Articles

An exploration of potential output measures to assess efficiency and productivity for labour and birth in Australia

In maternity services, as in other areas of healthcare, increasing emphasis is placed on improving “efficiency” or “productivity”. The first step in any efficiency and productivity analysis is the selection of...

Authors: Bonnie Eklom, Sally Tracy and Emily Callander

Retraction Note: Mothers’ experiences of caring for preterm babies at home: qualitative insights from an urban setting in a middle-income country

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://​doi.​org/​10.​1186/​s12884-021-04185-7

Authors: Isabella Garti, Elorm Donkor, Nafisatu Musah, Evans Osei Appiah, Sandra Gyekye, Awube Menlah and Cynthia Pomaa Akuoko

A very preterm infant born to mother of mirror syndrome secondary to fetomaternal hemorrhage: a case report

Mirror syndrome (MS) is defined as maternal edema with fetal hydrops and placental edema with different etiologies, such as rhesus isoimmunization and twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Herein, we showcased a uni...

Authors: Sijie Song, Yefang Zhu, Gerhard Jorch, Xiaoting Zhang, Yan Wu, Wen Chen, Hua Gong, Ligang Zhou, Xueyan Wang and Xiaoyun Zhong

Association between adverse pregnancy outcomes and preceding risk factors: a cross-sectional study from Nashik District, India

The preconception phase of women’s life cycle is critical but comparatively ignored. The presence of health risks is judged as hazardous to the wellbeing of women and their offspring. This study aimed to estim...

Authors: Prakash Prabhakarrao Doke, Sonali Hemant Palkar, Jayashree Sachin Gothankar, Archana Vasantrao Patil, Amruta Paresh Chutke, Prasad Dnyandeo Pore, Aniruddha Vinayakrao Deshpande, Khanindra Kumar Bhuyan, Madhusudan Vamanrao Karnataki and Aparna Nishikant Shrotri

Diagnosis pitfall of interstitial pregnancy: a case report of a term pregnancy with abnormal placentation

Interstitial Pregnancy (IP) is a lethal condition due to high risk of sudden onset massive hemorrhage. Such conditions are managed as soon as diagnosed almost in the first trimester. There are a few case repor...

Authors: Fatemeh Sadat Najib, Homeira Vafaei, Amin Abolhasan Foroughi and Niloofar Namazi

Rates and indications of caesarean section deliveries in Bhutan 2015–2019: a national review

Bhutan has made much efforts to provide timely access to health services during pregnancy and increase institutional deliveries. However, as specialist obstetric services became available in seven hospitals i...

Authors: Thinley Dorji, Phurb Dorji, Sonam Gyamtsho, Saran Tenzin Tamang, Tshering Wangden, Sangay Wangmo and Don Eliseo Lucero Prisno III

A study on the timing of uterine artery embolization followed by pregnancy excision for cesarean scar pregnancy: a prospective study in China

Cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) remains a sporadic and special form of ectopic pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum is implanted on a previous cesarean scar within 12 weeks. This study aims to evaluate the opt...

Authors: Liping Yu, Bikang Yang, Qinyang Xu, Yincheng Teng and Zhuowei Xue

The risk of preterm birth in combinations of socioeconomic position and mental health conditions in different age groups: a Danish nationwide register-based cohort study

Inequality in preterm birth is a world-wide challenge that has proved difficult for maternity care services to meet. Reducing the inequality requires identification of pregnant women at particularly high risk ...

Authors: Camilla Klinge Knudsen, Amanda Marie Somer Christesen, Signe Heuckendorff, Kirsten Fonager, Martin Nygård Johansen and Charlotte Overgaard

The association between soy intake and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study

The association between soy intake and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to investigate the soy consumption of pregnant women in the second trimester and explore the...

Authors: Yan Wang, Biru Luo and Jie Xiang

When a vesicular placenta meets a live fetus: case report of twin pregnancy with a partial hydatidiform mole

Hydatidiform moles exhibit a distinctive gross appearance of multiple vesicles in the placenta. The advances in cytogenetic technologies have helped uncover novel entities of hydatidiform moles and enabled ela...

Authors: Minhuan Lin, Jinzhu Chen, Bing Liao, Zhiming He, Shaobin Lin and Yanmin Luo

Accessing and engaging with antenatal care: an interview study of teenage women

Pregnant teenagers in rural and regional areas experience distinct disadvantages, that are not simply a function of their age, and these have a substantial impact on their health and that of their baby. Studie...

Authors: Anna Wong Shee, Natasha Frawley, Carolyn Robertson, AnneMarie McKenzie, Julie Lodge, Vincent Versace and Cate Nagle

Awareness of gestational diabetes mellitus foetal-maternal risks: an Italian cohort study on pregnant women

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) incidence is increasing worldwide. It represents a major risk factor for adverse foetal-maternal outcomes. Awareness among women in regard to GDM-related risks (in particula...

Authors: Paola Quaresima, Federica Visconti, Fabiana Interlandi, Luigi Puccio, Patrizia Caroleo, Giuseppina Amendola, Michele Morelli, Roberta Venturella and Costantino Di Carlo

Core Outcome Sets (COS) related to pregnancy and childbirth: a systematic review

Systematic reviews often conclude low confidence in the results due to heterogeneity in the reported outcomes. A Core Outcome Set (COS) is an agreed standardised collection of outcomes for a specific area of h...

Authors: Marie Österberg, Christel Hellberg, Ann Kristine Jonsson, Sara Fundell, Frida Trönnberg, Alkistis Skalkidou and Maria Jonsson

Correction to: Clinical analysis of second-trimester pregnancy termination after previous caesarean delivery in 51 patients with placenta previa and placenta accreta spectrum: a retrospective study

Authors: Qiaofei Hu, Changdong Li, Lanrong Luo, Jian Li, Xiaofeng Zhang, Suwen Chen and Xiaokui Yang

Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm after treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy: a case report

Pseudoaneurysms are formed when a local arterial wall ruptures, leading to hemorrhage and hematoma adjacent to the artery. Continuous perfusion of the injured artery increases the pressure in the lumen of the ...

Authors: Jiao Wang, Qing Yang, Ningning Zhang and Dandan Wang

Fetal growth velocity references from a Chinese population–based fetal growth study

Fetal growth velocity standards have yet to be established for the Chinese population. This study aimed to establish such standards suitable for the Chinese population.

Authors: Tianchen Wu, Xiaoli Gong, Yangyu Zhao, Lizhen Zhang, Yiping You, Hongwei Wei, Xifang Zuo, Ying Zhou, Xinli Xing, Zhaoyan Meng, Qi Lv, Zhaodong Liu, Jian Zhang, Liyan Hu, Junnan Li, Li Li…

Conjoined twins in dichorionic diamniotic triplet pregnancy: a report of three cases and literature review

Conjoined twins are a rare and serious complication of monochorionic twins. The total incidence is 1.5 per 100,000 births, and about 50% are liveborn. Prenatal screening and diagnosis of conjoined twins is usu...

Authors: Hongyan Liu, Chunyan Deng, Qing Hu, Hua Liao, Xiaodong Wang and Haiyan Yu

Challenges and barriers to optimal maternity care for recently migrated women - a mixed-method study in Norway

Migrant women are at increased risk for complications related to  pregnancy and childbirth, possibly due to inadequate access and utilisation of healthcare. Recently migrated women are considered a vulnerable ...

Authors: Sukhjeet Bains, Susanne Skråning, Johanne Sundby, Siri Vangen, Ingvil K. Sørbye and Benedikte V. Lindskog

Clinical predictive factors for vaginal delivery following induction of labour among pregnant women in Jordan

Induction of labour (IOL) is an important and common clinical procedure in obstetrics. In the current study, we evaluate predictors of vaginal delivery in both nulliparous and multiparous women in north Jordan...

Authors: Rawan A. Obeidat, Mahmoud Almaaitah, Abeer Ben-Sadon, Dina Istaiti, Hasan Rawashdeh, Shereen Hamadneh, Hanan Hammouri and Adel Bataineh

Empirical analysis of socio-economic determinants of maternal health services utilisation in Burundi

Timely and appropriate health care during pregnancy and childbirth are the pillars of better maternal health outcomes. However, factors such as poverty and low education levels, long distances to a health faci...

Authors: Desire Habonimana and Neha Batura

Effect of low-molecular-weight heparins on anti-Xa peak levels and adverse reactions in Chinese patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion: a single-center, observational study

To compare three commonly used low-molecular-weight heparins (LWMHs) in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) by evaluating the anti-Xa peak levels and adverse reactions.

Authors: Wenxin Bai, Xinyang Zhang, Si Sun, Qiaohong Wang, Congcong Li, Xiaoxin Zhang and Aimin Zhao

The impact of oral carbohydrate-rich supplement taken two hours before caesarean delivery on maternal and neonatal perioperative outcomes -- a randomized clinical trial

To evaluate the impact of oral carbohydrate-rich (Ch-R) supplement taken 2 hours before an elective caesarean delivery (CD) on maternal and neonatal perioperative outcomes.

Authors: Yuanying He, Chunhong Liu, Ying Han, Yun Huang, Jianhong Zhou and Qigui Xie

Chronic active Epstein–Barr virus-associated secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in pregnancy: a case report

Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH) is a rare and fatal disease characterized by uncontrolled immune cell activation that can lead to a cytokine storm. Unfortunately, this condition can occur e...

Authors: Masaya Takahashi, Shintaro Makino, Hiroko Iizuka, Masaaki Noguchi and Koyo Yoshida

Chromogranin A demonstrates higher expression in preeclamptic placentas than in normal pregnancy

Although preeclampsia has long been recognized as a condition affecting late pregnancy, little is known of its pathogenesis or treatment. The placenta releases a number of hormones and molecules that influence...

Authors: Michalina Bralewska, Lidia Biesiada, Mariusz Grzesiak, Magda Rybak-Krzyszkowska, Hubert Huras, Agnieszka Gach, Tadeusz Pietrucha and Agata Sakowicz

Development and internal validation of a model predicting severe maternal morbidity using pre-conception and early pregnancy variables: a population-based study in Ontario, Canada

Improvement in the prediction and prevention of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) - a range of life-threatening conditions during pregnancy, at delivery or within 42 days postpartum - is a public health priority...

Authors: Natalie Dayan, Gabriel D. Shapiro, Jin Luo, Jun Guan, Deshayne B. Fell, Carl A. Laskin, Olga Basso, Alison L. Park and Joel G. Ray

Fetal growth restriction as the initial finding of preeclampsia is a clinical predictor of maternal and neonatal prognoses: a single-center retrospective study

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder specific to pregnancy that can cause severe maternal-neonatal complications. The International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy revised the PE cri...

Authors: Masaya Takahashi, Shintaro Makino, Kyoko Oguma, Haruka Imai, Ai Takamizu, Akari Koizumi and Koyo Yoshida

Maternal exposure to life events during pregnancy and congenital heart disease in offspring: a case-control study in a Chinese population

Previous studies have suggested that maternal stress could increase the risk of some adverse pregnancy outcomes, but evidence on congenital heart disease (CHD) is limited. We aimed to explore the association b...

Authors: Jing Li, Yujiao Du, Yini Liu, Jiaoyang Du, Ruo Zhang, Pengfei Qu, Hong Yan, Duolao Wang and Shaonong Dang

The impact of COVID-19 first wave national lockdowns on perinatal outcomes: a rapid review and meta-analysis

Since the emergence of COVID-19, preventative public health measures, including lockdown strategies, were declared in most countries to control viral transmission. Recent studies and anecdotes have reported ch...

Authors: Christine Vaccaro, Farida Mahmoud, Laila Aboulatta, Basma Aloud and Sherif Eltonsy

Plasma concentrations of leptin at mid-pregnancy are associated with gestational weight gain among pregnant women in Tanzania: a prospective cohort study

Gestational weight gain (GWG) has critical implications for maternal and child health. Inflammation and angiogenesis are implicated in various aspects of maternal metabolism that may play a role in gestational...

Authors: Dongqing Wang, Anne Marie Darling, Chloe R. McDonald, Nandita Perumal, Enju Liu, Molin Wang, Said Aboud, Willy Urassa, Andrea L. Conroy, Kyla T. Hayford, W. Conrad Liles, Kevin C. Kain and Wafaie W. Fawzi

Prevalence and factors associated with severe anaemia post-caesarean section at a tertiary Hospital in Southwestern Uganda

Severe anaemia after caesarean section adversely affects the woman and the new-born. While prenatal anaemia is extensively studied, the literature on post-caesarean section anaemia is limited and characteristi...

Authors: Sylvie Atosa Sivahikyako, Asiphas Owaraganise, Leevan Tibaijuka, David Collins Agaba, Musa Kayondo, Joseph Ngonzi, Julius Mugisha and Hamson Kanyesigye

Prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and associated risk factors for urinary tract infections in pregnant women attending ANC in some integrated health centers in the Buea Health District

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most frequent infections after respiratory tract infections that affect humans, with over 150 million cases per year. The anatomy of the female urinary tract pred...

Authors: Innocentia Nji Ngong, Jerome Fru-Cho, Melduine Akom Yung and Jane-Francis Kihla Tatah Akoachere

Intrauterine fetal death followed by shoulder dystocia and birth by modified posterior axillary sling method: a case report

Various manoeuvres such as McRoberts position, suprapubic pressure, rotational methods, posterior arm extraction and all-four position (HELPERR) have been proposed for relieving shoulder dystocia with variable...

Authors: Angel Hoi Wan Kwan, Annie Shuk Yi Hui, Jacqueline Ho Sze Lee and Tak Yeung Leung

Time interval analysis of ductus venosus and cardiac cycles in relation with umbilical artery pH at birth in fetal growth restriction

The aims of this study were to evaluate the time intervals of flow velocity waveforms (FVW) of ductus venosus (DV) and cardiac cycles, as well as the pulsatility index of DV-FVW (DV-PI), in correlation with um...

Authors: Tomoki Suekane, Daisuke Tachibana, Yasushi Kurihara, Natsuko Yokoi, Naomi Seo, Kohei Kitada, Mie Tahara, Akihiro Hamuro, Takuya Misugi, Akemi Nakano and Masayasu Koyama

Experiences of health care providers on pregnancy and childbirth care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: a phenomenological study

Coronavirus currently cause a lot of pressure on the health system. Accordingly, many changes occurred in the way of providing health care, including pregnancy and childbirth care. To our knowledge, no studies...

Authors: Sedigheh Hantoushzadeh, Maryam Bagheri, Marjan Akhavan Amjadi, Maryam Farmahini Farahani and Fedyeh Haghollahi

MRI characteristics of brain edema in preeclampsia/eclampsia patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome

The neuroimaging manifestations of eclampsia and preeclampsia often overlap, mainly presenting as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the...

Authors: Hui Mai, Zhiyu Liang, Zhanhang Chen, Zhaoran Liu, Yaxi Xu, Xuting Chen, Xiujian Du, Yuling Peng, Yonglu Chen and Tianfa Dong

An interrater reliability study on the Gothenburg obstetric triage system- a new obstetric triage system

Triage, identifying patients with critical and time-sensitive disorders, is an integrated process in general emergency medicine. Obstetric triage is more specialised, requiring assessment of both woman, fetus ...

Authors: Linnéa Lindroos, Helen Elden, Ove Karlsson and Verena Sengpiel

Factors influencing women’s perceptions of choice and control during pregnancy and birth: a cross-sectional study

Women across the world value choice and control throughout their maternity care experiences. In response to this health policy and frameworks are adapting and developing. The concepts of choice and control are...

Authors: Patricia Leahy-Warren, Helen Mulcahy, Paul Corcoran, Róisín Bradley, Mary O’Connor and Rhona O’Connell

Tanzanian men’s engagement in household chores is associated with improved antenatal care seeking and maternal health

Male support for partners’ antenatal care (ANC) has the potential to improve women’s care-seeking and maternal health outcomes. This study describes factors that are associated with men’s involvement in househ...

Authors: Emily Chahalis, Josie McGhie, Generose Mulokozi, Shannon Barham, Carter Chappell, Charisse Schenk, Mary Linehan, Scott Torres, Kirk A. Dearden, Josh H. West, P. Cougar Hall and Benjamin T. Crookston

Women’s attitudes, beliefs and values about tests, and management for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Advances in research suggest the possibility of improving routine clinical care for preeclampsia using screening (predictive) and diagnostic tests. The views of women should be incorporated into the way in whi...

Authors: Shenaz Ahmed, Alina Brewer, Eleni Z. Tsigas, Caryn Rogers, Lucy Chappell and Jenny Hewison

Concerns about transmission, changed services and place of birth in the early COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey among Danish pregnant women. The COVIDPregDK study

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused great uncertainty about causes, treatment and mortality of the new virus. Constant updates of recommendations and restrictions from national authorities may have ca...

Authors: Katja Schrøder, Lonny Stokholm, Katrine Hass Rubin, Jan Stener Jørgensen, Ellen Aagaard Nohr, Lone Kjeld Petersen and Mette Bliddal

Insaka: mobile phone support groups for adolescent pregnant women living with HIV

Mobile phone-based interventions have been demonstrated in different settings to overcome barriers to accessing critical psychosocial support. In this study, we aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibilit...

Authors: Nikita Simpson, Anna Kydd, Mwelwa Phiri, Madalitso Mbewe, Lucheka Sigande, Thomas Gachie, Malebo Ngobeni, Tebogo Monese, Zuzana Figerova, Hugo Schlesinger, Virginia Bond, Steve Belemu, Musonda Simwinga, Ab Schaap, Maurice Biriotti, Sarah Fidler…

Identification of factors associated with stillbirth in Zimbabwe – a cross sectional study

98% of the 2.6 million stillbirths per annum occur in low and middle income countries. However, understanding of risk factors for stillbirth in these settings is incomplete, hampering efforts to develop effect...

Authors: Kushupika Dube, Tina Lavender, Kieran Blaikie, Christopher J. Sutton, Alexander E. P. Heazell and Rebecca M. D. Smyth

Psychosocial challenges and individual strategies for coping with mental stress among pregnant and postpartum adolescents in Nairobi informal settlements: a qualitative investigation

This study was part of a project funded under the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative to engage adolescent girls living in the main slums of Nairobi. This involved an innovative co-creation initiative thr...

Authors: Caroline W. Wainaina, Estelle Monique Sidze, Beatrice W. Maina, Icoquih Badillo-Amberg, Hazel Odhiambo Anyango, Faith Kathoka, Dorcas Khasowa and Collins E. M. Okoror

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of mirror syndrome: a retrospective case-control study

Mirror syndrome (MS) is a rare obstetric disorder complicated with high maternal morbidity and fetal mortality. MS is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to the low incidence and lack of awareness of its ...

Authors: Zhenyan Han, Xiaodan Chen, Qingqing Wang, Jin Zhou, Yan Guo, Hongying Hou and Yuan Zhang

Correction to: Women with multiple gestations have an increased risk of development of hypertension in the future

Authors: Geum Joon Cho, Un Suk Jung, Ho Yeon Kim, Soo Bin Lee, Minjeong Kim, Ki-Hoon Ahn, Sung Won Han, Soon-Cheol Hong, Hai-Joong Kim, Younghan Kim and Min-Jeong Oh

Covid-19 infection in pregnant women in Dubai: a case-control study

Whilst the impact of Covid-19 infection in pregnant women has been examined, there is a scarcity of data on pregnant women in the Middle East. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of Covid-19 ...

Authors: Komal Sundeep Hazari, Rasha Abdeldayem, Litty Paulose, Nimmi Kurien, Zukaa Almahloul, Hozaifah Mohammad, Taghrid Faek A. Elgergawi, Maryam Alkhanbouli, Khalid Mahmoud, Atif Bashir Fazari, Amar Hassan and Riad Bayoumi

The effects of insulin therapy on maternal blood pressure and weight in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Although insulin therapy achieves effective glycemic control, it may aggravate hyperinsulinemia. Nonetheless the benefits of insulin as first-line treatment for women with GDM are controversial. This work aime...

Authors: Tiange Sun, Fanhua Meng, Shufei Zang, Yue Li, Rui Zhang, Zhiyan Yu, Xinmei Huang, Fang Wang, Liwen Zhang and Jun Liu

Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio for the prediction of histological chorioamnionitis in cases of preterm premature rupture of membranes: a case-control study

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is easily calculated blood test parameter, which can be used as marker to predict many inflammatory disorders. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the NLR in m...

Authors: Greta Balciuniene, Greta Kvederaite-Budre, Violeta Gulbiniene, Irena Dumalakiene, Rita Viliene, Ingrida Pilypiene, Grazina S. Drasutiene and Diana Ramasauskaite

A first trimester prediction model for large for gestational age infants: a preliminary study

Large for gestational age infants (LGA) have increased risk of adverse short-term perinatal outcomes. This study aims to develop a multivariable prediction model for the risk of giving birth to a LGA baby, by ...

Authors: Francesca Monari, Daniela Menichini, Ludovica Spano’ Bascio, Giovanni Grandi, Federico Banchelli, Isabella Neri, Roberto D’Amico and Fabio Facchinetti

Correction to: The possible role of visceral fat in early pregnancy as a predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus by regulating adipose-derived exosomes miRNA-148 family: protocol for a nested case-control study in a cohort study

Authors: Zhenhong Zhang, Qian Xu, Yanping Chen, Lun Sui, Lu Jiang, Qianqian Shen, Minyu Li, Guoju Li and Qiuzhen Wang