Articles

Improving the experience of facility-based delivery for vulnerable women through obstetric care navigation: a qualitative evaluation

Global disparities in maternal mortality could be reduced by universal facility delivery. Yet, deficiencies in the quality of care prevent some mothers from seeking facility-based obstetric care. Obstetric car...

Authors: Kirsten Austad, Michel Juarez, Hannah Shryer, Patricia L. Hibberd, Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Peter Rohloff and Anita Chary

The pregnancy-related anxiety characteristics in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: why should we care?

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is very commonly-seen in clinical settings, and GDM patients may have higher levels of anxiety. It’s necessary to evaluate the anxiety level and potentially influencing fact...

Authors: Feng Fu, Ping Yan, Shuping You, Xinmin Mao, Tingting Qiao, Li Fu, Yanni Wang, Yali Dai and Palida Maimaiti

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on time series of maternal mortality ratio in Bahia, Brazil: analysis of period 2011–2020

Most studies on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been conducted with adults and non-pregnant women. Thus, its impacts on maternal health are not yet fully established. This study aimed to verify the re...

Authors: Rita de Cássia Oliveira de Carvalho-Sauer, Maria da Conceição N. Costa, Maria Gloria Teixeira, Estela Maria Ramos do Nascimento, Ediane Maria Filardi Silva, Mariana Luiza Almeida Barbosa, Géssica Rodrigues da Silva, Thaissa Piedade Santos and Enny S. Paixao

Prevalence of neonatal near miss and associated factors in Nepal: a cross-sectional study

The rate of neonatal mortality has declined but lesser than the infant mortality rate and remains a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need to focus on newbor...

Authors: Rajbanshi Sushma, Mohd Noor Norhayati and Nik Hussain Nik Hazlina

The association of breastfeeding self-efficacy with breastfeeding duration and exclusivity: longitudinal assessment of the predictive validity of the Greek version of the BSES-SF tool

While breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSES) is an important modifiable determinant of breastfeeding, a structured assessment is not standard practice in Cyprus. We assessed the Greek version of the Breastfeeding ...

Authors: Mary Economou, Ourania Kolokotroni, Irene Paphiti-Demetriou, Christiana Kouta, Ekaterini Lambrinou, Eleni Hadjigeorgiou, Vasiliki Hadjiona and Nicos Middleton

Using a consumer-based wearable activity tracker for physical activity goal setting and measuring steps in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: exploring acceptance and validity

Activity monitoring devices may be used to facilitate goal-setting, self-monitoring, and feedback towards a step-based physical activity (PA) goal. This study examined the performance of the wrist-worn Fitbit ...

Authors: Samantha F. Ehrlich, Jill M. Maples, Cristina S. Barroso, Kathleen C. Brown, David R. Bassett Jr, Nikki B. Zite and Kimberly B. Fortner

Individual and community-level predictors of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: a multilevel logistic regression analysis

Prenatal alcohol consumption is a serious public health concern that is considered as one of the preventable risk factors for neonatal and childhood morbidity and several adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study...

Authors: Alemu Earsido Addila, Telake Azale, Yigzaw Kebede Gete and Mezgebu Yitayal

Association between premature ovarian insufficiency and gut microbiota

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterized by impairment of ovarian function on a continuum before the age of 40 years. POI is affected by multiple factors. Considering new insights from recent gut...

Authors: Jiaman Wu, Yuanyuan Zhuo, Yulei Liu, Yan Chen, Yan Ning and Jilong Yao

Impact of a maternal and newborn health results-based financing intervention (RBF4MNH) on stillbirth: a cross-sectional comparison in four districts in Malawi

Malawi implemented a Results Based Financing (RBF) model for Maternal and Newborn Health, “RBF4MNH” at public hospitals in four Districts, with the aim of improving health outcomes. We used this context to see...

Authors: Regina Makuluni and William Stones

Resilience and vulnerability of maternity services in Zimbabwe: a comparative analysis of the effect of Covid-19 and lockdown control measures on maternal and perinatal outcomes, a single-centre cross-sectional study at Mpilo Central Hospital

On the 27^th of March 2020 the Zimbabwean government declared the Covid-19 pandemic a ‘national disaster’. Travel restrictions and emergency regulations have had significant impacts on maternity services, includin...

Authors: Clare Shakespeare, Handsome Dube, Sikhangezile Moyo and Solwayo Ngwenya

Association between Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) with adverse pregnancy outcomes in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran

There are few epidemiological studies on the relation between temperature changes and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the relation between Physiological Equivalent Temper...

Authors: Maryam Dastoorpoor, Narges Khanjani and Narges Khodadadi

Prevalence of stillbirth and its associated factors in East Africa: generalized linear mixed modeling

Stillbirth is the most frequently reported adverse pregnancy outcome worldwide, which imposes significant psychological and economic consequences to mothers and affected families. East African countries accoun...

Authors: Getayeneh Antehunegn Tesema, Zemenu Tadesse Tessema, Koku Sisay Tamirat and Achamyeleh Birhanu Teshale

Risk factors for preeclampsia and eclampsia at a main referral maternity hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a case-control study

In the African region, 5.6% of pregnancies are estimated to be complicated by preeclampsia and 2.9% by eclampsia, with almost one in ten maternal deaths being associated with hypertensive disorders. In Sierra ...

Authors: N. Stitterich, J. Shepherd, M. M. Koroma and S. Theuring

A questionnaire to measure the quality of midwifery care in the postpartum period from women’s point of view: development and psychometric testing of MMAYpostpartum

Home postpartum care is a major part of midwifery care in Germany. The user perspective plays an increasingly important role in the evaluation of health services, but there is a lack of valid and theoretically...

Authors: Mirjam Peters, Petra Kolip and Rainhild Schäfers

The views of postnatal women and midwives on midwives providing contraceptive advice and methods: a mixed method concurrent study

Provision of contraception to women in the immediate postnatal period has been endorsed by professional bodies, to reduce the incidence of short inter-pregnancy intervals. This study examined the views of post...

Authors: Susan H. Walker, Claire Hooks and Diane Blake

Determinants of the continuum of maternal health care in Cambodia: an analysis of the Cambodia demographic health survey 2014

Cambodia has achieved significant progress in maternal health, yet remains in the group of countries with the highest maternal mortality ratio in South-East Asia. Extra efforts are needed to improve maternal h...

Authors: Savina Chham, Emma Radovich, Veerle Buffel, Por Ir and Edwin Wouters

Maternal region of origin and Small for gestational age: a cross-sectional analysis of Victorian perinatal data

Being born small for gestational age is a strong predictor of the short- and long-term health of the neonate, child, and adult. Variation in the rates of small for gestational age have been identified across p...

Authors: Sarah Grundy, Patricia Lee, Kirsten Small and Faruk Ahmed

Implementation of a performance-based financing scheme in Malawi and resulting externalities on the quality of care of non-incentivized services

Countries in Africa progressively implement performance-based financing schemes to improve the quality of care provided by maternal, newborn and child health services. Beyond its direct effects on service prov...

Authors: Stephan Brenner, Caterina Favaretti, Julia Lohmann, Jobiba Chinkhumba, Adamson S. Muula and Manuela De Allegri

Changes in attitudes and behaviors supportive of maternal and newborn health in Ethiopia: an evaluative case study

Ethiopia’s high neonatal mortality rate led to the government’s 2013 introduction of Community-Based Newborn Care (CBNC) to bring critical prevention and treatment interventions closer to communities in need. ...

Authors: William T. Story, Yared Amare, Lara M.E. Vaz, Heather Gardner, Halkeno Tura, Gail Snetro, Mary V. Kinney, Steve Wall and Abeba Bekele

Physical activity and sleep duration during pregnancy have interactive effects on caesarean delivery: a population-based cohort study in Tianjin, China

There were inconsistent findings in the literature regarding the associations of physical activity and sleep duration during pregnancy with caesarean delivery for different reasons. It was also unknown whether...

Authors: Yingzi Yang, Weiqin Li, Wen Yang, Leishen Wang, Jinnan Liu, Junhong Leng, Wei Li, Shuo Wang, Jing Li, Gang Hu, Zhijie Yu and Xilin Yang

Identifying maternal needs following childbirth: comparison between pregnant women and recent mothers

The postnatal period is associated with new needs for mothers. Four categories of needs were highlighted in a previous study: for information, for psychological support, for the sharing of experiences and for ...

Authors: Justine Slomian, Jean-Yves Reginster, Patrick Emonts and Olivier Bruyère

Utilization of partograph and its associated factors among obstetric caregivers in public health institutions of Southwest Ethiopia

Partographs should be used universally to monitor the mother and fetus’s conditions during delivery. However, its application in different parts of the world, including Ethiopia, is inconsistent. Moreover, its...

Authors: Abel Girma Tilahun, Dawit Getachew Gebeyehu, Yayehyirad Yemaneh Adinew and Fekede Woldekidan Mengstu

Predictors of placental malaria in Upper West Regional Hospital-Ghana

Placental malaria (PM) poses life-threatening complications to pregnant women as they are at increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with malaria. This study examined the fa...

Authors: Pascal Kingsley Mwin, Afreh Kuffuor, Kaamel Nuhu, Rafiq Okine, Chrysantus Kubio, Frederick Wurapa, Francis Adjei Osei and Edwin Afari

Sub-national analysis and determinants of numbers of antenatal care contacts in Nigeria: assessing the compliance with the WHO recommended standard guidelines

Nigeria has unimpressive maternal and child health indicators. Compliance with the WHO guidelines on the minimum number of antenatal care (ANC) contacts could improve these indicators. We assessed the complian...

Authors: Adeniyi Francis Fagbamigbe, Olugbenga Olaseinde and Vincent Setlhare

High mortality rate of obstetric critically ill women in Rwanda and its predictability

Reasons for admission to intensive care units (ICUs) for obstetric patients vary from one setting to another. Outcomes from ICU and prediction models are not well explored in Rwanda owing to lack of appropriat...

Authors: Alcade Rudakemwa, Amyl Lucille Cassidy and Théogène Twagirumugabe

Missed opportunities for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis during pregnancy and the postpartum period: evidence from mainland China in 2019

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has become one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Thromboprophylaxis is recommended for the prevention of this condition; however, its use appears to be insufficient. The...

Authors: Zhekun Zhao, Qiongjie Zhou and Xiaotian Li

Expression of mRNAs for pro-and anti-apoptotic factors in granulosa cells and follicular fluid of women undergoing in vitro fertilization. A pilot study

This observational clinical study evaluated the expression levels and predictive values of some apoptosis-related genes in granulosa cells (GCs) and follicular fluid (FF) of women undergoing in vitro fertiliza...

Authors: József Bódis, Endre Sulyok, Ákos Várnagy, Viktória Prémusz, Krisztina Gödöny, Alexandra Makai, Ágnes Szenczi and Timea Varjas

Management of prolonged first stage of labour in a low-resource setting: lessons learnt from rural Malawi

Caesarean sections without medical indication cause substantial maternal and perinatal ill-health, particularly in low-income countries where surgery is often less safe. In presence of adequate labour monitori...

Authors: Wouter Bakker, Elisabeth van Dorp, Misheck Kazembe, Alfred Nkotola, Jos van Roosmalen and Thomas van den Akker

Knowledge and practice to prevent COVID-19 and its associated factors among pregnant women in Debre Tabor Town Northwest Ethiopia, a community-based cross-sectional study

Coronavirus disease is now a global concern with the non-availability of antiviral treatment and attacks all groups of the population. Hence, applying preventive measures is the most critical intervention to c...

Authors: Alemu Degu Ayele, Gedefaye Nibret Mihretie, Habtamu Gebrehana Belay, Adanech Getie Teffera, Bekalu Getnet Kassa and Bedemariam Tadesse Amsalu

Lack of concern about body image and health during pregnancy linked to excessive gestational weight gain and small-for-gestational-age deliveries: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Pregnant women in Japan express various reasons for limiting gestational weight gain (GWG). We aimed to identify and characterise groups where the women share common reasons to limit GWG and to examine how the...

Authors: Naw Awn J-P, Marina Minami, Masamitsu Eitoku, Nagamasa Maeda, Mikiya Fujieda and Narufumi Suganuma

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

Preterm delivery is the birth of a baby before 37 weeks of gestation. This global phenomenon is a critical issue of concern especially in developing countries that are resource-constrained when it comes to the...

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

An exploration of migrant women’s perceptions of public health messages to reduce stillbirth in the UK: a qualitative study

Stillbirth is a global public health priority. Within the United Kingdom, perinatal mortality disproportionately impacts Black, Asian and minority ethnic women, and in particular migrant women. Although the ex...

Authors: Tomasina Stacey, Melanie Haith-Cooper, Nisa Almas and Charlotte Kenyon

In utero fetal left ventricular rupture and pseudoaneurysm formation: a case report

Cardiac ventricular aneurysms affect 1 in 200,000 live births. To the best of our knowledge, no reported cases of a left ventricular pseudoaneurym and in utero rupture exist to guide optimal management.

Authors: Sarah Heland, Sarah Hope, Andrew Edwards, Rebecca Chalmers, Alice Stewart, Annie Kroushev, Bennett Sheridan, Stuart Hooper and Kirsten R. Palmer

Prenatal diagnosis of an aberrant ductus venosus draining into the coronary sinus using two- and three-dimensional echocardiography: a case report

Ductus venosus (DV) abnormalities may be associated with intracardiac or extracardiac deformities, chromosomal anomalies, and/or congestive heart failure. Aberrant DV connecting with the coronary sinus (CS) is...

Authors: Yu Wang, Ying Zhang and Meilian Wang

Inter-hospital and inter-disciplinary variation in planned birth practices and readiness for change: a survey study

How the application of evidence to planned birth practices, induction of labour (IOL) and prelabour caesarean (CS), differs between Australian maternity units remains poorly understood. Perceptions of readines...

Authors: Dominiek Coates, Natasha Donnolley, Maralyn Foureur and Amanda Henry

Optimum maternal healthcare service utilization and infant mortality in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world. Utilization of maternal healthcare during pregnancy, at delivery, and after delivery is critical to reducing the risk of infant mortality...

Authors: Girmay Tsegay Kiross, Catherine Chojenta, Daniel Barker and Deborah Loxton

Pro-poor policies and improvements in maternal health outcomes in India

Since 2005, India has experienced an impressive 77% reduction in maternal mortality compared to the global average of 43%. What explains this impressive performance in terms of reduction in maternal mortality ...

Authors: M. Bhatia, L. K. Dwivedi, K. Banerjee, A. Bansal, M. Ranjan and P. Dixit

Correction to: Waterbirth: a national retrospective cohort study of factors associated with its use among women in England

Authors: H. Aughey, J. Jardine, N. Moitt, K. Fearon, J. Hawdon, D. Pasupathy, I. Urganci and T. Harris

Predicting factors of failed induction of labor in three hospitals of Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Failed induction of labor affects maternal and neonatal outcomes as well as the cost of healthcare, especially in low-resource setting regions in which the prevalence of failed induction is higher despite the ...

Authors: Amare Genetu Ejigu and Shewangizaw H/mariam Lambyo

Antenatal management and maternal/fetal outcomes associated with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) in Uganda; a prospective cohort study

Hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) is associated with complications for both mother and baby. The prevalence of the condition is likely to increase across Africa as the continent undergoes a rapid demographic t...

Authors: Jack Milln, Betty Nakabuye, Barnabas Kahiira Natamba, Isaac Sekitoleko, Michael Mubiru, Arthur Araali Namara, Samuel Tumwesigire, Salome Tino, Mandy Mirembe, Ayoub Kakande, Brian Agaba, Faridah Nansubuga, Daniel Zaake, Ben Ayiko, Herbert Kalema, Sarah Nakubulwa…

Effects of a ‘Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’ on exclusive breastfeeding rates at a private hospital in Lebanon: an interrupted time series analysis

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) through six months of age has been scientifically validated as having a wide range of benefits, but remains infrequent in many countries. The WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Ini...

Authors: Adrienne Clermont, Josianne El Gemayel, Rola Hammoud, Jiangxia Wang, Hortenzia Beciu, Mona Sinno, Wilma Berends, Nadine Rosenblum, Jessica L. Bienstock, Kristen Byrnes and Roger Samuels

Cesarean delivery on maternal request and its influencing factors in Chongqing, China

A high rate of cesarean delivery has become a cause of global concern. Although the rate of cesarean delivery has declined over recent years, it remains at a high level largely because of cesarean delivery on ...

Authors: Ruibin Deng, Xian Tang, Jiaxiu Liu, Yuwen Gao and Xiaoni Zhong

Pregnancy outcomes in women with infertility and coexisting endometriosis and adenomyosis after laparoscopic surgery: a long-term retrospective follow-up study

Adenomyosis (AM) and endometriosis (EM) often coexist. Laparoscopic surgery is one of the main methods for diagnosing and treating these conditions. This study aims to investigate the pregnancy outcomes of wom...

Authors: Jinghua Shi, Yi Dai, Junji Zhang, Xiaoyan Li, Shuangzheng Jia and Jinhua Leng

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the cervix diagnosed during pregnancy: a rare case report with discussion

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a relatively rare malignant small round cell tumor, and the occurrence of cervical PNET during pregnancy is extremely rare.

Authors: Xiang Feng, Lina Zhang, Yanling Tan, Aihua Feng, Fei Luo, Mengfan Xu, Hong Ye, Hongyu Zhu, Peng Zhou and Hua Li

Prenatal diagnosis of Meier-Gorlin syndrome 7: a case presentation

Meier-Gorlin syndrome 7 (MGS7) is a rare autosomal recessive condition. We reported a fetus diagnosed with Meier-Gorlin syndrome 7. The antenatal sonographic images were presented, and compound heterozygous mu...

Authors: Xia Li, Lan-Zhen Zhang, Lin Yu, Zhao-Lua Long, An-Yun Lin and Chen-Yu Gou

The reliability of maternal audit instruments to assign cause of death in maternal deaths review process: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Maternal Death Reviews (MDR) can assist in formulating prevention strategies to reduce maternal mortality. To support MDR, an adequate MDR instrument is required to accurately identify the underlying causes of...

Authors: Ratnasari D. Cahyanti, Widyawati Widyawati and Mohammad Hakimi

Progress towards Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) implementation in Iran: obstacles and bottlenecks

Neonatal mortality accounts for more than 47% of deaths among children under five globally but proper care at and around the time of birth could prevent about two-thirds of these deaths. The Every Newborn Acti...

Authors: Fariba Mirbaha-Hashemi, Batool Tayefi, Zahra Rampisheh, Arash Tehrani-Banihashemi, Mozhdeh Ramezani, Narjes Khalili, Omid Pournik, Rahim Taghizadeh-Asl, Abbas Habibelahi, Mohammad Heidarzadeh and Maziar Moradi-Lakeh

Characteristics, clinical and laboratory data and outcomes of pregnant women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to Al-Zahra tertiary referral maternity center in Iran: a case series of 24 patients

Physiological changes during pregnancy put pregnant women at higher risk for COVID-19 complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcomes of 24 COVID...

Authors: Maryam Vaezi, Mojgan Mirghafourvand and Shahla Hemmatzadeh

Reduction in massive postpartum haemorrhage and red blood cell transfusion during a national quality improvement project, Obstetric Bleeding Strategy for Wales, OBS Cymru: an observational study

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and its incidence is increasing in many countries despite management guidelines. A national quality improvement programme calle...

Authors: Sarah F. Bell, Rachel E. Collis, Philip Pallmann, Christopher Bailey, Kathryn James, Miriam John, Kevin Kelly, Thomas Kitchen, Cerys Scarr, Adam Watkins, Tracey Edey, Elinore Macgillivray, Kathryn Greaves, Ingrid Volikas, James Tozer, Niladri Sengupta…

Influences on physical activity and screen time amongst postpartum women with heightened depressive symptoms: a qualitative study

Postpartum women are at higher risk of depression compared to the general population. Despite the mental health benefits an active lifestyle can provide, postpartum women engage in low physical activity and hi...

Authors: Maria Apostolopoulos, Jill A. Hnatiuk, Jaimie-Lee Maple, Ellinor K. Olander, Leah Brennan, Paige van der Pligt and Megan Teychenne