Pregnancy management in women with thalassemia

Thanks to the improvement of the techniques of assisted fecundation, of the obstetric management and of the fetal and neonatal monitoring now it's possible for a woman suffering from beta-thalassemia to have a child. Our purpose is to stress the importance to control the high maternal and fetal risk through the monitoring of several scales. The problems, connected with pregnancy of beta-thalassemic women are discussed, emphasizing the connection between pregnancy management and gestational and neonatal outcome. A variety of problems should be considered such as the informed consent about maternal and fetal risks, the problems caused by infectious agents or due to the use of some antiviral; the difficulties connected with heart and endocrine diseases are also discussed. Personal experience, from 1995 to 1999, on 4 beta-thalassemic pregnant women (three with the intermediate type and one with the major type) is reported.     

Pregnancy outcomes in short women

The pregnancy outcomes in 3,059 women who were 122-152 cm (48-60 in) tall with singleton pregnancies were compared to those of 7,414 women who were 160 cm (63 in) tall. The short women were of lower weight at delivery and had slightly higher parity. There were fewer whites in the short group. The higher parity was associated with a slightly higher occurrence of placenta previa. The pregnancies in the short women were characterized by smaller infants and more frequent delivery by cesarean section, depending on race. For whites the cesarean section rate was 43% in the very-short group (122-136 cm, or 48-53 in), 35% in the short group (137-151 cm, or 54-59 in) and 23% in the control group. The results suggest that women less than 152 cm (60 in) tall are a high-risk group.     

Pregnancy outcomes following Tompkins metroplasty

Eighteen patients with poor reproductive histories and 2 patients with primary infertility underwent Tompkins metroplasty for a septate uterus. There were 19 pregnancies within 2 years of surgery, and 11 patients had at least 1 viable pregnancy, for an overall success rate of 55%. One of the infertile patients conceived and delivered. The average fecundability rate for the first 24 months was 0.078 (normal, 0.20). The cumulative pregnancy rate at 27 months was 94% by the life-table method. The group of patients (n = 14) with two or more losses and no other major risk factors for reproductive failure had higher fecundability and a better success rate (71%). The Tompkins metroplasty is a technically simple procedure with a success rate similar to that of the Jones procedure.     

Pregnancy outcomes in urban teenagers.

OBJECTIVES: To compare pregnancy outcomes for teenagers with those for older gravidas. METHODS: A retrospective case control study was undertaken to compare teenagers who delivered between January 1996 and October 1999 at a public urban hospital with a group of older gravidas. RESULTS: Young pregnant teenagers were more likely to be nulliparous. They weighed less and gained less in pregnancy. More teen pregnancies occurred among Hispanics than other ethnic groups. The younger the teenager, the more likely for her infant to be of low or very low birth weight or growth restricted. There were fewer postmature deliveries, macrosomic fetuses and cesarean deliveries in young gravidas. Perinatal mortality was unaffected by maternal age. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation demonstrates that, while pregnancy outcomes in teenagers have improved in recent years relative to historical patterns, teenagers face continuing problems requiring special attention by care givers.     

Pregnancy outcomes in young Turkish women

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We documented adolescent pregnancies that were thought to be at high risk for increased obstetric complications. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: This study covered 442 pregnant women who were under 19 years of age and who delivered in Cukurova University, School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1997, retrospectively. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 18.24 years and their mean gestational age was 38.2 weeks. The newborns' mean birthweight was 3093.05 g and their mean birth height was 45.75 cm. Apgar score in the 1st minute was 6.79 and at the 5th minute 8.37. Cesarean section rate was 28.5%. The most common causes were pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and breech delivery. There were 32 stillborns and 5 early neonatal deaths. The most frequent obstetric complications were PIH (14.5%), preterm delivery (7.0%), and low birthweight (< 2000 g) (10.2%). The pregnant adolescents with obstetric problems (44.4%) had poor obstetric results. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent pregnancies are considered high risk with many obstetric complications and poor obstetric results. To decrease the complications adolescent pregnancies must be followed-up as high risk pregnancies, especially in developing countries where socioeconomic factors are more pronounced.     

Pregnancy outcomes among women with asthma

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal asthma and pregnancy, delivery and neonatal outcomes.

Materials and methods:We carried out a retrospective cohort study using the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) database from 2003 to 2011. Among women who delivered during this time period, we compared pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal outcomes in asthmatics versus non-asthmatics. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: In a cohort of 7,772,999 pregnant women, 223,236 (2.9%) had asthma. The prevalence of asthma-complicated pregnancies rose over the study period from 1.9% in 2003 to 3.7% in 2011 (p?Conclusions: Asthma is associated with an increase in adverse pregnancy, labor, and neonatal outcomes. Close surveillance of asthmatic patients during the prenatal period is warranted and care in a tertiary hospital is advised.     

Pregnancy outcomes in women with heart disease

Aim

To evaluate the maternal and fetal outcome of pregnancies complicated by cardiac disease in a developing country.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was carried out of 144 pregnancies in women with cardiac disease who delivered in our unit between 1997 and 2006. Perinatal and maternal outcomes were interpreted according to the type of the heart disease and status of the patient according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification.

Results

The rates of rheumatic and congenital heart disease were 87.5 and 12.5%, respectively. The distribution of the patients according to the NYHA functional classification were 55.6, 36.1 and 8.3% for NYHA classes I, II and III–IV, respectively. There was no maternal mortality. Maternal morbidity was observed in 16 (11.1%) cases. Six perinatal mortalities (4.2%) occurred in this series. There were no significant difference in birth weight, gestational age at delivery and perinatal morbidity between the NYHA stage I–II and stage III–IV groups (P > 0.05), whereas maternal morbidity and cesarean delivery rates were significantly higher in the NYHA stage III–IV group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Rheumatic heart disease with pregnancy is still predominant in Turkey. Most of the patients were in a good functional group. Maternal morbidity strongly correlates with maternal cardiac classification.     

Pregnancy outcomes after transvaginal myomectomy by colpotomy

Objective

To examine long-term effects of transvaginal myomectomy by colpotomy on uterine ruptures, fertility and pregnancy outcome.

Study design

Transvaginal myomectomy by colpotomy was performed for sixteen patients who had symptomatic uterine leiomyomas and wished to preserve their fertility. Data on possible pregnancies, infertility treatments, hysterectomies and other reoperations during a follow-up period of ten years were retrospectively collected from the hospital records. Those who had no outpatient contacts in the hospital records were interviewed by telephone.

Results

Eight (50%) of the 16 patients tried actively to conceive and they produced 14 pregnancies: six of them had two pregnancies and two had one. The median interval between the transvaginal myomectomy and the first pregnancy was 17 months (range 14–68 months). All pregnancies were uneventful and ended in full-term delivery of a healthy infant. Uncomplicated vaginal delivery was recorded in 10 (71%), vacuum extraction in one (7%) and cesarean section in three (21%) out of 14 cases. Uterine rupture or heavy postpartal bleeding was not reported.

Conclusions

Pregnancies after transvaginal myomectomy by colpotomy were uneventful and no uterine ruptures were detected during a long-term follow-up. Pregnancy rates after the procedure appear to be similar to results after abdominal or laparoscopic myomectomy. Transvaginal myomectomy by colpotomy is a safe and feasible treatment option for selected patients wishing to preserve their ability to conceive.     

Pregnancy outcomes and deliveries after laparoscopic myomectomy

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess pregnancy outcomes and deliveries after laparoscopic myomectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: General hospital. PATIENTS: Three hundred fifty-nine women. INTERVENTIONS: Laparoscopic myomectomy and laparoscopic and/or hysteroscopic treatment of associated pathologies. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Five patients (1.39%) were lost to follow-up. Seventy-two women were pregnant at least once after laparoscopic myomectomy, for a total of 76 pregnancies. Four women conceived twice and four are pregnant as of this writing. One multiple pregnancy occurred. Twelve pregnancies resulted in first-trimester miscarriage, one in an ectopic pregnancy, one in a blighted ovum, and one in a hydatiform mole. One patient underwent elective first-trimester termination of pregnancy. Thirty-one women had vaginal delivery at term and 26 were delivered by cesarean section. No case of uterine rupture or dehiscence occurred. CONCLUSION: Our technique of laparoscopic myomectomy appears to allow safe vaginal delivery.     

Pregnancy outcomes after kidney transplantation-immunosuppressive therapy comparison

Objective: To assess maternal, neonatal and graft outcomes after pregnancy in patients with kidney transplantation, and to compare the immunosuppressive therapies used. Methods: Review of 29 pregnancies in 23 patients with kidney transplantation, managed at La Fe University Hospital, Valencia. Immunosuppressive therapies with Cyclosporine-A, Tacrolimus, Mycophenolate mofetil and Azathioprine were compared. Results: No statistical differences were found in perinatal or maternal complications, with respect to the immunosuppressive therapy used. There were no differences between therapy and graft survival. Maternal complications occurred in 25 out of 28 deliveries. The most common were anemia (75%) and hypertension (53.6%). Of the 29 pregnancies, 26 were live deliveries, two were stillbirths and one was a miscarriage. The median birth weight of newborns was 2650?g (900–4350?g). From the 28 deliveries, maternal complications were reported in 25 patients. Perinatal complications were recorded in 55.6% of the patients, with prematurity being the most common (44.4%) type. One malformation was reported, this was a cleft palate in a 25 year old patient who was treated with mycophenolate mofetil. Conclusion: Pregnancies in patients with kidney transplantation should be considered high-risk pregnancies because of the higher rate of maternal and perinatal complications. Immunosuppressive therapies have not shown differences in maternal or perinatal outcomes.     

Pregnancy outcomes associated with intrauterine growth restriction

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to examine the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies delivered from 26 to 41 weeks' gestation. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of a linked database of all deliveries in California in 1994 through 1996 that were reported to the Office of Statewide Health and Planning Development. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A database of maternal and neonatal discharge summaries linked to birth and death certificates were examined for gestational age at delivery, diagnosis of IUGR, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), length of stay, and hospital charges (CHA). More than 1.4 million singleton deliveries were examined by week of gestation and separated into the presence or absence of IUGR and then examined for adverse neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: The frequency of IUGR was increased in the preterm newborn infants compared with those at 40 weeks' gestation (26 = 8.9%, 27 = 7.7%, 28 = 9.8%, 29 = 10.5%, 30 = 12.3%, 31 = 9.1%, 32 = 7.5%, 33 = 6.6%, 34 = 5.6%, 35 = 5.0%, 36 = 4.4%, 37 = 3.7%, 38 = 2.3%, 39 = 1.5%, 40 = 1.1%). Up to 28 weeks' gestation, the incidence of RDS was higher for infants without IUGR compared with infants with IUGR (not significant). Starting at 29 weeks' gestation, RDS was higher for infants with IUGR. Initially not significant, this difference was statistically significant starting from 34 weeks. The findings were similar for IVH, NEC, and length of stay. The threshold at which the relationship between the presence of IUGR and the outcome flipped was 30, 28, and 29 weeks, whereas significance was observed at 34, 35, and 30 weeks, respectively. CHA were always higher for those patients with IUGR but became significantly higher after 29 weeks. CONCLUSION: IUGR was increased with prematurity and may represent an important risk factor to check for in women who present with preterm labor. Prematurity associated with adverse neonatal outcomes (RDS, IVH, NEC, CHA) were largely unaffected by IUGR until the third trimester. From then on, all adverse outcomes were increased compared with normally grown premature infants, suggesting a need for closer surveillance for IUGR in the third trimester.     

Pregnancy outcomes in patients after radical trachelectomy

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to review and analyze the fertility and pregnancy outcomes in patients who have undergone radical trachelectomy as the method of management of invasive carcinoma of the cervix. STUDY DESIGN: All preoperative, operative, and follow-up data were collected prospectively. Perinatal information was completed by chart reviews and patient questionnaires. RESULTS: Of 80 patients having undergone the above procedure, 39 have attempted to conceive for a median of 11 months (range 1-85). There have been a total of 22 pregnancies in 18 patients (4 patients pregnant twice). Of the 22 pregnancies, 18 were viable, with 12 progressing to term and delivering by caesarean section. Preterm premature rupture of membranes was the primary cause of preterm delivery. CONCLUSION: This series confirms that pregnancy is a safe and realistic outcome for women undergoing radical trachelectomy for invasive carcinoma of the cervix. Given the apparently high incidence of preterm premature rupture of membranes, these pregnancies should be managed as high risk.     

Pregnancy outcomes in women with osteogenesis imperfecta

Objective: To assess the relationship between osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type, mode of delivery and outcomes as self-reported by women in the International Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Registry.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using data from 274 women with OI who reported their experience with pregnancy practices, including mode of delivery, number of children, genetic counseling, assisted conception techniques, mean ages at menarche and at menopause, and pregnancy complications. Chi-square analyses were performed to compare pregnancy outcomes, number of children and OI type. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained to quantify exposure–outcome relationships.

Results: The most common mode of delivery was the sole use of cesarean section (C-section) reported by 55% of the participants. Approximately two-thirds had at least two children. Twenty-nine percent (n?=?80) reported pregnancy complications. There was a significant relationship between the mode of delivery and OI type (p?<?0.001), genetic counseling (p?=?0.010), and number of children (p?<?0.0001). There was neither evidence of an association between pregnancy complications and number of children (p?= 0.16), OI type (p?=?0.27), nor mode of delivery (p?= 0.11).

Conclusions: These findings suggested that clinical OI type, pre-natal genetic counseling, and number of children were strong predictors for choosing the mode of delivery. Severity of OI, multiparity, and vaginal delivery were not associated with increased pregnancy complications in this cohort of women with OI.     

Pregnancy outcomes according to increasing maternal age

ObjectivesTo investigate the risks of increasing maternal age on the perinatal and obstetric outcomes.Materials and MethodsInformation about 29,760 singleton pregnancies delivered between 2005 and 2008 was extracted from our database. Patients were categorized into four groups according to age: 20–29 years, 30–34 years, 35–39 years, and ≥40 years. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the adjusted odd ratios (AORs) of adverse pregnancy outcomes according to maternal age after adjusting for parity, body mass index, medical history and use of in vitro fertilization.ResultsThe majority of adverse perinatal outcomes were associated with a maternal age ≥35 years as follows: low birth weight (AOR 1.2 and 1.6 for women aged 35–39 years and ≥40 years, respectively); Apgar score < 7 at 1 minute (AOR: 1.7 and 1.8); and chromosomal anomaly (AOR: 2.7 and 12.3). However, women aged ≥30 years also had greater risks for adverse maternal outcomes such as: gestational diabetes (AOR: 2.0, 3.6 and 5.1 for women aged 30–34 years, 35–39 years and ≥40 years, respectively); placenta previa (AOR: 1.6, 2.1 and 3.6); and cesarean delivery (AOR: 1.5, 2.3, and 4.1), as well as adverse fetal outcomes such as: preterm delivery (AOR: 1.2, 1.4 and 1.8) and neonatal intensive care unit transfer (AOR: 1.1, 1.2, and 1.6).ConclusionIncreasing maternal age is an independent and substantial risk factor for adverse perinatal and obstetric outcomes. These adverse outcomes become more common as increasing maternal age without a clear cutoff age.     

Pregnancy outcomes after increasing maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels

Five hundred sixty women among 35,787 screened had an initial maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) of 2.5 or more multiples of the median. They were divided into three groups: group 1, 2.5-2.9; group 2, 3.0-3.9; and group 3, over 4.0 multiples of the median. These groupings determined the relationship to adverse pregnancy outcome, defined as fetal death, fetus with significant anomalies, and prematurity/growth retardation. The overall risk of adverse outcome after an initial elevation was 38%, after excluding pregnancies with incorrect dates or multiple gestations with levels below 4.5 multiples of the median: 27, 39, and 45% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This risk rose to 86% for levels over 6.0 multiples of the median. There was a significant positive correlation between abnormalities and death detected with ultrasound and amniocentesis and those indicated by increasing MSAFP levels: 10, 20, and 31% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. After normal ultrasound and amniocentesis studies, there was a trend toward increasing risks for fetal death after 20 weeks between groups 2 and 3 (5 and 11%), but not for growth retardation/prematurity (12, 17, and 13%). After an elevated MSAFP, the overall risk of a late pregnancy complication after normal ultrasound and amniocentesis was 22%: 19, 23, and 25% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This figure increased to 67% for levels above 6.0 multiples of the median.