ...

Objective: To assess maternal morbidity, and neonatal outcome and especially long term sequelae in infants born preterm due to maternal or fetal indications. Design: Analysis of retrospective cohort. ...

The aim of this study was to report the outcome of all clinical pregnancies obtained after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) performed during a 5 year period at two fertility clinics, with speci...

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to provide a detailed description of patterns of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study was performed with 160 women who provided daily recordi...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of intravaginal and intrarectal plus oral indomethacin for the treatment of preterm labor. METHODS: Between December 1996 and November 1998, 46 eligible gravidas ad...

OBJECTIVE: We compared nifedipine and ritodrine for treatment of preterm labor with respect to neonatal outcome. METHODS: We conducted an open randomized multicenter study of neonatal outcome in 185 ...

This is the second edition of this guideline; the first edition was published in 2011 under the same name. It supplements NICE guideline NG25 Preterm labour and birth. Cerclage remains one of the stan...

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether induced abortion influences subsequent pregnancy duration. METHODS: Women who had their first pregnancies during 1980, 1981, and 1982 were identified in three Danish nat...

The aim of this study was to examine the separate and joint effects of previous pregnancy history, year of pregnancy outcome, maternal age, height, smoking and fertility on risk of fetal death. Data w...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of any tocolytic compared with a placebo or no tocolytic for preterm labor. DATA SOURCES: We checked MEDLINE (1966-1998) and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Reg...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effect of antepartum and intrapartum antibiotic use on antimicrobial-resistant neonatal sepsis. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed perinatal outcomes for 8474 pregnancies ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the predictive accuracy for preterm delivery of transvaginal ultrasonography of the cervix between 14 and 24 weeks' gestation in high-risk patients and to determine ...

Infant mortality has decreased nationwide; however, our national rates still log behind those of other industrialized countries, especially the rates for minority groups. This study evaluates the effe...

The incidence of cardiovascular disease in women is negligible before natural or surgically-induced menopause, and increases after menopause. Epidemiological data suggest that estrogen replacement the...

Pregnancies achieved from oocyte, sperm or embryo donation are unique, since they have resulted from donor gametes that are immunologically foreign to the mother. Thus, studying the obstetric outcome ...

OBJECTIVES: To test the association between cytokine levels in the amniotic fluid and (i) the vascular invasion phase of intrauterine infection, (ii) the occurrence of periventricular leukomalacia; to...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of amniotic fluid (AF) matrix metalloproteinase-9 measurements for diagnosing intra-amniotic infection in women with preterm labor. METHODS: We performed amniocen...

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in length of incompetent cervices after cerclage, using transvaginal ultrasound. METHODS: Patients were enrolled in a prospective, observational study under an Institu...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adrenomedullin levels in amniotic fluid were associated with preterm labor. METHODS: We measured immunoreactive adrenomedullin in amniotic fluid collected by amniocent...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the anatomic and technical difficulties encountered with transvaginal ultrasound imaging of the cervix in a consecutive series of women at risk for preterm delivery. METHODS: T...

This article reviews the arguments for the use of multifetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR) for the prevention of preterm deliveries in triplet and higher order multiple pregnancies and evaluates its effe...

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to study the effect of therapeutic McDonald cerclage on cervical length with the use of transvaginal ultrasonography. STUDY DESIGN: Cervical length was measured serially in si...

OBJECTIVE: The study was conducted to identify medical, obstetrical and social risk factors associated with early preterm births (<32+0 gestational weeks). STUDY DESIGN: The Statewide Perinatal Surve...

The purpose of our study was to analyze the efficacy of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) serial evaluations in the prediction of ch...

beta-mimetics have been prescribed by physicians to arrest or prevent premature labor for more than 20 years. Although not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tocolytic use, terbuta...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of complications in the use of assisted reproductive technology in the management of infertile couples. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: The Egyptian IVF...

OBJECTIVE: Recommendations for the use of antenatal antibiotics in obstetrics have increased in the past few years, especially for prophylaxis against group B streptococci, for prolongation of the lat...

Preterm birth, which occurs in 11 percent of all pregnancies, is responsible for the majority of neonatal deaths and nearly one half of all cases of congenital neurologic disability, including cerebra...

A community-based sample of 107 women completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 14 weeks postpartum an...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin test to predict preterm delivery. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, Current Contents, Index Medicus, and proceedings of meetings for studies...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the occurrence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: This was a retrospective comparative study of ultrasonographic findings of...

BACKGROUND: Depressed new mothers usually do not seek and therefore do not receive any psychiatric help. METHODS: In order to assess predictive signs of postpartum depression (PPD), an unselected sam...

The months following childbirth are a time of heightened vulnerability to depressive mood changes. Because of the abrupt and dramatic changes occurring in hormone levels after delivery, many studies h...

OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of telephone calls from registered nurses to low-income pregnant women on the rates of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm births. METHODS: A total of 1554 women receivin...

Because the onset of mood and anxiety disorders often occurs during the childbearing years, many women may be taking psychotropic medications for these disorders when they conceive. These medications ...

OBJECTIVE: It is now accepted that gelatinase B (92 kd type IV collagenase) is involved in blastocyst implantation and trophoblast invasion. However, little is known about the regulation of this enzym...

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between fetal fibronectin, short cervix, bacterial vaginosis, other traditional risk factors, and spontaneous preterm birth. METHOD...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the structure and metabolism of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and the effect of molecular heterogeneity on the immunodiagnosis and monitoring of gestational trophoblastic di...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether serum interleukin-6 concentrations predict impending preterm delivery. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 130 gravidas at 22-34 weeks' gestation. The study gro...

PROBLEM: Neonatal outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancies has been described by different authors, but several issues have yet to be resolved. The aim of the present study was to evaluate ...

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Whether the rate of preterm birth can be reduced by frequent contact between nurses and pregnant women or home monitori...

This study explored a multifactorial model for the prediction of the intensity of depressive symptoms in postpartum women. Data were gathered from 213 pregnant women during the second trimester of pre...

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at 8 times higher risk than term infants for pre- and perinatal brain damage, resulting in cerebral palsy. In this paper we have analysed the influence of prenatal and ...

OBJECTIVE: Reports suggest that there is an increased incidence of preeclampsia after a previously normal pregnancy if there is a change in paternity. We hypothesize that there is a higher incidence o...

Mood disorders are common in women. A prepregnancy personal history of mood disorder (bipolar or major depression), premenstrual syndrome, or (possibly) postpartum blues places a woman at high risk fo...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the complications and outcome of pregnancy in women with polycystic ovary disease (PCOD). STUDY DESIGN: The course and outcome of 47 singleton pregnancies in women with well-do...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the risk of preterm birth for mothers who themselves were born before term. METHODS: Data were taken from a linked data base of birth certificates composed of two cohorts: 1) a ...

We estimated the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and neopterin, in serum of twelve nonpregnant (group A) and 28 pregnant women between 28-36 weeks of pregnancy. Group B consisted of eight patients with...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether singleton IVF pregnancies carry adverse maternal or fetal outcome when compared with naturally conceived gestations. DESIGN: An analysis of the obstetric outcome of si...

OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a questionnaire used antepartum to screen for postpartum depression. STUDY DESIGN: Demographic and clinical data, based on previously identified variables, were obt...

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a 72 amino acid peptide secreted by cells of the immune system and of the amnion, chorion and decidua, was measured in women in late pregnancy. IL-8 was detected in the urine of ...

OBJECTIVE: To test whether subfertile women may be at higher risk of preterm delivery. METHODS: We used data from two population-based cohort studies on risk factors and pregnancy outcome for approxi...

We encountered a case of ovarian cancer in a 33-year-old, 8-week pregnant woman. Histological examination revealed both a transitive form of ovarian endometriosis with marked decidual changes due to p...

Postpartum mood disorders are common. The clustering of mood-disorder episodes after birth compels a search for factors particularly potent during childbearing. In this article, the complex relationsh...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether treatment with low dose aspirin and heparin leads to a higher rate of live births than that achieved with low dose aspirin alone in women with a history of recurrent mi...

Epidemiologic studies demonstrate a twofold higher rate of depression in women than in men. The childbearing years are a time of increased risk for onset of depression in women. Pregnancy, miscarriage...

C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated during spontaneous labour, in imminent premature parturition (IPP) and after preterm rupture of oocyst membranes (PROM). Increasing CRP level during spon...

Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depressive disorders, many signs and symptoms of this illness are dismissed as normal physiologic changes associated with childbirth. Prompt recognition and t...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the test characteristics of a self-report questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, when used as a screening test for depression in a population of ambulatory pregnant wome...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of routine management of patients at high risk for preterm delivery to the effectiveness of routine management in combination with daily telephone nursing conta...

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether perioperative transvaginal ultrasonographic evaluation of the incompetent cervix treated with emergency cerclage is predictive of pregnancy outcome. ST...

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the continuum between normal and preterm labor to prevent spontaneous preterm birth and low birth weight. METHODS: Between August 1, 1992, and November 30, 1993, obstetric ...

The third trimester of human pregnancy is characterized by a hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, possibly driven by progressively increasing circulating levels of placental CRH and gradua...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of fetal fibronectin in the cervix and vagina as a screening test for spontaneous preterm birth. METHODS: Two thousand nine hundred twenty-nine women at ten center...

BACKGROUND: The role of the cervix in the pathogenesis of premature delivery is controversial. In a prospective, multicenter study of pregnant women, we used vaginal ultrasonography to measure the len...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic and prognostic performance of maternal blood C-reactive protein, white blood cell count (WBC), and temperature with that of amniotic fluid (AF) WBC in preterm labo...

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the cytokine levels in the amniotic fluid (AF) and the histological stage of chorioamnionitis (CAM) in premature labor. AF of 6 cases (...

Preterm birth complicates 8-10% of all pregnancies in the United States and is the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Neonatal morbidity and mortality is concentrated among very low-birt...

The outcome of 103 pregnancies in 64 women with constant hyperprolactinemia was evaluated. Seventy-eight pregnancies had been induced with bromocriptine and 25 occurred without any treatment. In all, ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between pregnancy complications and fetal outcome in first and second pregnancies, focusing on idiopathic and indicated preterm birth of singleton infants in ei...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether preterm-birth prevention educational programs are effective at reducing neonatal mortality, low birth weight (LBW), and preterm delivery. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE litera...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of pregnancies and children at birth resulting from IVF-ET and to assess whether they differ from those after natural conception. DESIGN: Prospective multic...

OBJECTIVE: To compare ampicillin with and without sulbactam with respect to the effect on the latency period after preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM). METHODS: Patients with PROM at 25-35 ...

There is considerable evidence that the childbearing years represent a time when women are highly vulnerable to developing mood disorders. Prospective, cross-sectional, and retrospective studies have ...

OBJECTIVE: To compile, for the first time, serial ultrasonographic findings during the first trimester of pregnancy in women with a history of primary recurrent spontaneous abortion so as to define th...

To correlate luteal estradiol (E2) levels with pregnancy outcome, 36 consecutive conceptions resulting from gamete intrafallopian transfer in gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist/human menopausal go...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate catalase activity as a rapid predictor of microbial invasion of amniotic fluid (AF). METHODS: The study population consisted of 74 patients before 36 weeks' gestation with pret...

In this study we evaluated different markers of infection and their relationship to preterm delivery. Forty-four consecutive women with singleton pregnancies in uncomplicated preterm labor were invest...

OBJECTIVES: We describe the epidemiologic characteristics of conception, including subclinical early pregnancy loss, in a population of healthy women volunteers who had heterogeneous fertility experie...

We report the existence of a 'placental clock', which is active from an early stage in human pregnancy and determines the length of gestation and the timing of parturition and delivery. Using a prospe...

We investigated the impact of pregestationally elevated insulin plasma levels on glycemic control in pregnant women with polycystic ovary disease (PCOD). Twelve patients with PCOD who became pregnant ...

The aim of this study was to investigate women who had first-episode psychosis within 1 year after parturition. The Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Medical Birth Register were linke...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether luteal phase defect (LPD) may be an etiologic factor in ectopic pregnancy (EP). DESIGN: All patients who were seen over a 6-year period with the chief complaint of inf...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if first-trimester exposure to sex hormones, and oral contraceptives (OCs) specifically, is associated with an increased risk of external fetal genital malformations. DATA SOU...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether long-term intravenous (IV) tocolysis using combined terbutaline and magnesium sulfate is safe and effective. METHODS: One thousand consecutive women in preterm labor w...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of subfertility with miscarriage, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. DESIGN: Comparison of time to pregnancy distributions between pregnancies that had dif...

Silent intrauterine infection as cause of preterm labour should be recognised early by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the maternal serum. Ensuing antibiotic therapy may not only cause ge...

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this prospective study was to test whether preterm birth prevention education plus increased clinic visits and selected prophylactic interventions reduce preterm bi...

A group of 119 patients suffering from a severe psychiatric postpartum disorder who were admitted for the first time in their life to a psychiatric hospital has been investigated. The onset of illness...

OBJECTIVE: To determine prospectively the incidence of several pulmonary diagnoses among infants born through clear or meconium-stained amniotic fluid (AF) managed by a selective approach to tracheal ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of fertility drugs and IVF on the outcome of triplet pregnancies. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: A single university medical center. PATIENTS: One hun...

OBJECTIVE: To establish a nomogram for the length of the uterocervical canal and to determine whether this can be used to predict preterm delivery. METHODS: Cervical length was measured by transvagin...

BACKGROUND: Although low-dose aspirin has been reported to reduce the incidence of preeclampsia among women at high risk for this complication, its efficacy and safety in healthy, nulliparous pregnant...

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and intraamniotic infection in 48 women presenting with preterm labor and intact membranes. Blood sa...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical, microbiologic, and histologic findings associated with elevated C-reactive protein levels among women in preterm labor or with preterm premature rupture of the membran...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of pregnancy following assisted conception. DESIGN: Cohort descriptive study. SETTING: Unit of Reproductive Medicine, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School. SUBJECT...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether cervical cerclage in women deemed to be at increased risk of cervical incompetence prolongs pregnancy and thereby improves fetal and neonatal outcome. DESIGN: Multicentre...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of hCG therapy with placebo or bed rest in women with threatened abortion. DESIGN: Random assignment, double-blind. SETTING: Community hospitals. PATIENTS AND INTE...

Serum progesterone (P) levels were determined at the time of routine prenatal registration (227 patients) or upon presentation for evaluation of vaginal bleeding and/or abdominopelvic cramping/pain (1...

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine the efficacy and safety of tocolytic agents currently used to treat premature labor. STUDY DESIGN: We carried out a comprehensive review of tocolytic agents in the...

Preterm labor is defined as the onset of uterine contractions in a woman who has completed less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. It may be due to maternal, placental, fetal, or idiopathic causes, and it is...

An international ten-centre double-blind trial comparing hCG with placebo in the management of habitual abortion was conducted. The dose regime for hCG used was 10,000 IU i.m. on first diagnosis of pr...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the tocolytic efficacy and side effects of parenteral and oral magnesium and terbutaline. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients in labor between 23-35 weeks were prospectively entered ...

OBJECTIVE: The null hypothesis of this study is that maternal administration of indomethacin or terbutaline will not affect fetal breathing and body movements. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty patients with a lo...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the obstetric outcome of in vitro fertilization pregnancies with normally conceived pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: The obstetric outcome of in vitro fertilization pregnancies achiev...

Thirty cases of post-partum psychotic disorders occurred between 1973 and 1987 and hospitalized at the Psychiatric Ward of Florence University were studied and followed up. A structured diagnostic int...

Hypofolatemia can cause psychiatric disturbances of a depressive nature. Pregnancy and delivery are often associated with hypofolatemia. This study was conducted to determine if hypofolatemia at day 3...

The clinician is often held responsible for obstetric events that are suspected of being related to cerebral palsy. To review the incidence of cerebral palsy and to aid the clinician in this situation...

Pregnancies of 112 patients who had conceived after a history of a minimum of 2 years of infertility were compared to an equal number of matching controls without prior infertility to find out any ris...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if repetitive administration of hCG causes decreased pregnancy wastage rates in patients who are at a high risk of luteal inadequacy. DESIGN: Ovulation induction using human m...

A prospective and randomized study was performed to investigate the effect of supportive hormones on the development and outcome of early pregnancies following in vitro fertilization and embryo transf...

Premature birth causes high rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality. There are multiple causes of preterm birth. This article reviews the evidence linking subclinical infection and premature birth. ...

Women experiencing recurrent spontaneous abortion have a higher frequency of infertility than that expected in the general population. To further define the relationships between infertility and spont...

OBJECTIVE: To review the maternal morbidity and neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) multiple pregnancies. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of data collected fr...

The Medical Research Council In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Register report on births resulting from assisted conception in Great Britain demonstrated a high incidence of preterm and low birthweight bab...

There are no absolute objective diagnostic criteria for cervical incompetence. Abdominal and endovaginal ultrasonographic assessment of endocervical length, both of which have been associated with tec...

Physicians compared clinical history, examination, and laboratory data on 10 pregnant women at various gestational ages with intact membranes till labor began (controls) with data on 25 pregnant women...

Some randomized studies have suggested a significant beneficial effect of 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate in the prevention of preterm labor [1, 2], The therapy in both studies was initiated at approx...

Home uterine activity monitoring has been proposed as an effective technique for reducing the incidence of preterm birth by early recognition of incipient labor. Five randomized controlled trials eval...

Infertility, spontaneous abortions and trisomic anomalies increase with maternal age, as do ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, macrosomia, abruptio placentae and labor dysfunction. However, those ph...

Fifty-one consecutive twin pregnancies studied prospectively were compared with 153 consecutive control twin gestations that were concurrently delivered, but chosen retrospectively. Study patients wer...

Home uterine activity monitoring has been described as an effective means of detecting uterine contractions, but controversy exists whether it is home uterine activity monitoring or increased nursing ...

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between subfertility and low birth weight infants. DESIGN: Women in this analysis participated in a cross-sectional investigation of maternal risk factors for ...

The results of a study concerning the treatment of acute menace of preterm labor are given: beta-mimetics were administered intravenously in all cases (44) and micronized progesterone or placebo was a...

At an interdisciplinary workshop on home monitoring of uterine activity, participants reviewed the basis of this technology and its use in the identification of women at high risk of preterm delivery ...

The relative contributions of home tokodynamometry and daily nursing telephone contact to the success of preterm birth prevention programs remains a subject of debate. Because investigators have obtai...

Rabbit uterine cervical fibroblasts produced a large amount of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as collagenase (MMP-1) and stromelysin (MMP-3) and a small relatively amount of tissue inhibitor of...

A randomized prospective trial was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of ritodrine and indomethacin in the long-term treatment of preterm labor. Forty patients with intact membranes in prete...

A total of 394 patients were enrolled in a study to assess the effectiveness of an educational preterm delivery prevention program and to determine whether the addition of home uterine monitoring to t...

Maternal serum C-reactive protein (CRP) has been studied extensively as an adjunct in the diagnosis of subclinical infection among pregnant women with preterm labor or preterm rupture of membranes. Ho...

Functional psychosis in the puerperal period is a dramatic phenomenon that presents a unique set of diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Despite its omission from modern classificatory systems such ...

The relative contribution of uterine activity obtained by home monitoring with a guard ring tocodynamometer compared with seven specific signs and symptoms reported during patient/nurse contact as an ...

A preterm birth prevention program consisting of risk scoring, intensive weekly observation including cervical examinations, and detailed education about preterm labor signs and symptoms was tested in...

Ninety pregnancies conceived by infertile couples using assisted reproductive technologies and 86 pregnancies conceived by infertile couples with routine infertility treatment were analyzed to determi...

Patient and staff education concerning the subtle signs and symptoms that precede a clinical diagnosis of preterm labor have not been well established. Therefore we interviewed 100 patients for the pr...

The early detection of preterm labor and the prevention of preterm birth require special attention to early subtle signs and symptoms of preterm labor. The concept of "Braxton Hicks contractions" may ...

The purpose of this study was to critically review published studies regarding sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of antenatal tests to diagnose chorioamnionitis or ...

Two recently published meta-analyses of controlled trials of a wide variety of progestational agents, used in pregnancy (Daya 1989; Goldstein et al. 1989), prompted this third meta-analysis of placebo...

The usefulness of maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements in the diagnosis of chorioamnionitis and puerperal and neonatal infectious morbidity was studied among 147 patients with preterm ruptur...

Selective fetal reduction was performed in the first trimester of pregnancy in 20 women with multifetal gestations after ovulation induction with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG). In 10 women (grou...

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein synthesized by the liver during the course of a large number of diseases. During gestation and parturition, progressively increasing numbers of gravi...

We tested the hypothesis that disturbed follicular development and disturbed luteal progesterone (P4) secretion are associated with reduced gonadotropin secretion in the early follicular phase by meas...

Tocolytics were administered in 66 consecutive women in uncomplicated preterm labour with intact fetal membranes (53 singleton and 13 twin pregnancies). C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of infection...

In brief: Two runners who were not aware they had conceived continued their intense running regimens during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Both women assumed that their amenorrhea was d...

Despite recognition that estimation of gestational age (GA) based on maternal recollection of the last normal menstrual period (LNMP) is fraught with error, it is not generally appreciated that the ma...

Pregnancy outcomes were evaluated retrospectively in 350 women to investigate the relationship between endometriosis and spontaneous abortions. The frequency of spontaneous abortions in women with end...

Nine patients in preterm labor requiring long-term tocolysis were managed with subcutaneous terbutaline administered via a portable infusion pump. All had failed oral tocolytic therapy and were theref...

The low-molecular-mass insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGF-BP) and placental protein 12 (PP12) are identical proteins that are present in human serum, amniotic fluid, secretory endometrium...

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA; Provera) was given orally to 449 women from the 5th to 7th week of pregnancy until at least the 18th week. Data are recorded from two treatment groups (recurrent abor...

To assess uterine activity before labor in patients delivering preterm, at term, and postterm, the maximum spontaneous contraction frequency per 10-minute window during the initial portion of antepart...

Cervical cerclage as a temporizing measure for the treatment of patients with placenta previa was evaluated in 25 patients admitted to the hospital for vaginal bleeding between 24-30 weeks' gestation ...

This study was designed to derive the predictive value of C-reactive protein (CRP) in peripheral venous serum of patients admitted to hospital with suspected premature rupture of the membranes (PROM)....

Pregnancy following a period of infertility was considered to be an increased risk for the fetus. During a period of 3 years (1983-85), 748 couples were seen at this infertility clinic; 515 women (68....

Progesterone, the naturally-occurring 21-carbon steroid produced by the corpus luteum of the ovary and by the placenta, plays an important role in re-production. It is not surprising, then, that it ha...

To determine the best method of preventing ascending infection in the management of premature rupture of membranes, antibiotics such as latamoxef sodium, cefoperazone sodium, and cefotaxime sodium wer...

We have retrospectively studied the changes in the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and of white blood cells in 82 patients who had premature rupture of the membranes between the 20th and the 36th we...

In a prospective blind study 380 daily serum samples from 55 women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes were analysed for C-reactive protein (CRP). Although the last CRP before delivery was...

Two hundred eighty-five charts were reviewed from patients who underwent surgery for ectopic pregnancy. Excluded were patients with previous tubal reparative surgery, linear salpingotomy, or failed st...

The technique for reduction of the number of embryos was applied in a patient who conceived following IVF and transfer of six embryos. On the 10th week of gestation, the number of embryos was reduced ...

The value of maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as predictors of fetal and maternal infective morbidity and fetal mortality was assessed prospectively over a 6-month period in all cases of prema...

The development of a 10-item self-report scale (EPDS) to screen for Postnatal Depression in the community is described. After extensive pilot interviews a validation study was carried out on 84 mother...

A study was designed to see if the use of prophylactic progesterone vaginal suppositories (PVS) reduced the risk of spontaneous abortions in women with a history of at least one spontaneous abortion. ...

We studied 500 women who conceived after investigation and treatment for different infertility problems and compared the outcome of the 5 infertility groups (Group 1 to 5), the ovulatory dysfunction (...

Cervical incompetence is one of the main contributors to repeated pregnancy loss, accounting for approximately 25% of the cases. Typically it results in progressive cervical dilatation, leading to a p...

We have previously shown that prophylactic supplementation of progesterone beginning in the luteal phase of patients treated with human menopausal gonadotropins (hMG) could reduce the risk of spontane...

C-reactive protein has been used to identify patients at high risk for infectious morbidity with preterm labor or preterm rupture of membranes. In this article we report on 104 patients with preterm l...

Between 1983 and 1984 a double-blind randomized study with progesterone substitution in threatened abortion was carried out. Fifty-six patients with vaginal bleeding during the first trimester of preg...

Examples of a combined approach using in vivo as well as in vitro methods for the assessment of prenatal toxicity are presented. The topics discussed include the analysis of the possible embryotoxic p...

Effective tocolytic therapy depends on the ability to make an early diagnosis of preterm labor. This study was designed to assess whether daily ambulatory home monitoring of uterine activity could fac...

We investigated the effects of using intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring in all pregnancies, as compared with using it only in cases in which the fetus is judged to be at high risk. Predominant ri...

Cervical examination between 26 and 30 weeks' gestation is described as a method for identifying women at risk for delivery before 34 weeks. Blinded cervical examinations were performed in 185 consecu...

Women with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortions (repeaters) are compared with women who have had live births and no spontaneous abortions (multiparae) and women who have had live births and on...

A study to evaluate whether ambulatory tocodynamometry at home could enhance the management of oral tocolysis was performed. On discharge from the hospital, after completing parenteral tocolysis, 60 p...

Luteal phase deficiency, diagnosed by endometrial biopsy, was found in 1 out of 25 control fertile women and in 46 out of 355 infertile patients, a difference that was not significant. It was also fou...

The incidence of congenital anomalies in infants born to 382 women treated with P was noted. Only five anomalies occurred in the infants born to women who had taken P. This study supports the data of ...

To evaluate the feasibility of the use of serial ultrasound measurements of cervical length, membrane protrusion, and dilatation to discriminate between the competent and the incompetent cervix, 107 a...

The potential tocolytic effect of natural progesterone administration on premature labor was investigated in a double-blind study. An oral progesterone formulation was used because its ability to incr...

A group of 8303 women was studied to determine the timing of cervical ripening. It was confirmed that these signs of cervical change can be observed several weeks before preterm births. The precocious...

Artifacts interfering with sonographic imaging of the uterine cervix in pregnancy are described. Increasing the amount of fluid in the urinary bladder closes the cervix and alters the configuration of...

A single dose of MPA (Depo-Provera; Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan) was administered intramuscularly to 12 time-mated pregnant cynomolgus monkeys on day 27 (+/- 2) of gestation at 25 mg/kg or at 100 ...

The role of subclinical intrauterine infection in preterm labor was evaluated prospectively in 40 patients and appropriate control subjects. The 24 preterm labor patients (60%) with a negative C-react...

A single dose of MPA (Depo-Provera; Upjohn Co.; USA) was administered intramuscularly on day 27 (+/- 2) of gestation to three dosage groups of pregnant baboons. The dosage expressed as mg/kg correspon...

Human chorionic gonadotropin was administered intramuscularly in an open study of 32 women whose last three pregnancies had ended in spontaneous abortion. An initial dosage of 10 000 iu on earliest di...

The likelihood of repetition of preterm birth after spontaneous onset of labour has been studied in 6572 reproductive careers after excluding stillbirths, multiple births, all careers in which any lab...

A system capable of ambulatory home monitoring of uterine activity and data transmission was evaluated in a group of pregnant patients. The evaluation focused on three questions: 1) Is the information...

The medical records of 330 patients treated with terbutaline infusion for the inhibition of preterm labor were reviewed over a five-year period. In patients with intact membranes the results were unif...

This report presents the outcome of pregnancies of 93 women who conceived while taking progesterone (P) suppositories (n = 42) or P in oil intramuscularly (n = 51). The dosage and duration of treatmen...

Possible teratogenic effects of exogenous progestational agents given during early pregnancy were investigated by a controlled historic prospective study of 2754 infants born to mothers who had bled d...

This study examined the characteristics and attitudes of 132 married couples who had received training in use of the symptothermal method of natural family planning (NFP). 61% of respondents were 20-3...

A prospective longitudinal and standardized study is presented, dealing with ultrasonographic and hormonal characteristics of the luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome. Among 600 cycles monito...

Comparison of a cohort of 988 offspring exposed in utero to exogenous progestins with a matched cohort of unexposed offspring did not result in detection of an association of congenital anomalies with...

Eighty pregnant women at high risk of giving birth prematurely were divided randomly into two groups. Treatment with either 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, 250 mg by intramuscular injection onc...

The plasma concentrations of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in 14 women administered the progestagen for threatened abortion during the first 6 weeks of pregnancy were measured by specific radioimm...

A total of 1590 general practitioners and 795 gynaecologists in England, Scotland and Wales are participating in a long-term, prospective study concerning the sequelae of induced abortion. In the pres...

Although major advances have been made in both obstetric care of the high-risk patient and in neonatal care, prematurity and its consequences remain the major contributor to perinatal mortality. The i...

The effect of cervical suture on pregnancy outcome was studied in 194 women with a high risk (approximately 30%) of having a late abortion or a preterm delivery. The women were randomly allocated eith...

Thirty-seven consecutive patients with singleton pregnancies in "uncomplicated" preterm labor with intact membranes suitable for tocolysis were evaluated for evidence of silent chorioamnionitis by mea...

A total of 506 women at moderate risk of preterm delivery were randomly allocated to either cervical cerclage or a control group. Significantly more women in the group allocated to cerclage were admit...

There seems to be an association of first-trimester spontaneous abortion and untreated endometriosis. In this report, 52% of an untreated group of patients with endometriosis aborted. However, 12% of ...

We interviewed 128 women regularly during pregnancy and the first postnatal year. Psychiatric interviews identified eight 'cases' of psychiatric disorder (6 per cent) in early pregnancy and twenty 'ca...

Subclinical intrauterine infection is an important cause of preterm labor, specifically where tocolysis has failed. Fifty patients in preterm labor with singleton pregnancies were studied prospectivel...

A single dose of micronized oral progesterone was administered to 15 pregnant women immediately prior to elective cesarean section. Levels of progesterone, 17 beta-estradiol, and estrone were measured...

The principal function of muscular tissue is contraction. This is also true for the uterus this function begins with sexual maturation. During pregnancy special conditions are brought about by the inc...

Fourteen women experiencing early pregnancy failure have been studied during the time of conception and at frequent intervals until spontaneous abortion occurred. Serial measurements of serum estradio...

A group of 52 patients with premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) before 34 weeks' gestation were evaluated prospectively and managed expectantly. Of 42 patients who were delivered of their infant...

Swiss Webster female mice weighing 25-30 gm were injected subcutaneously on days 6-15 of gestation with the synthetic sex steroid Delalutin (17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate). Treatment was given...

The effect of clomiphene citrate (CC) on the incidence of congenital malformations in newborn infants was assessed from the outcome of 1034 pregnancies after CC-induced ovulation recorded at nine univ...

The results of combined ritodrine and indomethacine treatment (RI) in premature labor contractions were compared with ritodrine alone (R). One hundred and twenty patients with threatened premature lab...

From 1964 to 1976, a cohort study was performed in West Germany to study the possible influence of various factors on pregnancy and child development. Results of the evaluation of 13,643 pregnancies a...

Fifteen women with diminished fertility as a result of congenital uterine anomalies were treated by cervical suture (cerclage) in the 11th-12th week of pregnancy without surgical correction of the ute...

A preliminary study of 'screened' women with two consecutive miscarriages revealed an incidence of abortion in 47.4% in a subsequent pregnancy whilst hCG therapy in a similar group of women where bioc...

Pregnant mice were treated with a single subcutaneous injection of either cyproterone acetate (CA) or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). In the first experiment the animals received 5-900 mg/kg of the...

The outcome of pregnancy was studied in all women conceiving after ovulation induction with clomiphene at the gynaecological endocrine clinics operating in 2 Tasmanian cities. In 156 pregnancies where...

This study evaluates the effect of treatment with Proluton-Depot (hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate) in early pregnancy, and the final outcome of pregnancy and fetal status. One hundred and fifty patients...

Rats which were subjected to ovariectomy on day 18 of pregnancy and were treated with 17 beta-estradiol underwent delivery prematurely at 0900 +/- 1.9 hours on the morning of day 18. All animals had i...

A total of 182 women with uterine anomalies were observed over a period of 18 years. In all, 126 women had 265 pregnancies, fetal survival rate was 66%, perinatal mortality 8% and premature labors occ...

Fifty-eight psychoses beginning within two weeks of childbirth are compared with 52 episodes of nonpuerperal psychotic illness occurring in young women. A clinical approach based on the use of multipl...

The increasing importance of an ectopic pregnancy as a cause of maternal death presents a challenge that will be met when primary care physicians combine a high index of suspicion with the ability to ...