American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Apr 2016
Pregnancy among US women: differences by presence, type, and complexity of disability.
Approximately 12% of women of reproductive age have some type of disability. Very little is known about sexual and reproductive health issues among women with disabilities, including what proportion of women with disabilities experience pregnancy. Data on pregnancy are important to inform needs for preconception and pregnancy care for women with disabilities. ⋯ Women with a variety of types of disabilities experience pregnancy. Greater attention is needed to the reproductive health care needs of this population to ensure appropriate contraceptive, preconception, and perinatal care.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Apr 2016
Repeated isoflurane exposure and neuroapoptosis in the midgestation fetal sheep brain.
Advances in surgery and technology have resulted in increased in-utero procedures. However, the effect of anesthesia on the fetal brain is not fully known. The inhalational anesthetic agent, isoflurane, other gamma amino butyric acid agonists (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, propofol, other inhalation anesthetics), and N-methyl D aspartate antagonists, eg, ketamine, have been shown to induce neuroapoptosis. The ovine model has been used extensively to study maternal-fetal physiologic interactions and to investigate different surgical interventions on the fetus. ⋯ Repeated isoflurane exposure in midgestation sheep resulted in increased frontal cortex neuroapoptosis. This persisted into late gestation as decreased neuronal cell density. While animal studies should be extrapolated to human beings with caution, our findings suggest that the number of anesthetic/sedative exposures should be considered when contemplating the risks and benefits of fetal intervention as certain fetal therapies may need to be repeated.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Mar 2016
Multicenter StudyPredictors of response to 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate for prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth.
Prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and death among nonanomalous neonates in the United States. Intramuscular 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate injections reduce the risk of recurrent prematurity by approximately one third. Unfortunately, prophylactic 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate is not always effective, and one-third of high-risk women will have a recurrent preterm birth, despite 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate therapy. The reasons for this variability in response are unknown. Previous investigators have examined the influence of a variety of factors on 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate response but have analyzed data that used a fixed outcome of term delivery to define progesterone response. ⋯ Several historic and current pregnancy characteristics define women who are at risk for recurrent preterm birth at a similar gestational age, despite 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate therapy. These data should be studied prospectively in larger cohorts and combined with genetic and environmental data to identify women who are most likely to benefit from this intervention.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Mar 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialRandomized controlled trial of prolonged second stage: extending the time limit vs usual guidelines.
Guidelines for management of the second stage have been proposed since the 1800s and were created largely by expert opinion. Current retrospective data are mixed regarding differences in maternal and neonatal outcomes with a prolonged second stage. There are no randomized controlled trials that have evaluated whether extending the second stage of labor beyond current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendations is beneficial. ⋯ Extending the length of labor in nulliparous women with singleton gestations, epidural anesthesia, and prolonged second stage decreased the incidence of cesarean delivery by slightly more than one-half, compared with usual guidelines. Maternal or neonatal morbidity were not statistically different between the groups; however, our study was underpowered to detect small, but potentially clinical important, differences.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Mar 2016
Comparative StudyNeonatal and maternal outcome after blastocyst transfer: a population-based registry study.
Previous studies have shown a higher risk of birth defects and preterm birth (PTB) in singletons born after blastocyst transfer as compared to singletons born after cleavage-stage transfer. Few studies have investigated the maternal outcomes. ⋯ No increased risk of birth defects was found in singletons born after blastocyst transfer. Perinatal mortality and risk of placental complications were higher in the blastocyst group as compared to the cleavage-stage group, observations that need further investigations.