Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2021
"Phantom Kicks": Women's Subjective Experience of Fetal Kicks After the Postpartum Period.
Background: During pregnancy, a woman will attribute increased abdominal sensations to fetal movement. Surprisingly, many women report that they feel kick sensations long after the pregnancy; however, this experience has never been reported in the scientific literature. Materials and Methods: We used a qualitative approach to survey n = 197 women who had previously been pregnant. ⋯ Women described the phantom sensations as "convincing," "real kicks," or "flutters." Twenty-seven percent of women described the experience as nostalgic or comforting, and 25.7% reported felt confused or upset by the experience. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that phantom kicks in the postpartum period are a widely experienced sensation, which may have implications for a woman's postpartum mental health. The mechanism behind the phantom kick phenomenon is unknown, but may be related to changes in the somatosensory homunculus or proprioception during pregnancy.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2021
Night Shift Work and Fecundability in Late Reproductive-Aged African American Women.
Background: We estimated the association between night shift work and fecundability among African American women. Methods: Black Women's Health Study participants (n = 560) aged 30-45 years reported their history of night shift work in 2005. Time to pregnancy for all pregnancies resulting in a livebirth was reported in 2011. ⋯ The FR for women reporting night shift work with a frequency of ≥1 time per month and a duration of ≥2 years was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.47-0.94) relative to women reporting no shift work. We observed a decrease in fecundability associated with ever working night shifts (FR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.56-0.96) among women aged ≥35 years, but not among younger women (FR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.78-2.28). Conclusion: A history of working night shifts was associated with reduced fecundability among older reproductive-aged African American women attempting pregnancy.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2021
Low Prenatal Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio and Subsequent Postpartum Depression Risk.
Background: Depression is a common complication of pregnancy and vitamin D deficiency is one biological risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD). Materials and Methods: We evaluated the ratio of 24,25(OH)2D and 25(OH)D serum concentrations referred to as the Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio (VMR), a new candidate biomarker during pregnancyand its relationship with PPD. Women were enrolled in the first trimester of pregnancy and followed through four timepoints. ⋯ Stepwise multiple logistic regression models for PPD risk were carried out with eight predictors. Results showed that only lower VMR, OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.10-1.86, p = 0.007, and Hispanic/Latina identification, OR = 3.83, 95% CI 1.44-10.92, p = 0.007 were significantly associated with higher PPD risk. Conclusion: Routine prenatal screening for vitamin D metabolites, particularly in Hispanic/Latina women, may identify women at risk for PPD.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2021
Women's Report of Health Care Provider Advice and Gestational Weight Gain: A Systematic Review.
Background: Inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse health outcomes for mother and child. Health care providers are well positioned to help women achieve appropriate GWG. This systematic review examined associations between women's report of provider advice on GWG and women's compliance with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) GWG guidelines. Materials and Methods: In March 2019, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched. ⋯ The evidence examining associations of provider advice and women's compliance with guidelines is mixed and limited by methodological concerns. Future studies using more robust methods in diverse populations are needed to confirm the role of provider advice in optimizing GWG. Intervention studies are also necessary to increase the proportion of providers who accurately counsel their patients on appropriate GWG to improve health outcomes.