American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
-
Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Oct 2019
Observational StudyPhysiological and psychological stress responses to labor and delivery as expressed by salivary cortisol: a prospective study.
Labor is considered a stressful event, yet no study has described the course of stress measured by cortisol during labor and postpartum. ⋯ This study reveals the course of cortisol concentrations during labor for low-risk pregnancies, with maximum increase immediately postpartum. Subjective stress levels decreased over the course of labor. Salivary cortisol portrays stress during labor and may be used as a reference to evaluate complicated pregnancies and to evaluate the role of cortisol during these deliveries.
-
Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Oct 2019
Maternal outcomes in unexpected placenta accreta spectrum disorders: single-center experience with a multidisciplinary team.
In a 2015 Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network study, only half of placenta accreta spectrum cases were suspected before delivery, and the outcomes in the anticipated cases were paradoxically poorer than in unanticipated placenta accreta spectrum cases. This was possibly because the antenatally suspected cases were of greater severity. We sought to compare the outcomes of expected vs unexpected placenta accreta spectrum in a single large US center with multidisciplinary management protocol. ⋯ Our data contradict the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units results and instead show better outcomes in the expected placenta accreta spectrum group, despite a high proportion of women with more severe placental invasion. We attribute this to our multidisciplinary approach and ongoing process improvement in the management of expected cases. The presence of an experienced team appears to be a more important determinant of maternal morbidity in placenta accreta spectrum than the depth of placental invasion.
-
Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Oct 2019
Putting the "M" back in maternal-fetal medicine: A 5-year report card on a collaborative effort to address maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have demonstrated continuous increased risk for maternal mortality and severe morbidity with racial disparities among non-Hispanic black women an important contributing factor. More than 50,000 women experienced severe maternal morbidity in 2014, with a mortality rate of 18.0 per 100,000, higher than in many other developed countries. ⋯ Since that first meeting, a broad collaborative effort has made a number of major steps forward, including the proliferation of maternal mortality review committees, advances in research, increasing educational focus on maternal critical care, and development of comprehensive clinical strategies to reduce maternal risk. Five years later, the 2017 M in MFM meeting served as a "report card" looking back at progress made but also looking forward to what needs to be done over the next 5 years, given that too many mothers still experience preventable harm and adverse outcomes.