Articles

Incidence and predictors of iron deficiency anaemia in parturients undergoing elective caesarean section at a tertiary hospital in New Zealand: a retrospective, observational cohort study

Worldwide, iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy is a significant problem which can be especially problematic when delivery is by caesarean section, a procedure associated with significant blood loss. Optimisin...

Authors: Pablo L. de Vena Franks, Andrew Y. Pan, Manpreet K. Gill, Angela M. K. Cross, Katy L. Konrad and Nicholas J. Lightfoot

Enhancing nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity among rural pregnant women in Malawi: a randomized controlled trial

In many sub-Saharan African countries, such as Malawi, antenatal care (ANC) services do not deliver sufficient nutrition awareness to improve adequate dietary intake in pregnancy. We therefore compared the eff...

Authors: Lillian Ziyenda Katenga-Kaunda, Penjani Rhoda Kamudoni, Gerd Holmboe-Ottesen, Heidi E. Fjeld, Ibrahimu Mdala, Zumin Shi and Per Ole Iversen

The prevalence and predictors of fear of childbirth among pregnant Chinese women: a hierarchical regression analysis

Fear of childbirth (FOC) occurs before, during and after pregnancy and is harmful to both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Identifying the prevalence and predictors of FOC can help us generate strategies for ...

Authors: Jingui Huang, Jing Huang, Yan Li and Bizhen Liao

Comparison of fear, anxiety and self-efficacy of childbirth among primiparous and multiparous women

The aim of this study was to compare fear of childbirth, state and trait anxiety, and childbirth self-efficacy among primiparous and multiparous women in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran.

Authors: Aazam Shakarami, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Somyieh Abdolalipour, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi and Mina Iravani

Risk factors for stillbirth and early neonatal death: a case-control study in tertiary hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan country that has made significant improvements in maternal mortality and under-five mortality over the past 15 years. However, the nation continues to have one of the highest rates of...

Authors: Eskinder Kebede and Melani Kekulawala

Effect of prophylactic balloon occlusion of internal iliac artery in pregnancies complicated by placenta previa and accreta

Placenta previa and accreta are serious obstetric conditions that are associated with a high risk of intraoperative massive hemorrhage, the prophylactic intravascular balloon occlusion technique is increasingl...

Authors: Daijuan Chen, Jinfeng Xu, Yuan Tian, Pengfei Ye, Fumin Zhao, Xinghui Liu, Xiaodong Wang and Bing Peng

Cost effectiveness of a controlled lifestyle intervention for pregnant women with obesity

The Mighty Mums antenatal lifestyle intervention is a person-centered behavioral intervention focusing on nutrition and physical activity for pregnant women with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30). The aim of...

Authors: Hanna Gyllensten, Karin Haby, Marie Berg and Åsa Premberg

Relationship between amniotic fluid metabolic profile with fetal gender, maternal age, and gestational week

Amniotic fluid (AF) provides vital information on fetal development, which is also valuable in identifying fetal abnormalities during pregnancy. However, the relationship between the metabolic profile of AF in...

Authors: Yahong Li, Yun Sun, Xiaojuan Zhang, Xin Wang, Peiying Yang, Xianwei Guan, Yan Wang, Xiaoyan Zhou, Ping Hu, Tao Jiang and Zhengfeng Xu

The successful implementation of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program among caesarean deliveries in Bhutan to reduce the postoperative length of hospital stay

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a multidisciplinary perioperative care program to optimize and enhance postoperative recovery. It has a beneficial role in decreasing the length of hospital stay and i...

Authors: Tshering Tamang, Tashi Wangchuk, Choning Zangmo, Tshering Wangmo and Karma Tshomo

Clinical characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19 in Japan: a nationwide questionnaire survey

Few reports have presented an overall view of pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across an entire country and throughout the entire gestation period. Furthermore, no such reports are avail...

Authors: Tatsuya Arakaki, Junichi Hasegawa, Akihiko Sekizawa, Tomoaki Ikeda, Isamu Ishiwata and Katsuyuki Kinoshita

Maternal depressive symptoms and stress during pregnancy as predictors of gestational age at birth and standardized body mass index from birth up to 2 years of age

While depressive symptoms and stress during pregnancy are known to affect gestational age and weight at birth, evidence on their impact on child anthropometric development in the long term remains limited, sho...

Authors: Janina Eichler, Ricarda Schmidt, Tanja Poulain, Andreas Hiemisch, Wieland Kiess and Anja Hilbert

Incidence, risk factors and management of post cesarean section surgical site infection (SSI) in a tertiary hospital in Egypt: a five year retrospective study

Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the commonest complications following cesarean section (CS) with a reported incidence of 3–20%. SSI causes massive burdens on both the mother and the health care system....

Authors: Khaled Gomaa, Ahmed R. Abdelraheim, Saad El Gelany, Eissa M. Khalifa, Ayman M. Yousef and Heba Hassan

“Preterm birth risk, me?” Women risk perception about premature delivery – a qualitative analysis

Risk perception is based on collective indicators, but it is influenced by the individual’s self-perception of his health-disease process. This study aims to investigate the risk perception of pregnant women w...

Authors: Thaís V Silva, Silvana F Bento, Leila Katz and Rodolfo C Pacagnella

COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and antibody response in lactating women: a prospective cohort study

Immunological protection via breastfeeding is well known. The immunological profile of human milk changes during lactation. No clinical trials have been conducted in lactating women with the newest mRNA vaccin...

Authors: Nadia Charepe, Juliana Gonçalves, A. Margarida Juliano, David G. Lopes, Helena Canhão, Helena Soares and e Fátima Serrano

Exploring women’s experiences of participation in shared decision-making during childbirth: a qualitative study at a reference hospital in Spain

Women’s engagement in healthcare decision-making during childbirth has been increasingly emphasised as a priority in maternity care, since it increases satisfaction with the childbirth experience and provides ...

Authors: María López-Toribio, Paulina Bravo and Anna Llupià

Estimation of postpartum depression risk from electronic health records using machine learning

Postpartum depression is a widespread disorder, adversely affecting the well-being of mothers and their newborns. We aim to utilize machine learning for predicting risk of postpartum depression (PPD) using pri...

Authors: Guy Amit, Irena Girshovitz, Karni Marcus, Yiye Zhang, Jyotishman Pathak, Vered Bar and Pinchas Akiva

Plasma fibulin-1 levels during pregnancy and delivery: a longitudinal observational study

Fibulin-1 is an extracellular matrix protein expressed at high levels in the placenta. Elevated circulating fibulin-1 have been observed in women with severe pre-eclampsia, whereas low levels have been found i...

Authors: Astrid Bakke Orvik, Malene Rohr Andersen, Lise Pedersen, Christian Ritz, Steen Stender and Pal Bela Szecsi

Acute relaxation during pregnancy leads to a reduction in maternal electrodermal activity and self-reported stress levels

Prenatal maternal stress can have adverse effects on birth outcomes and fetal development. Relaxation techniques have been examined as potential countermeasures. This study investigates different relaxation te...

Authors: Ilena Bauer, Julia Hartkopf, Anna-Karin Wikström, Nora K. Schaal, Hubert Preissl, Birgit Derntl and Franziska Schleger

Prevalence and associated factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a cohort of Srilankan post-partum mothers: a cross-sectional study

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) usually follows a catastrophic event. However, the experience of child birth can be severe enough to cause PTSD in some women. The aim of this study is to highlight the pr...

Authors: Wedisha Imal Gankanda, Ileperuma Arachchige Gayani Malsha Perera Gunathilake, Nalaka Lasantha Kahawala and Augustus Keshala Probhodana Ranaweera

Postpartum women’s psychological experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: a modified recurrent cross-sectional thematic analysis

COVID-19 has placed additional stressors on mothers during an already vulnerable lifecourse transition. Initial social distancing restrictions (Timepoint 1; T1) and initial changes to those social distancing r...

Authors: Leanne Jackson, Leonardo De Pascalis, Joanne A. Harrold, Victoria Fallon and Sergio A. Silverio

Pregnancy after liver transplant: maternal and perinatal outcomes

Liver transplantation is a life-saving and successful therapeutic procedure which is more and more frequent worldwide, also among women of reproductive age. Consequently, there is an increasing number of repor...

Authors: Izabela Marzec, Aleksandra Słowakiewicz, Jolanta Gozdowska, Olga Tronina, Marek Pacholczyk, Wojciech Lisik, Agata Fleming and Magdalena Durlik

Incorporating Aboriginal women’s voices in improving care and reducing risk for women with diabetes in pregnancy - A phenomenological study

There is a high burden of gestational diabetes (GDM) and type 2 diabetes in pregnancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Postpartum diabetes programs have the potential to prevent recurrent GDM a...

Authors: Anna J Wood, Sian Graham, Jacqueline A Boyle, Beverley Marcusson-Rababi, Shonada Anderson, Christine Connors, Harold D McIntyre, Louise Maple-Brown and Renae Kirkham

Antenatal care dropout and associated factors among mothers delivering in public health facilities of Dire Dawa Town, Eastern Ethiopia

More than two-thirds of the pregnant women in Africa have at least one antenatal care contact with a health care provider. However, to achieve the full life-saving potential that antenatal care promises for wo...

Authors: Dereje Worku, Daniel Teshome, Chalachew Tiruneh, Alemtsehay Teshome, Gete Berihun, Leykun Berhanu and Zebader Walle

Effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for reducing postpartum fatigue: a meta-analysis

Postpartum fatigue is the most common issue among postnatal women and it could not only seriously affect the health of mothers but also bring about adverse impacts on their offspring. This meta-analysis aims t...

Authors: Jialu Qian, Shiwen Sun, Lu Liu and Xiaoyan Yu

Methods of induction of labor and women’s experience: a population-based cohort study with mediation analyses

Negative childbirth experience may affect mother wellbeing and health. However, it is rarely evaluated in studies comparing methods of induction of labor (IoL).

Authors: Pauline Blanc-Petitjean, Corinne Dupont, Bruno Carbonne, Marina Salomé, François Goffinet and Camille Le Ray

Place of birth and outcomes associated with large volume transfusion: an observational study

Guidelines recommend that women at high risk of postpartum haemorrhage deliver at facilities able to handle heavy bleeding. However postpartum haemorrhage is often unexpected. This study aims to compare outcom...

Authors: Jillian Patterson, Deborah Randall, James Isbister, Michael Peek, Tanya Nippita and Siranda Torvaldsen

Regional socio-environmental characteristics associated with inadequate prenatal care during pregnancy: an ecological study of 47 prefectures in Japan

Prenatal care (PNC) is a crucial health service that reduces the potential risks of adverse pregnancy and childbirth outcomes. It is monitored as one of the indicators of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under ...

Authors: Eri Osawa and Tomoko Kodama

Coexistence and prevalence of obstetric interventions: an analysis based on the grade of membership

Obstetric interventions performed during delivery do not reflect improvements in obstetric care. Several practices routinely performed during childbirth, without any scientific evidence or basis - such as Kris...

Authors: Karina Cristina Rouwe de Souza, Thales Philipe Rodrigues da Silva, Ana Kelve de Castro Damasceno, Bruna Figueiredo Manzo, Kleyde Ventura de Souza, Maria Margarida Leitão Filipe and Fernanda Penido Matozinhos

Analysis of clinical characteristics and genetic testing in patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy: a retrospective study

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is an acute, rare and potentially lethal disease typically occurring in the third trimester of pregnancy. So far, there is no effective means of prevention. Therefore, in ...

Authors: Yixian Shi, Haicong Wu, Xiaoling Zhou, Qingling Xu, Liqing Zheng, Dongliang Li and Lvfeng Yao

Prevalence, socioeconomic factors and obstetric outcomes associated with adolescent motherhood in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study

Adolescent motherhood (AM) remains a public health problem, especially in low and middle income countries, where approximately 95% of these births occur. Evidence from studies with population representativenes...

Authors: Shirley Kelly Bedê Bruno, Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha, Sabrina Gabriele Maia Oliveira Rocha, David Augusto Batista Sá Araújo, Jocileide Sales Campos, Anamaria Cavalcante e Silva and Luciano Lima Correia

Identifying women with gestational diabetes based on maternal characteristics: an analysis of four Norwegian prospective studies

There is still no worldwide agreement on the best diagnostic thresholds to define gestational diabetes (GDM) or the optimal approach for identifying women with GDM. Should all pregnant women perform an oral gl...

Authors: Anam Shakil Rai, Line Sletner, Anne Karen Jenum, Nina Cecilie Øverby, Signe Nilssen Stafne, Tove Lekva, Are Hugo Pripp and Linda Reme Sagedal

Tocolysis in the management of preterm prelabor rupture of membranes at 22–33 weeks of gestation: study protocol for a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial comparing nifedipine with placebo (TOCOPROM)

Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) before 34 weeks of gestation complicates 1% of pregnancies and accounts for one-third of preterm births. International guidelines recommend expectant management, a...

Authors: Elsa Lorthe and Gilles Kayem

Correction to: Health providers’ and pregnant women’s perspectives about smoking cessation support: a COM-B analysis of a global systematic review of qualitative studies

Authors: Ratika Kumar, Leah Stevenson, Judith Jobling, Yael Bar-Zeev, Parivash Eftekhari and Gillian S. Gould

Postpartum dietary and physical activity-related beliefs and behaviors among women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus: a qualitative study from Singapore

A woman with a history of GDM has at least seven-fold increased lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), compared to women who have normoglycemic pregnancies. Postpartum lifestyle modificat...

Authors: Kailin Teh, Imm Pin Quek and Wern Ee Tang

Dysfunctional labor and hemoperitoneum secondary to an incidentally discovered dysgerminoma: a case report

Ovarian dysgerminoma, a subtype of malignant germ cell tumor (GCT), is a rare ovarian neoplasm that is infrequently found in the gravid patient. When dysgerminomas do occur in pregnancy, the rapidly growing tu...

Authors: Aneesa Thannickal, Brandon Maddy, Marla DeWitt, William Cliby and Margaret Dow

Impact of childbirth policy changes on obstetric workload over a 13-year period in a regional referral center in China – implications on service provision planning

We aimed to appraise the impact of the changing national childbirth policy since 2002, currently allowing two children per family, on obstetric workload in a regional referral center in China.

Authors: Min Xie, Terence T Lao, Junnan Ma, Tianying Zhu, Dajin Liu, Shengnan Yu, Mingyu Du, Qian Sun and Runmei Ma

Machine learning guided postnatal gestational age assessment using new-born screening metabolomic data in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Babies born early and/or small for gestational age in Low and Middle-income countries (LMICs) contribute substantially to global neonatal and infant mortality. Tracking this metric is critical at a population ...

Authors: Sunil Sazawal, Kelli K. Ryckman, Sayan Das, Rasheda Khanam, Imran Nisar, Elizabeth Jasper, Arup Dutta, Sayedur Rahman, Usma Mehmood, Bruce Bedell, Saikat Deb, Nabidul Haque Chowdhury, Amina Barkat, Harshita Mittal, Salahuddin Ahmed, Farah Khalid…

Psychometric properties of the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale-Persian version (TPDS-P)

Given the importance of screening pregnant women’s distress, it was intended to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS-P) for screening pre...

Authors: Solmaz Pishahang, Sevil Hakimi, Solmaz Vatankhah, Saeideh Ghaffarifar and Fatemeh Ranjbar

Gestational age as a predictor for subsequent preterm birth in New South Wales, Australia

There is no validated evidence base on predictive ability and absolute risk of preterm birth by gestational age of the previous pregnancy.

Authors: Gavin Pereira, Annette K. Regan, Kingsley Wong and Gizachew A. Tessema

Contrast in utilization of maternal and child health services between Himalayan region and rest of India: Evidence from National Family Health Survey (2015–16)

Maternal and child health services, like antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and postnatal care, are crucial to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Numerous studies have been conducted on the d...

Authors: Akif Mustafa and Chander Shekhar

The association of antenatal D-dimer and fibrinogen with postpartum hemorrhage and intrauterine growth restriction in preeclampsia

D-dimer and fibrinogen were verified to be altered in preeclampsia. This study was to evaluate the associations of D-dimer and fibrinogen plasma levels with postpartum hemorrhage or intrauterine growth restric...

Authors: Hailing Shao, Shichu Gao, Dongru Dai, Xiaomin Zhao, Ying Hua and Huijun Yu

Continuum of maternity care in Zambia: a national representative survey

Globally, over half of maternal deaths are related to pregnancy-related complications. Provision of a continuum of care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period results in reduced maternal and neo...

Authors: Quraish Sserwanja, Milton W. Musaba, Linet M. Mutisya, Emmanuel Olal and David Mukunya

Coverage and factors associated with mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact in Nigeria: a multilevel analysis

Mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is an immediate postpartum intervention known to improve the health of newborn and mothers alike. Albeit, there is paucity of data that explored the coverage or fa...

Authors: Michael Ekholuenetale, Amadou Barrow, Faith Owunari Benebo and Ashibudike Francis Idebolo

Evaluation of the Hindi version of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant and postnatal women in urban India

Valid and reliable measures such as London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) are imperative for understanding fertility-related behaviors and estimating unintended pregnancy. The aim of this study was to v...

Authors: Sushmita Das, Jennifer Hall, Geraldine Barrett, David Osrin, Shaili Kapadia and Anuja Jayaraman

The effect of a new maternity unit on maternal outcomes in rural Haiti: an interrupted time series study

In Haiti where there are high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality, efforts to reduce mortality and improve maternal newborn child health (MNCH) must be tracked and monitored to measure their success. At a...

Authors: Tonya MacDonald, Olès Dorcely, Joycelyne E. Ewusie, Elizabeth K. Darling, Sandra Moll and Lawrence Mbuagbaw

Changes in diet from pregnancy to one year after birth: a longitudinal study

Pregnancy and the first year after giving birth are marked by physiological and psychological changes. While it is well known that energy requirements change during this time, the question of how a woman’s die...

Authors: Tanja Poulain, Ulrike Spielau, Mandy Vogel, Anne Dathan-Stumpf, Antje Körner and Wieland Kiess

Identifying urban built environment factors in pregnancy care and maternal mental health outcomes

Risk factors related to the built environment have been associated with women’s mental health and preventive care. This study sought to identify built environment factors that are associated with variations in...

Authors: Yiye Zhang, Mohammad Tayarani, Shuojia Wang, Yifan Liu, Mohit Sharma, Rochelle Joly, Arindam RoyChoudhury, Alison Hermann, Oliver H. Gao and Jyotishman Pathak

Socio-demographic determinants of pregnancy termination among adolescent girls and young women in selected high fertility countries in sub-Saharan Africa

Most of the unintended pregnancies that occur among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) end up in pregnancy termination. In this study, the socio-demographic determinants of pre...

Authors: Bright Opoku Ahinkorah

Psychometric evaluation of the postpartum specific anxiety scale in an Iranian population (PSAS-IR)

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders among mothers during the postpartum period, which can lead to maternal and infant physical and psychological consequences. The Postpartum Specific A...

Authors: Robab Hasanzadeh, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Shirin Hasanpour, Victoria Fallon, Sergio A. Silverio, Reyhane Montazeri and Mojgan Mirghafourvand

Pregnancy and parenting experiences of women with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome: a qualitative study

Qualitative research can reflect the actual thoughts and experience of research subjects and can be used to explore the experiences of women presenting with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) to facilita...

Authors: Lijie Ren, Cancan Song, Chunling Xia, Nan Wang, Yan Yang and Shaowei Yin