Explore the vast range of titles available.

Harpham recounts her story of fear and ultimate gratitude when--while separated from her polar-opposite husband--she gives birth of a girl with a serious illness.

Background Evidence suggests that the hormonal milieu of pregnancy is an important determinant of subsequent cancer and other chronic diseases in both the mother and the offspring. Many of the existing maternity and birth cohorts include specimens drawn only once during pregnancy. How well a single blood specimen collected during a pregnancy characterizes exposure to these hormones throughout gestation, and also in subsequent pregnancies, is not well understood. Methods We used serial serum samples from 71 pregnant women (25 primiparous, 25 multiparous, and 21 with two consecutive pregnancies) with natural, complication-free pregnancies and a healthy offspring at term who participated in a population-based screening trial for congenital infections in Finland between January 1st, 1988 and June 30, 1989 and provided a blood sample in each trimester. Results Hormone levels were more strongly correlated between consecutive trimesters of a pregnancy than between the 1st and 3rd trimester (e.g., estradiol, r T1 vs. T2  = 0.51 and r T2 vs. T3  = 0.60, p  < 0.01; r T1 vs. T3  = 0.32, p  < 0.05). Concentrations of sRANKL remained stable throughout gestation, whereas estradiol, estrone, progesterone, testosterone, prolactin, and osteoprotegerin increased throughout pregnancy. First trimester hormone concentrations explained less of the variation in the third trimester on their own than second trimester hormone levels (e.g. estradiol R 2 T1   =  16 % and R 2 T2  = 42 %). Addition of maternal (e.g., smoking) and/or child characteristics (e.g., sex) improved the accuracy of the 3rd trimester estimates for some of the hormones. Conclusions One hormone measurement in early pregnancy, in conjunction with maternal and fetal characteristics, permits estimation of 3rd trimester hormone concentrations. Therefore, single hormone measurements available from maternity cohorts are suitable to quantify hormone exposure during pregnancy. To our knowledge, we provide the first data on correlations between hormone concentrations both across trimesters of a single pregnancy, as well as between two subsequent pregnancies.

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics associated with ectopic pregnancy (EP) that could be utilized for predicting morbidity or mortality. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of pregnancy-related records from a tertiary center over a period of ten years. Data on age, gravidity, parity, EP risk, amenorrhea duration, abdominal pain presence and location, β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) level, ultrasound findings, therapeutic intervention, exact EP implantation site and length of hospital stay (LOS) were obtained from the database. The LOS was used as a proxy for morbidity and was tested for an association with all variables. All statistical analyses were conducted with Stata® (ver. 16.1, Texas, USA). Results The incidence of EP in a cohort of 30,247 pregnancies over a ten-year period was 1.05%. Patients presented with lower abdominal pain in 87.9% of cases, and the likelihood of experiencing pain was tenfold higher if fluid was detectable in the pouch of Douglas. Only 5.1% of patients had a detectable embryonic heartbeat, and 18.15% had one or more risk factors for EP. While most EPs were tubal, 2% were ovarian. The LOS was 1.9 days, and laparoscopic intervention was the main management procedure. The cohort included one genetically proven dizygotic heterotopic pregnancy (incidence, 3.3 × 10 − 5 ) that was diagnosed in the 7th gestational week. The only association found was between the β-HCG level and LOS, with a linear regression β coefficient of 0.01 and a P -value of 0.04. Conclusion EP is a relatively common condition affecting approximately 1% of all pregnancies. β-HCG correlates with EP-related morbidity, but the overall morbidity rate of EP is low regardless of the implantation site. Laparoscopic surgery is an effective therapeutic procedure that is safe for managing EP, even in cases of heterotopic pregnancy.

ObjectiveTo assess associations of elevated lipid levels during gestation with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).MethodsThis prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary maternal hospital in Shanghai, China from February to November 2014. Lipid constituents, including triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) of 1310 eligible women were assessed in the first (10–13+ weeks), second (22–28 weeks) and third (30–35 weeks) trimesters consecutively. Associations of lipid profiles with HDP and/or GDM outcomes were assessed.ResultsCompared with the normal group, maternal TG concentrations were higher in the HDP/GDM groups across the three trimesters (p<0.001); TC and LDL-c amounts were only higher in the first trimester for the HDP and GDM groups (p<0.05). HDL-c levels were similar in the three groups. Compared with intermediate TG levels (25–75th centile), higher TG amounts (>75th centile) were associated with increased risk of HDP/GDM in each trimester with aORs (95% CI) of 2.04 (1.41 to 2.95), 1.81 (1.25 to 2.63) and 1.78 (1.24 to 2.54), respectively. High TG elevation from the first to third trimesters (>75th centile) was associated with increased risk of HDP, with an aOR of 2.09 (1.16 to 3.78). High TG elevation before 28 weeks was associated with increased risk of GDM, with an aOR of 1.67 (1.10 to 2.54). TG elevation was positively correlated with weight gain during gestation (R=0.089, p=0.005).ConclusionsControlling weight gain during pregnancy could decrease TG elevation and reduce the risk of HDP/GDM. TGs could be used as follow-up parameters during complicated pregnancy, while other lipids are meaningful only in the first trimester.

Abstract Context Large, longitudinal studies on androgen levels in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are lacking. While metformin has a mild androgen-lowering effect in non-pregnant women with PCOS, its effects on maternal androgen levels in pregnancy are less well understood. Objective To describe androgen patterns in pregnant women with PCOS and in healthy control women, and to explore the potential effects of metformin on maternal androgen levels in PCOS. Design and Setting A post hoc analysis from a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study carried out at 11 secondary care centers and a longitudinal single-center study on healthy pregnant women in Norway. Participants A total of 262 women with PCOS and 119 controls. Intervention The participants with PCOS were randomly assigned to metformin (2 g daily) or placebo, from first trimester to delivery. Main Outcome Measures Androstenedione (A4), testosterone (T), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and free testosterone index (FTI) at 4 time points in pregnancy. Results Women with PCOS versus healthy controls had higher A4, T, and FTI, and lower SHBG at all measured time points in pregnancy. In the overall cohort of women with PCOS, metformin had no effect on A4, T, SHBG, and FTI. In subgroup analyses, metformin reduced A4 (P = 0.019) in nonobese women. Metformin also reduced A4 (P = 0.036), T (P = 0.023), and SHBG (P = 0.010) levels through pregnancy in mothers with a male fetus. Conclusion Metformin had no effect on maternal androgens in PCOS pregnancies. In subgroup analyses, a modest androgen-lowering effect was observed in nonobese women with PCOS. In PCOS women carrying a male fetus, metformin exhibited an androgen-lowering effect.

Low vitamin D status in pregnancy was proposed as a risk factor of preeclampsia. We assessed the effect of vitamin D supplementation (4,400 vs. 400 IU/day), initiated early in pregnancy (10-18 weeks), on the development of preeclampsia. The effects of serum vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25OHD]) levels on preeclampsia incidence at trial entry and in the third trimester (32-38 weeks) were studied. We also conducted a nested case-control study of 157 women to investigate peripheral blood vitamin D-associated gene expression profiles at 10 to 18 weeks in 47 participants who developed preeclampsia. Of 881 women randomized, outcome data were available for 816, with 67 (8.2%) developing preeclampsia. There was no significant difference between treatment (N = 408) or control (N = 408) groups in the incidence of preeclampsia (8.08% vs. 8.33%, respectively; relative risk: 0.97; 95% CI, 0.61-1.53). However, in a cohort analysis and after adjustment for confounders, a significant effect of sufficient vitamin D status (25OHD ≥30 ng/ml) was observed in both early and late pregnancy compared with insufficient levels (25OHD <30 ng/ml) (adjusted odds ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.96). Differential expression of 348 vitamin D-associated genes (158 upregulated) was found in peripheral blood of women who developed preeclampsia (FDR <0.05 in the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial [VDAART]; P < 0.05 in a replication cohort). Functional enrichment and network analyses of this vitamin D-associated gene set suggests several highly functional modules related to systematic inflammatory and immune responses, including some nodes with a high degree of connectivity. Vitamin D supplementation initiated in weeks 10-18 of pregnancy did not reduce preeclampsia incidence in the intention-to-treat paradigm. However, vitamin D levels of 30 ng/ml or higher at trial entry and in late pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of preeclampsia. Differentially expressed vitamin D-associated transcriptomes implicated the emergence of an early pregnancy, distinctive immune response in women who went on to develop preeclampsia. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00920621. Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation and Genome Canada Innovation Network. This trial was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. For details see Acknowledgments.

Purpose While in singleton pregnancies the maternal serum biomarkers used in the first-trimester screening for aneuploidies, particularly PAPP-A, may be, also, used as predictors of adverse perinatal outcomes, there is a scarcity of data regarding the association of first-trimester biomarkers with unfavorable pregnancy outcomes in twin pregnancies. The main purpose of our study was to evaluate the association of low PAPP-A levels in twin pregnancies with the subsequent development of perinatal complications. Methods 454 twin pregnancies were recruited over a period of 11 years, and their data were analyzed retrospectively. First trimester assessment at 11 + 0–13 + 6 weeks included examination of fetal anatomy and markers of aneuploidy and measurement of the maternal serum concentration of PAPP-A and free b-hCG. The outcomes under investigation were preterm rupture of the membranes, preterm delivery earlier than 32, 34, and 36 weeks, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disease of the pregnancy (including pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia), intrauterine demise, birth weight difference of more than 25% among the fetuses and composite adverse pregnancy outcome (which included preterm rupture of the membranes, preterm delivery earlier than < 36 weeks, hypertensive disease of the pregnancy, and gestational diabetes). Results Low first-trimester PAPP-A levels were related with preterm birth, whereas high levels were associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. When using specific cut-off points such as low PAPP-A MoM < 5th and < 10th centile or high PAPP-A MoM > 90th and 95th centile, these associations were not significant. Conclusions Low first-trimester PAPP-A levels were related with preterm birth, whereas high levels were associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. When specific cut-off points were investigated, these associations were not statistically significant.

This nested case–control study of healthy nulliparous women within the Calcium for Preeclampsia Prevention trial shows that the circulating level of soluble endoglin, an antiangiogenic protein, increased markedly 2 to 3 months before the onset of preeclampsia and was generally accompanied by decreased levels of placental growth factor and increased levels of circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1. These studies set the stage for a prospective study to determine if measurement of these markers could provide means of identifying women at high risk for preeclampsia. Circulating level of soluble endoglin increased markedly 2 to 3 months before the onset of preeclampsia and was generally accompanied by decreased levels of placental growth factor and increased levels of circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1. Preeclampsia, characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation, complicates 3 to 5 percent of pregnancies and results in substantial maternal and neonatal complications and deaths. 1 , 2 It seems to be precipitated by the release of circulating factors from the placenta that induce endothelial dysfunction. 3 , 4 Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) (also known as soluble vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] receptor 1 [sVEGFR1]), a circulating antiangiogenic protein that sequesters the proangiogenic proteins placental growth factor (PlGF) and VEGF, is increased before the onset of clinical disease in the circulation of women with preeclampsia. Circulating levels of sFlt1 . . .

Post-term pregnancies have increased risks for adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. Maternal concentrations of the placenta-associated proteins placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) have been identified as predictors for preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, both syndromes of placental dysfunction. We have proposed that low maternal circulating PlGF and increased sFlt-1 are general markers for syncytiotrophoblast stress, which increases at and beyond term, even in apparently uncomplicated pregnancies. Our aim was to establish circulating PlGF, sFlt-1, and sFlt-1/PlGF reference ranges in healthy post-term pregnancies (gestational week ≥40+2), comparing with healthy term pregnancies and evaluating associations between time to delivery and biomarker percentiles. Of 501 healthy, singleton post-term pregnancies prospectively recruited between September 2016 and December 2017 at our tertiary obstetric department, 426 with an uncomplicated delivery outcome contributed PlGF and sFlt-1 serum concentrations for reference range construction. A retrospective, cross-sectional, term group with an uncomplicated delivery outcome (n = 146) served as comparison. Differences in percentile values between groups and confidence intervals were calculated by quantile regression. In post-term pregnancies the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles for PlGF were: 70, 172, and 496 pg/mL; for sFlt-1: 2074, 4268, and 9141 pg/mL; and for sFlt-1/PlGF 5.3, 25.5, and 85.2. Quantile regression analyses comparing the post-term to the term group showed for PlGF a trend towards higher 10th through 30th percentiles, for sFlt-1 significantly higher 10th through 80th percentiles, and for sFlt-1/PlGF ratio significantly higher 30th percentile and significantly lower 95th percentile. PlGF below the 5th percentile and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio above the 95th percentile was associated with shorter time to delivery (p = 0.031 and p = 0.025, respectively). Our findings support the concept of increasing syncytiotrophoblast stress post-term in clinically healthy pregnancies. Whether post-term dysregulated angiogenic markers reflect a biological placental clock merits further investigation.

Background Sub-optimal maternal lipid levels during pregnancy may be implicated in the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to low birth weight (LBW) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA). We aimed to determine whether maternal lipid levels across pregnancy were associated with birth weight and the risks of LBW and SGA in rural Gambia. Methods This secondary analysis of the ENID trial involved 573 pregnant women with term deliveries. Plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglycerides (TG) were analyzed at enrolment (mean (SD) = 13.9 (3.3) weeks gestation), 20 and 30 weeks gestation as continuous variables and percentile groups. Regression models with adjustment for confounders were used to examine associations between gestational lipid levels and birth weight and the risks of LBW (birth weight < 2500 g) and SGA (<10th percentile INTERGROWTH-21ST for birth weight). Results There were 7.9% LBW and 32.5% SGA infants. At enrolment, every unit increase in HDL-c was associated with a 2.7% ( P  = 0.011) reduction in relative risk of LBW. At 20 weeks gestation, every unit increase in TC levels was associated with a 1.3% reduction in relative risk of LBW ( P  = 0.002). Low (<10th percentile) HDL-c at enrolment or at 20 weeks gestation was associated with a 2.6 ( P  = 0.007) and 3.0 ( P  = 0.003) times greater risk of LBW, respectively, compared with referent (10th─90th) HDL-c. High (>90th percentile) LDL-c at 30 weeks gestation was associated with a 55% lower risk of SGA compared with referent LDL-c ( P  = 0.017). Increased levels of TC (β = 1.3, P  = 0.027) at 20 weeks gestation and of TC (β = 1.2, P  = 0.006) and LDL-c (β = 1.5, P  = 0.002) at 30 weeks gestation were all associated with higher birth weight. Conclusions In rural Gambia, lipid levels during pregnancy were associated with infant birth weight and the risks of LBW and SGA. Associations varied by lipid class and changed across pregnancy, indicating an adaptive process by which maternal lipids may influence fetal growth and birth outcomes. Trial registration This trial was registered as ISRCTN49285450 on: 12/11/2009.