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Background: It is estimated that up to one in three lesbian, bisexual or queer (LBQ) women in Australia have children. In the past decade, it has become common for LBQ women to pursue pregnancy using clinic‐acquired donor sperm. Aims: The aims of this paper are to explore pathways to parenthood among Australian LBQ women in the context of increased access to fertility clinics and identify the type of clinical fertility services being used. Materials and method: This paper reports on female LBQ parents and expectant/prospective parents who participated in a 2016/2017 online survey of Australian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) adults exploring reproductive choices, pathways to parenthood, conception method and use of clinical fertility services. Results: More than half the children reported on by current parents (52%) had been conceived using clinical fertility services. When asked what factors influenced a parent respondent's decision to use fertility services: 80% indicated access to donor sperm, 41% indicated fertility problems. Of respondents who had accessed donor sperm, over half (57%) had used in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services. Conclusions: These findings indicate that use of fertility clinics to access donor sperm is common for LBQ women, including those with no known fertility problems, and that most women who access donor sperm conceive using IVF rather than intrauterine insemination. More needs to be known about the context and reasons for this, including factors that influence LBQ women's decision making on their pathway to parenthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To quantify late-pregnancy weight gain in women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus ( GDM) and to determine factors associated with gestational weight gain. Study design A prospective clinical audit of 212 women (115 GDM and 97 non- GDM) who were weighed at each antenatal visit from 24-32 weeks gestation until delivery. Women received routine antenatal clinical care. For women with GDM, this included a 2-h lifestyle counselling session, capillary blood glucose testing and frequent clinical review. Results Women with GDM gained less weight than nondiabetic women ( GDM: 1.18 kg (1.6%) [range, 3.8-7.1 kg]; non- GDM: 4.0 kg (4.8%) [range, 0.7-18.5 kg]; P < 0.0001). Weight gain was influenced by body mass index and country of birth. Women with GDM showed reduced weight gain at weeks 1-4 postrecruitment, relative to weeks 4-8 (0.04 kg/week vs 0.45 kg/week; P < 0.0001). Nondiabetic women gained weight at a constant rate. GDM status was the only independent predictor of postrecruitment weight gain. Conclusions Application of a model of care for GDM (lifestyle advice and regular clinical review, in addition to home glucose monitoring) may reduce weight gain in women with GDM. The potential for applying a modified version of this model to all women in pregnancy warrants further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are known to be at increased risk of subsequent hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Aims: In this study, we aimed to assess whether the long-term follow-up, diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in these women is adequate. Methods: Prospective study of 2112 women who were part of a Birth Cohort Study - The Mater University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, who received antenatal care at a major public hospital in Brisbane between 1981 and 1983 and were followed up at 21 years. Results: Of the 191 women who had HDP, 62 (32.46%) were hypertensive (29 adequately treated, 33 inadequately identified or managed). Of the 1921 women without HDP, 280 (14.58%) were hypertensive (113 adequately treated, 167 inadequately identified or managed). Women with HDP were at higher risk of hypertension (OR 4.09, 95% CI 2.76, 6.07). Women with a history of HDP were more likely to have hypertension that was inadequately identified or managed (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.06, 5.97). Conclusion: Women with HDP are at increased risk of undiagnosed or undertreated hypertension. Attention needs to be given to appropriate follow-up of women who have a pregnancy complicated by hypertensive disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]