Articles

Prevalence of iron and folic acid supplements consumption and associated factors among pregnant women in Eswatini: a multicenter cross-sectional study

During pregnancy, nutritional requirements increase and if not met, pregnancy-related complications may manifest. To prevent these undesirable outcomes, the World Health Organization recommends daily oral iron...

Authors: Gugulethu N. Mabuza, Alexander Waits, Owen Nkoka and Li-Yin Chien

Timing of initiation of breastfeeding and its determinants at a tertiary hospital in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), breastfeeding within first hour after birth, is known to have major benefits for both the mother and newborn. EIBF rates, however, tends to vary between and within cou...

Authors: Adwoa Pokua Boakye-Yiadom, Samuel Blay Nguah, Emmanuel Ameyaw, Anthony Enimil, Priscilla Naa Lomle Wobil and Gyikua Plange-Rhule

Hospital discharge on the first compared with the second day after a planned cesarean delivery had equivalent maternal postpartum outcomes: a randomized single-blind controlled clinical trial

Determining the effect of discharge time after elective cesarean section on maternal outcomes.

Authors: Parvin Ghaffari, Raziyeh Vanda, Shahintaj Aramesh, Leila Jamali, Fatemeh Bazarganipour and Mohammad Amin Ghatee

Factors associated with blood pressure check-up during pregnancy among women of reproductive age in Tanzania: an analysis of data from 2015—16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicators Survey

Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy (HDP) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity amongst pregnant women in the world. Blood pressure check-ups during pregnancy are one of the strategie...

Authors: Fabiola V. Moshi and Maximilian Tungaraza

Association between epidural analgesia and indications for intrapartum caesarean delivery in group 1 of the 10-group classification system at a tertiary maternity hospital, Shanghai, China: a retrospective cohort study

In this study, we aimed to determine whether epidural analgesia affects the indications for intrapartum caesarean delivery, such as foetal distress, dystocia, or maternal request, in nulliparous term women wit...

Authors: Rong Lin, Peng Shi, Haibing Li, Zhiqiang Liu and Zhendong Xu

“What kind of man gets depressed after having a baby?” Fathers’ experiences of mental health during the perinatal period

To date, information and support has been focused on mothers, with evidence that healthcare professionals overlook fathers’ mental health, and that fathers receive little or no support for themselves during th...

Authors: Sarah Hambidge, Amy Cowell, Emily Arden-Close and Andrew Mayers

The experiences of postnatal women and healthcare professionals of a brief weight management intervention embedded within the national child immunisation programme

After childbirth, most women do not lose the extra weight gained during pregnancy. This is important because postnatal weight retention contributes to the development of obesity in later life. Research shows t...

Authors: Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall, Sheila M Greenfield, Helen M Parretti, Kate Jolly, Susan Jebb and Amanda J Daley

Moms in motion: weight loss intervention for postpartum mothers after gestational diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

Up to 50 % of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) will receive a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) within a decade after pregnancy. While excess postpartum weight retention exacerbates T2...

Authors: Briana J. Stith, Samantha M. Buls, Sarah A. Keim, Stephen F. Thung, Mark A. Klebanoff, Mark B. Landon, Steven G. Gabbe, Kajal K. Gandhi and Reena Oza-Frank

Inadequacy of gestational weight gain during high-risk pregnancies is not associated with household food insecurity

Inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse outcomes in maternal and child health and can be enhanced by social inequalities, such as lower education and household food insecurity (HFI)...

Authors: Aléxia Vieira de Abreu Rodrigues, Ana Lúcia Pires Augusto and Rosana Salles-Costa

Prenatal diagnosis of a novel pathogenic variation in the ACAN gene presenting with isolated shortening of fetal long bones in the second trimester of gestation: a case report

Heterozygous mutations of the ACAN gene are a major cause of different evolutive growth defects in the pediatric population, but were never described as a cause of fetal skeletal dysplasia.

Authors: Paolo Toscano, Lavinia Di Meglio, Fortunato Lonardo, Letizia Di Meglio, Laura Letizia Mazzarelli, Carmine Sica and Aniello Di Meglio

Pregnancy-specific stress and sensitive caregiving during the transition to motherhood in adolescents

Maternal prenatal stress is associated with worse socio-emotional outcomes in offspring throughout childhood. However, the association between prenatal stress and later caregiving sensitivity is not well under...

Authors: Pamela Scorza, Emily C. Merz, Marisa Spann, Emily Steinberg, Tianshu Feng, Seonjoo Lee, Elizabeth Werner, Bradley S. Peterson and Catherine Monk

The effectiveness of nifedipine/indomethacin combination therapy and nifedipine monotherapy for postponing preterm birth (25–34 weeks of gestation) in Sudanese women: a randomized clinical trial study protocol

Preterm birth is the most common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Tocolytics are considered a standard treatment for women with threatened preterm delivery to allow time for maternal steroid administ...

Authors: Mohammed H. Ibrahim, Tahani Elfaki, Elhassan M. Elhassan, Somia K. Abdelrahiem and Ishag Adam

Amniotic band syndrome in a monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy after rupture of the dividing membrane in the early second trimester: A case report

Amniotic band syndrome is a rare phenomenon, but it can result in serious complications. We report herein our experience of amniotic band syndrome in a monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy where rupture of ...

Authors: Mizuki Nakashima, Takashi Iizuka, Kyosuke Kagami, Rena Yamazaki, Masanori Ono and Hiroshi Fujiwara

Effects of immediate versus delayed frozen embryo transfer in high responder patients undergoing freeze-all cycles

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) can greatly improve the pregnancy outcomes for high responder patients. However, it is not known whether the timing of FET is a risk factor on pregnancy outcomes in high responder ...

Authors: Na Zuo, Yingzhuo Gao, Ningning Zhang, Da Li and Xiuxia Wang

Iodine monitoring models contribute to avoid adverse birth outcomes related more than adequate iodine intake

Iodine plays an important role in pregnancy. How to maintain adequate iodine intake amongst pregnant women in each trimester of pregnancy to prevent adverse birth outcomes in central China is a challenge for c...

Authors: Jinju Dong, Shouyan Liu, Lingyun Wang, Xingjian Zhou, Qinghong Zhou, Congli Liu, Jingrui Zhu, Weilan Yuan, Wang-yang Xu and Jie Deng

Treatment and pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women exposed to second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs in South Africa

Multi-drug resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) in pregnant women is a cause for concern globally; few data have described the safety of second-line anti-TB medications during pregnancy....

Authors: Idah Mokhele, Nelly Jinga, Rebecca Berhanu, Thandi Dlamini, Lawrence Long and Denise Evans

Why don’t illiterate women in rural, Northern Tanzania, access maternal healthcare?

In 2017, roughly 540 women in Sub-Saharan Africa died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. To stem this public-health crisis, the WHO recommends a standard continuity of mater...

Authors: Dismas Matovelo, Pendo Ndaki, Victoria Yohani, Rose Laisser, Respicious Bakalemwa, Edgar Ndaboine, Zabron Masatu, Magdalena Mwaikambo, Jennifer L. Brenner and Warren M. Wilson

Reproducing fear: the effect of birth stories on nulligravid women’s birth preferences

Preference for caesarean birth is associated with higher fear and lower self-efficacy for vaginal birth. Vicarious experience is a strong factor influencing self-efficacy in nulligravid women, and is increasin...

Authors: Yvette D. Miller and Marion Danoy-Monet

Investigating partner involvement in pregnancy and identifying barriers and facilitators to participating as a couple in a digital healthy eating and physical activity intervention

Maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain are associated with adverse maternal and foetal health outcomes. Interventions targeting dietary and physical activity behaviours during pregnancy have ty...

Authors: Alexandra Rhodes, Andrea D. Smith, Clare H. Llewellyn and Helen Croker

Assisted reproductive technology and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analyses

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is one of the most common pregnancy complications and causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been associated with adver...

Authors: Hui Ju Chih, Flavia T. S. Elias, Laura Gaudet and Maria P. Velez

Pregnancy and birth characteristics of Aboriginal twins in two Australian states: a data linkage study

Perinatal outcomes for singleton pregnancies are poorer, on average, for Aboriginal people than non-Aboriginal people, but little is known about Aboriginal multifetal pregnancies. Yet multifetal pregnancies an...

Authors: Alison J. Gibberd, Jessica Tyler, Kathleen Falster, David B. Preen, Mark Hanly, Marilyn J. Clarke, Bridgette J. McNamara, Sandra J. Eades and Katrina J. Scurrah

Maternal mortality ratio in Jiangsu Province, China: recent trends and associated factors

In recent years, births to older mothers and multiparous mothers have increased rapidly with the change of birth policy in China. And mothers of advanced age are more likely to have maternal complications and ...

Authors: Donghua Li, Chengxiao Yu, Ci Song, Weiqing Ning, Yan Xu, Huan Ge, Song Lin, Wenjie Zhou, Yajun Lu, Xudong Wang, Zhibin Hu, Yuan Lin and Jie Wu

Should singleton birth weight standards be applied to identify small-for-gestational age twins?: analysis of a retrospective cohort study

Twin birth weight percentiles are less popular in clinical management among twin pregnancies compared with singleton ones in China. This study aimed to compare the incidence and neonatal outcomes of small for ...

Authors: Dongxin Lin, Jiaming Rao, Dazhi Fan, Zheng Huang, Zixing Zhou, Gengdong Chen, Pengsheng Li, Xiafen Lu, Demei Lu, Huishan Zhang, Caihong Luo, Xiaoling Guo and Zhengping Liu

Nomogram for perinatal prediction of intrapartum fever: a retrospective case–control study

To explore the risk factors for intrapartum fever and to develop a nomogram to predict the incidence of intrapartum fever.

Authors: Zhenfei Jiang, Xiaoyi Hu, Huabei Zeng, Xinghe Wang, Cheng Tan, Chunyan Ni, Lingyun Dai and Su Liu

Fecundability in reproductive aged women at risk of sexual dysfunction and associated risk factors: a prospective preconception cohort study

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a prevalent problem, affecting up to 41% of reproductive aged women worldwide. However, the association between female sexual function (FSF) and fecundability in women attemp...

Authors: See Ling Loy, Chee Wai Ku, Yin Bun Cheung, Keith M. Godfrey, Yap-Seng Chong, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Kok Hian Tan, Fabian Kok Peng Yap, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Helen Chen, Shiao-Yng Chan, Tse Yeun Tan and Jerry Kok Yen Chan

The impact of cultural beliefs and practices on parents’ experiences of bereavement following stillbirth: a qualitative study in Uganda and Kenya

Stillbirth is an extremely traumatic and distressing experience for parents, with profound and long-lasting negative impacts. Cultural beliefs and practices surrounding death vary considerably across different...

Authors: Elizabeth Ayebare, Tina Lavender, Jonan Mweteise, Allen Nabisere, Anne Nendela, Raheli Mukhwana, Rebecca Wood, Sabina Wakasiaka, Grace Omoni, Birungi Susan Kagoda and Tracey A. Mills

Do maternal demographics and prenatal history impact the efficacy of betamethasone therapy for threatened preterm labor?

Betamethasone (BMZ) is used to accelerate fetal lung maturation in women with threatened preterm birth, but its efficacy is variable and limited by the lack of patient individualization in its dosing and admin...

Authors: Mary T. Kinney, Sara K. Quinney, Hayley K. Trussell, Larissa L. Silva, Sherrine A. Ibrahim and David M. Haas

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in transverse and vertical skin incision for placenta previa

Placenta previa, a serious obstetric issue, should be managed by experienced teams. The safe and appropriate mode of delivery for placenta previa is by cesarean delivery. However, no studies were found compari...

Authors: Dazhi Fan, Huishan Zhang, Jiaming Rao, Dongxin Lin, Shuzhen Wu, Pengsheng Li, Gengdong Chen, Zixing Zhou, Juan Liu, Ting Chen, Fengying Chen, Xiaoling Guo and Zhengping Liu

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

Authors: Regina Makuluni and William Stones

Maternal and perinatal outcomes in women with eclampsia by mode of delivery at Riley mother baby hospital: a longitudinal case-series study

Eclampsia, considered as serious complication of preeclampsia, remains a life-threatening condition among pregnant women. It accounts for 12% of maternal deaths and 16–31% of perinatal deaths worldwide. Most d...

Authors: Koech Irene, Poli Philippe Amubuomombe, Richard Mogeni, Cheruiyot Andrew, Ann Mwangi and Orang’o Elkanah Omenge

Facility-level determinants of quality routine intrapartum care in Afghanistan

Although there have been notable improvements in availability and utilization of maternal health care in Afghanistan over the last few decades, risk of maternal mortality remains very high. Previous studies ha...

Authors: Megan M. Lydon, Farzana Maruf and Hannah Tappis

Correction to: Informal coercion during childbirth: risk factors and prevalence estimates from a nationwide survey of women in Switzerland

Authors: Stephan Oelhafen, Manuel Trachsel, Settimio Monteverde, Luigi Raio and Eva Cignacco

Fetal growth standards for Chinese twin pregnancies

The common use of singleton fetal growth standard to access twin growth might lead to over-monitoring and treatment. We aimed to develop fetal growth standards for Chinese twins based on ultrasound measurement...

Authors: Jianping Chen, Jun Zhang, Yang Liu, Xing Wei, Yingjun Yang, Gang Zou, Yun Zhang, Tao Duan and Luming Sun

Are prenatal anxiety or depression symptoms associated with asthma or atopic diseases throughout the offspring’s childhood? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Asthma is the most common respiratory disease among children, while atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis affect about 20% of infants under 2 years of age. Studies suggested that these conditions might be ...

Authors: Shuguang Chen and Sheng Chen

The impact of race on postpartum opioid prescribing practices: a retrospective cohort study

To identify the association between inpatient postpartum opioid consumption, race, and amount of opioids prescribed at discharge after vaginal or cesarean delivery.

Authors: Tyler R. McKinnish, Adam K. Lewkowitz, Ebony B. Carter and Ashley E. Veade

Transvaginal two-dimensional ultrasound measurement of cervical volume to predict the outcome of the induction of labour: a prospective observational study

Assessing the likelihood of success of induction of labour using ultrasonically measured cervical volume is an important research question.

Authors: S. R. Athulathmudali, M. Patabendige, S. K. Chandrasinghe and P. H. P. De Silva

Knowledge and intake of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects among pregnant women in urban China: a cross-sectional study

The prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in China declined during 2000–2017 with periconceptional folic acid (FA) supplementation, which is effective in reducing the risk of birth defects. We aimed to asse...

Authors: Mingming Cui, Xiao-Lin Lu, Yan-Yu Lyu, Fang Wang, Xiao-Lu Xie, Xi-Yue Cheng and Ting Zhang

Vitamin D status and vitamin D deficiency risk factors among pregnancy of Shanghai in China

There is increasing awareness that vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women may be associated with several adverse effects for the mother and newborn. The risks for vitamin D deficiency are unclear. This study w...

Authors: Chun Yang, Wu Jing, Sheng Ge and Wenguang Sun

Resilience mediates the effect of self-efficacy on symptoms of prenatal anxiety among pregnant women: a nationwide smartphone cross-sectional study in China

Prenatal anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental disorders during pregnancy. This study assessed the prevalence of prenatal anxiety and examined whether resilience could play the mediating role in the asso...

Authors: Ruqing Ma, Fengzhi Yang, Lijuan Zhang, Kristin K. Sznajder, Changqing Zou, Yajing Jia, Can Cui, Weiyu Zhang, Wenzhu Zhang, Ning Zou and Xiaoshi Yang

Hand hygiene during facility-based childbirth in Cambodia: a theory-driven, mixed-methods observational study

Despite current efforts to improve hand hygiene in health care facilities, compliance among birth attendants remains low. Current improvement strategies are inadequate, largely focusing on a limited set of kno...

Authors: Yolisa Nalule, Helen Buxton, Por Ir, Supheap Leang, Alison Macintyre, Ponnary Pors, Channa Samol and Robert Dreibelbis

Factors influencing maternal healthcare seeking in a highland region of Madagascar: a mixed methods analysis

In Madagascar, maternal mortality remains stable and high (426 deaths per 100,000 live births). This situation is mainly due to a delay or lack of use of maternal healthcare services. Problems related to mater...

Authors: Voahirana Tantely Andrianantoandro, Dolorès Pourette, Olivier Rakotomalala, Henintsoa Joyce Valentina Ramaroson, Rila Ratovoson and Feno M. Jacob Rakotoarimanana

Euglycaemic ketoacidosis in pregnant women with COVID-19: two case reports

Euglycaemic ketoacidosis (EKA) is an infrequent but serious condition which usually follows a period of starvation, severe vomiting or illness in individuals with or without diabetes. Ketoacidosis is associate...

Authors: Margaret Pikovsky, Min Yi Tan, Amanda Ahmed, Lynne Sykes, Rochan Agha-Jaffar and Christina K. H. Yu

Magnitude and determinants of neural tube defect in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of disorders that arise from the failure of the neural tube close between 21 and 28 days after conception. About 90% of neural tube defects and 95% of death due to these ...

Authors: Daniel Atlaw, Yohannes Tekalegn, Biniyam Sahiledengle, Kenbon Seyoum, Damtew Solomon, Habtamu Gezahegn, Zerihun Tariku, Yared Tekle and Vijay Kumar Chattu

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

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