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Objective: Understanding the local characteristics and statistics related to stillbirths may be the first step in a series of strategies associated with a reduction in stillbirth ratio. The aim of this study was to estimate the fetal mortality ratio and evaluate the investigation processes related to the causes of death, comparing the investigation according to the specific cause of death., Methods: A cross-sectional study was retrospectively conducted in 10 tertiary obstetric care centers. Medical records of women with stillbirth managed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2018 were analyzed and classified, according to sociodemographic characteristics, and gestational and childbirth data, culminating in stillbirth. The stillbirth ratio and its causes were presented in proportions for the study period and individually for each health facility., Results: Cases of 3390 stillbirths were analyzed. The stillbirth ratio varied from 10.74/1000 live births (LBs) in 2009 to 9.31/1000 in 2018. "Intrauterine hypoxia and asphyxia" (ICD-10 P20) and "unspecific causes of death" (ICD-10 P95) represented 40.8% of the causes of death. Investigation for TORCHS and diabetes occurred in 90.8% and 61.4% of deaths, respectively. Placental and necroscopic tests were performed in 36.6% of the cases., Conclusion: The adoption of a rational and standardized investigation of stillbirth remains an unmet need; the use of additional tests and examinations are lacking, especially when unspecific causes are attributed., (© 2024 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

In low and middle-income countries such as Brazil, most maternal deaths are related to hypertensive complications. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Significant proportion is associated with the following factors: lack of identification of high-risk women, lack of adequate prevention, difficulty in maintaining a high-risk prenatal follow-up, delayed diagnosis, insecurity and low use of magnesium sulphate, delayed pregnancy interruption and lack of postpartum follow-up of these high-risk cases. Four major actions are proposed to minimize this alarming clinical picture and reduce the mortality rates due to preeclampsia, called the "4 P Rule" (Adequate Prevention - Vigilant Prenatal Care - Timely Delivery (Parturition) - Safe Postpartum). From this simple "rule" we can open a range of important processes and reminders that may help in the guidance of preeclampsia management., Competing Interests: Conflicts to interest: none to declare., (© 2024. Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: None to declare.

Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Background: During pregnancy, urinary infections are an important cause of maternofetal morbidity and mortality and may lead to several complications., Objective: To verify whether the use of antibiotic therapy in a single dose when compared with multiple doses in lower tract urinary infections during pregnancy is effective to obtain microbiologic cure., Search Strategy: Online databases were searched. Keywords used were "single-drug dose", "antibiotic", "fosfomycin", "amoxicillin", "trimethoprim", "pregnancy", and "urinary tract infection"., Selection Criteria: Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials, the population was pregnant woman, microbiologic cure was attained, and one of the treatment groups received single-dose antibiotic therapy., Data Collection and Analysis: Preselected studies have been independently read by pairs, and data were extracted according to a predetermined sheet. The Cochrane tool was used for the risk of bias., Main Results: A total of 1063 women from nine studies were included. The primary outcome was the microbiologic cure attested by urine culture. When compared with the multiple-day use of antibiotics, the single-dose treatment has shown statistically similar results in reaching culture cure (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.44)., Conclusion: The current study has shown that the use of single-dose treatment for lower tract urinary infections during pregnancy can be recommended, especially using fosfomycin., Systematic Review Registration: This review has not been registered., (© 2022 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Competing Interests: None to declare.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of preeclampsia among cases of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and the association between both conditions, in a multicenter cohort of Brazilian women with respiratory symptoms., Study Design: Ancillary analysis of the Brazilian Network of COVID-19 in Obstetrics (REBRACO) study. We performed a nested case-control analysis selecting all women with COVID-19 and compared outcomes between women with and without PE., Main Outcomes: Maternal, gestational, and clinical characteristics and perinatal outcomes., Measures: Prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95%CI for each of the predictors and outcomes., Results: A total of 203 women were included: 21 (10.3%) in PE group and 182 (89.7%) in non-PE group. Preeclampsia was not different among women with and without COVID-19 (10.3% vs 13.1%, p-value = 0.41), neither complication such as eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Chronic hypertension (33.4%) (p < 0.01) and obesity (60.0%) (p = 0.03) were the most frequent comorbidities in PE group, and they were significantly more frequent in this group. Women with PE had more cesarean section (RR 5.54 [1.33 - 23.14]) and their neonates were more frequently admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (PR 2.46[1.06 - 5.69]), most likely due to preterm-birth-related complications., Conclusion: The prevalence of PE among women with COVID-19 infection during pregnancy was around 10%; women with COVID-19 and a history of chronic hypertension or obesity are more likely to have preeclampsia. Cesarean section is increased among women with PE and COVID-19, with increased rates of neonatal admission to intensive care units, mostly due to prematurity., (Copyright © 2022 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Hypothesis: The objective was to analyze if the inability to perform a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) in a first assessment can influence the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms in women., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using the medical records of women with UI who were referred for pelvic floor physiotherapy after undergoing a gynecological evaluation between May 2013 and December 2019. Records included data referring to age, body mass index (BMI), obstetric history, Modified Oxford Scale (MOS), and the final score of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) from a baseline assessment. Data were divided into women who were unable and those who were able to voluntarily perform an MVC of the PFMs. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21., Results: A total of 498 medical records were analyzed and 36.3% of those women were not able to perform a PFM MVC after verbal command and digital stimulus. Homogeneity was observed among groups and no significant difference was found regarding the severity of UI symptoms when the groups were compared., Conclusions: No association was found between the inability to contract the PFMs and the severity of UI symptoms. Other studies should be developed to better understand why some women are incapable of performing a voluntary PFM contraction. Also, it would be relevant to compare women with PFM dysfunction who are not able to contract the PFMs with healthy women with the same PFM condition to analyze whether this muscle condition could be related to dysfunctions such as UI or pelvic organ prolapse., (© 2021. The International Urogynecological Association.)

Objective:  To determine the profile of maternal deaths occurred in the period between 2000 and 2019 in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA, in the Portuguese acronym) and to compare it with maternal deaths between 1980 and 1999 in the same institution., Methods:  Retrospective study that analyzed 2,481 medical records of women between 10 and 49 years old who died between 2000 and 2018. The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee (CAAE 78021417600005327)., Results:  After reviewing 2,481 medical records of women who died in reproductive age, 43 deaths had occurred during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. Of these, 28 were considered maternal deaths. The maternal mortality ratio was 37.6 per 100,000 live births. Regarding causes, 16 deaths (57.1%) were directly associated with pregnancy, 10 (35.1%) were indirectly associated, and 2 (7.1%) were unrelated. The main cause of death was hypertension during pregnancy (31.2%) followed by acute liver steatosis during pregnancy (25%). In the previous study, published in 2003 in the same institution 4 , the mortality rate was 129 per 100,000 live births, and most deaths were related to direct obstetric causes (62%). The main causes of death in this period were due to hypertensive complications (17.2%), followed by postcesarean infection (16%)., Conclusion:  Compared with data before the decade of 2000, there was an important reduction in maternal deaths due to infectious causes., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Aims: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of transcutaneous tibial nerve home stimulation for overactive bladder (OAB) in women with Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: The current study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. Home intervention was carried out and assessments were conducted at a tertiary hospital in South Brazil. Women with PD and OAB symptoms were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: (1) stimulation and (2) sham. Both groups underwent intervention at home for 12 weeks. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at 12 weeks (end of intervention), 30- and 90-day follow-up. The primary outcome was the mean reduction in the number of urgency incontinence episodes, and secondary outcomes included daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, urinary urgency episodes, use of pad (reported in a 24-h bladder diary), OAB-V8 and King's Health Questionnaire scores, and maintenance of symptom relief after discontinuation of the intervention., Results: In total, 30 consecutive patients completed the study (15/group). The stimulation group showed a reduction in nighttime urinary frequency (0.9 ± 0.6), urinary urgency (1.0 ± 1.2), urgency incontinence episodes (0.5 ± 0.6), use of pads (1.3 ± 1.2), and OAB-V8 (1.3 ± 1.2) and King's Health Questionnaire scores. In a 30-day and 90-day follow-up, 8 (53.3%) and 5 (33.3%) stimulation patients, respectively, reported full maintenance of symptom relief after discontinuation of the intervention. Stimulation patients presented a statistically significant improvement of symptoms as compared with sham patients (p = .001)., Conclusions: Transcutaneous tibial nerve home stimulation can be used in clinical practice as an effective nonpharmacological resource for the reduction of OAB symptoms in women with PD, and the resulting relief seems to persist in the follow-up (30 and 90 days)., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective:  To determine the indications and outcomes of peripartum hysterectomies performed at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (a university hospital in Southern Brazil) during the past 15 years, and to analyze the clinical characteristics of the women submitted to this procedure., Methods:  A cross-sectional study of 47 peripartum hysterectomies from 2005 to 2019., Results:  The peripartum hysterectomies performed in our hospital were indicated mainly due to placenta accreta or suspicion thereof (44.7% of the cases), puerperal hemorrhage without placenta accreta (27.7%), and infection (25.5%). Total hysterectomies accounted for 63.8% of the cases, and we found no difference between total versus subtotal hysterectomies in the studied outcomes. Most hysterectomies were performed within 24 hours after delivery, and they were associated with placenta accreta, placenta previa, and older maternal age., Conclusion:  Most (66.0%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Those who did not need it were significantly older, and had more placenta accreta, placenta previa, or previous Cesarean delivery., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (Federação Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Objectives The aim of the study was to determine carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) values in patients who developed and did not develop preeclampsia (PE), and to determine whether CIMT values could be predictors of PE development. Methods The study included pregnant women who were examined by regular ultrasound examination at the Materno-Infantil Presidente Vargas Hospital (HMIPV) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from April 2016 to September 2017. The examinations were performed every three months. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group included patients diagnosed with PE (n=21) and second group included patients who did not have PE (n=199). A high frequency ultrasound device (12 MHz) with a semi-automatic method was used to estimate CIMT. Results CIMT was significantly higher in pregnant women with PE than in women without PE (55±0.11 vs. 0.44±0.06, respectively; p<0.001). Using a cut-off value of 0.51 mm, CIMT had a specificity of 77.9% and sensitivity of 81% in the diagnosis of PE. With CIMT ≥0.6 mm, the probability of a patient developing PE was 44.4%; with CIMT >0.42 mm, the probability was only 4.2%. Conclusions An increase in CIMT was associated with the onset of PE. CIMT values were significantly higher in patients who develop PE.

Objective: To compare the effects of parasacral transcutaneous electrical stimulation with the effects of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation in women with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB)., Studydesign: A randomized clinical trial was performed with 50 women aged 40-76 years with symptoms of OAB, divided into two groups: the parasacral transcutaneous electrical stimulation (PS) group and the transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTN) group. Both groups underwent the same protocol, at home, for 6 weeks, applying electrical stimulation three times per week. The tools used for evaluation were the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), the Overactive Bladder-Validated 8-question Awareness Tool (OAB-V8) and the Incontinence Severity Index (ISI). Statistical analysis was undertaken using independent t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Chi-squared test and generalized estimating equations., Results: After 6 weeks of treatment, OAB-V8 showed a significant improvement in the PTN group compared with the PS group (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.019). Post-intervention, no between-group differences were seen in terms of KHQ domains, average KHQ symptom scale and proportions of categories of ISI. All variables showed a significant effect of time after 6 weeks of treatment for both groups (p < 0.005)., Conclusion: Both forms of transcutaneous electrical stimulation seem to be effective and safe for home treatment of women with OAB., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: According to the International Urogynecological Association and International Continence Society people with normal pelvic floor muscle function should have the ability to voluntarily and involuntarily contract and relax these muscles. However, many women are unaware of their pelvic floor, and it is estimated that about 30-50% do not know how to actively contract these muscles. Within this context, therapeutic strategies to improve pelvic floor muscle strength and function are particularly relevant., Aims: To compare the use of an intravaginal vibratory stimulus (IVVS) versus intravaginal electrical stimulation (IVES) on pelvic floor muscle functionality in women with pelvic floor dysfunctions who cannot voluntarily contract these muscles., Materials and Methods: Randomized clinical trial performed at a tertiary care hospital from June 2016 to September 2017. The sample comprised adult women with pelvic floor dysfunction who were unable to contract their pelvic floor muscles voluntarily. Women with latex allergy or other allergies in the pelvic region, vaginal or urinary tract infection, gynecological cancer, significant pain on palpation, or pelvic floor training over the preceding 6 months were excluded. After baseline assessment, women that met the inclusion criteria were randomized to receive once-weekly 20-minute sessions of IVVS or IVES for 6 weeks., Results: Twenty-one women were randomly assigned to each group; 18 completed the IVVS and 17 completed the IVES protocols. The IVVS group presented a significant increase in PFM strength in relation to the IVES group (p = 0.026). There was a significant interaction between time and type of intervention for the same variable (p = 0.008) in the IVVS group., Conclusion: Both techniques were beneficial, but IVVS was significantly superior to IVES in improving pevic floor muscle strength. Additional studies are warranted to consolidate the utility of IVVS as a treatment modality for pelvic floor dysfunction.

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Pre-eclampsia is a multifactorial and multisystemic disease specific to gestation. It is classically diagnosed by the presence of hypertension associated with proteinuria manifested in a previously normotensive pregnant woman after the 20 th week of gestation. Pre-eclampsia is also considered in the absence of proteinuria if there is target organ damage. The present review takes a general approach focused on aspects of practical interest in the clinical and obstetric care of these women. Thus, it explores the still unknown etiology, current aspects of pathophysiology and of the diagnosis, the approach to disease prediction, its adverse outcomes and prevention. Management is based on general principles, on nonpharmacological and on pharmacological clinical treatment of severe or nonsevere situations with emphasis on the hypertensive crisis and eclampsia. Obstetric management is based on preeclampsia without or with signs of clinical and/or laboratory deterioration, stratification of gestational age in < 24 weeks, between 24 and less than 34 weeks, and ≥ 34 weeks of gestation, and guidance on route of delivery. An immediate puerperium approach and repercussions in the future life of pregnant women who develop preeclampsia is also presented., Competing Interests: The present manuscript was prepared by members of the National Specialized Commission on Hypertension in the Gestation of the Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations (FEBRASGO, in the Portuguese acronym). The authors did not participate in the evaluation process, thereby respecting the evaluative ethical precepts of publication of scientific articles., (Thieme Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

Objective: To identify possible relationships between postpartum depression and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), as well as the associated risk factors for developing postpartum depression., Methods: The present prospective descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among postpartum women who attended a public maternity hospital in Brazil between January 15, 2015, and January 15, 2017. The diagnosis and severity of HDP were based on blood pressure measurements (systolic ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic ≥90 mm Hg), proteinuria, clinical findings, and laboratory findings. A group of normotensive women was also included. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess the risk of postpartum depression., Results: Of 168 participants (42 with HDP and 126 normotensive), 40 (23.8%) women displayed depressive symptoms (25 normotensive and 15 with HDP). The probability of postpartum depression correlated with a diagnosis of HDP (Spearman correlation coefficient [r S ] 0.219; P=0.004); premonitory signs of eclampsia (r S 0.171; P=0.027); magnesium sulfate therapy (r S 0.199; P=0.010); diastolic blood pressure (r S 0.165; P=0.033); and use of milk formula during hospitalization (r S 0.152; P=0.048)., Conclusion: Women diagnosed with HDP were more likely to have depressive symptoms than their normotensive counterparts., (© 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

The associations of Cesarean delivery with offspring metabolic and immune-mediated diseases are believed to derive from lack of mother-to-newborn transmission of specific microbes at birth. Bifidobacterium spp., in particular, has been hypothesized to play a health-promoting role, yet little is known about how delivery mode modifies colonization of the newborn by this group of microbes. The aim of this research was to examine the presence of Bifidobacterium in meconium and in the transitional stool, and to assess cytokine levels and hematological parameters in the venous cord blood of infants born by elective, pre-labor Cesarean section vs. vaginal delivery in Southern Brazil. We recruited 89 mother-newborn pairs (23 vaginal delivery and 66 elective cesarean delivery), obtained demographic information from a structured questionnaire and clinical information from medical records. We obtained umbilical cord venous blood and meconium samples following delivery and the transitional stool (the first defecation after meconium) before discharge. We determined plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-10, IL-6, GM-CSF, IL-5, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-8 in the cord blood, and presence of stool Bifidobacterium by real time PCR. Compared to vaginally-delivered neonates, Cesarean-delivered neonates had a lower leukocyte count (p = 0.037), lower hemoglobin (p = 0.04), and lower levels of the cytokine GM-CSF (p = 0.009) in the cord blood. Moreover, Bifidobacterium was detected less often in the transitional stool of Cesarean-delivered neonates compared to vaginally-delivered neonates (p = 0.001). The results indicate that pre-labor Cesarean birth may be associated with microbial and hematological alterations in the neonate. The clinical significance of these findings remains to be determined in larger prospective birth cohort studies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To identify and assess postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) between vaginal delivery, elective cesarean delivery (ECD), and intrapartum cesarean delivery (ICD)., Methods: The present prospective observational study included women aged at least 18 years with no history of pelvic surgery or lower urinary tract malformation, and who had not undergone pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training in the preceding 12 months, who underwent delivery at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil between August 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017. Participants were assessed at 48 hours (phase 1), 1 month (phase 2), and 3 months (phase 3) after delivery. Assessments included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire, Short Form (ICIQ-SF); the Jorge-Wexner anal incontinence scale; a self-rated visual analog scale for pelvic pain; the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system; and a PFM perineometer., Results: A total of 227 women were assessed in phase 1 (141 vaginal deliveries; 28 ICDs; and 58 ECDs), 79 in phase 2, and 41 in phase 3. The ICIQ-SF, Jorge-Wexner scale, visual analog scale, and perineometer measurements did not identify significant differences in relation to the type of delivery (P>0.05)., Conclusion: The type of delivery was not associated with differences in the short-term development of postpartum PFD., (© 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To identify the effects of gestational hypertension on feeding practices in the first 6 months after delivery., Study Design: A prospective cohort study enrolling 168 mother-newborn pairs (Gestational hypertension group n = 42, Normotensive group n = 124). The gestational hypertension diagnosis criteria was established as a systolic pressure of ≥140 mmHg or a diastolic pressure of ≥90 mmHg after 20 weeks of gestation, while its severity was categorized according to blood pressure, proteinuria, clinical and laboratory analysis. Demographic, clinical and social information were collected from the patient's medical records. In order to collect information about the newborn's feeding practices and possible difficulties in breastfeeding the mothers were interviewed via telephone 30, 60, 120 and 180 days after delivery., Main Outcome Measures: Feeding practices (eg. exclusive breastfeeding, predominant breastfeeding, complementary breastfeeding and bottle-feeding) within the first 6 months after delivery., Results: The mothers with Gestational hypertension displayed greater difficulties in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding over time, when compared to normotensive mothers. There was a greater introduction of milk formulas in the group of women with gestational hypertension, and they presented greater difficulties in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding over time when compared to the group of normotensive mothers at hospital admission (p ≤ 0,0001). The group with gestational hypertension reported higher frequencies of predominant breastfeeding practices and presented shorter durations of breastfeeding after 6 months after delivery., Conclusions: Women with gestational hypertension are at risk of using complementary breastfeeding and breastfeeding for shorter durations., (Copyright © 2018 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Hypothesis: The pelvic floor muscles (PFM) play an important part in the urinary continence mechanism. Changes in their structure and functionality may lead to a predisposition to pelvic floor dysfunction such as urinary incontinence (UI), which is the involuntary loss of urine. Some techniques for conservative treatment of UI are already well documented. However, new approaches have been found that require scientific proof of their effectiveness, such as vibratory stimulation (VS). Thus, we performed a systematic review of studies that investigated the use of perineal VS (PVS) for the treatment of stress UI., Materials and Methods: This study followed the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration for systematic reviews. Studies that used PVS for the treatment of female UI were eligible., Results: A total of 56 studies were found, of which ten were duplicates and were excluded. Analysis of the titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 30 studies, leaving 16 for detailed analysis. Of these, only three were included as they fulfilled all the eligibility criteria previously established for the present study. In spite of the heterogeneity of the protocols, all the studies had the goal of assessing the effects of vibration on the PFM, and the stimulation was found to be effective in reducing urinary leakage, improving muscle strength and consequently the patients' quality of life., Conclusions: Because of the heterogeneity and the small number of studies, it is not possible to draw a conclusion as to the effectiveness of PVS for the treatment of stress UI, and further studies are needed to provide scientific support for its use.

Background: Exercise is an important part of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) lifestyle management. However, no meta-analysis has analyzed the effects of exercise programs on fasting blood glucose (FBG) in women with GDM. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of weekly supervised exercise (EXE) or physical activity counseling (PA) in women with GDM compared with usual prenatal care (UPN) on glycemic control., Methods: Eligible trials were identified from Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and SportDiscus up to December 2016. Data were retrieved from randomized controlled trials comparing UPN with UPN plus weekly supervised (at least once a week) prenatal exercise or PA counseling for which FBG values before and after intervention were available. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed for mean difference in FBG after exercise intervention., Results: The search yielded 781 publications, of which 82 were assessed for eligibility and eight were included in the meta-analysis. The overall effect on absolute FBG concentrations was not significant (P = 0.11) compared with UPN. However, PA versus UPN showed a significant reduction in absolute FBG concentrations (weighted mean difference -3.88 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval -7.33, -0.42 mg/dL; I 2 48%; P heterogeneity  < 0.15)., Conclusions: Physical activity counseling in women with GDM showed a significant effect compared with UPN on FBG concentrations, possibly due to a longer follow-up time compared with the EXE groups. This result highlights the importance of an early intervention that lasts to delivery for best practice of GDM management., (© 2016 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: To examine the association of ophthalmic artery (OA) Doppler measure - the ratio of velocity peaks (PR) - to adverse pregnancy outcomes in preeclampsia., Study Design and Main Outcomes: Prospective cohort study of 56 women with preeclampsia that underwent Doppler measurements of OA flow, medial to optic nerve. PR results were classified as normal (PR < 0.78), abnormal (PR 0.78-0.98), or highly abnormal (PR ≥ 0.99). Attending clinicians were blinded to OA Doppler results. The primary endpoints were (1) a composite of adverse maternal outcomes-central nervous system injury (eclampsia or posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome), HELLP syndrome, hypertensive crisis, maternal admission to the intensive care unit, and maternal death-and (2) a composite of adverse perinatal outcomes-birth weight <10th percentile for gestational age, neonatal acidemia, 5-min Apgar score <7, admission of infants weighing >2500 g to the neonatal intensive care, preterm birth <32 weeks, fetal or neonatal death., Results: Adverse maternal outcomes became more frequent as the PR values increased (p=.005). The occurrence of hypertensive crisis after hospital admission (secondary endpoint) was also positively associated with PR values (p=.001). Adverse perinatal outcomes were not associated with PR values (p=.551), but women in the highly abnormal PR group (PR ≥ 0.99) had the earliest deliveries (p=.001) and the smallest newborns (p=.004). All women in the highly abnormal PR group (n=16) had an adverse outcome., Conclusions: Maternal OA Doppler PR ≥ 0.99 in preeclampsia may identify women at increased risk of adverse maternal outcomes and pregnancies at the greatest risk of preterm birth., (Copyright © 2017 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The authors review hypertensive disease during pregnancy with an academic and practical view, and using the best evidence available. This disease, which is the most important clinical disease in Brazilian pregnant women, may have its incidence reduced with prevention through the use of calcium and aspirin in pregnant women at risk. Previously, it was a disease that presented with hypertension with proteinuria, but it has now been classified with new clinical parameters besides proteinuria. Morbidity and mortality should be reduced in a continental country such as Brazil using protocols for the early treatment of complications by calculating severe outcomes in preeclampsia. The early treatment of acute hypertension, use of magnesium sulfate and early hospitalization in cases of preeclampsia are concepts to pursue the reduction of our pregnant women's mortality., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

Background: The Physical Activity Readiness Medical Examination (PARmed-X) for Pregnancy aims to facilitate the communication between the health care provider, the fitness professional and the pregnant woman. The purpose of the current study was to test the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the PARmed-X for Pregnancy., Methods: Reliability and validity of psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the PARmed-X for Pregnancy were tested in 107 women recruited from the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. Participants completed the first page of the instrument twice with a minimal interval of 1 week for test-retest reliability analysis. The absolute and relative contraindications to exercise on page 2 of the document were completed by the obstetrician., Results: Results indicated good evidence of construct validity. The isolated items in the PARmed-X document presented a large heterogeneity in kappa coefficients ranging from very low estimates to perfect estimates. The overall indication of prescription of physical activity, nonetheless, presented a good kappa coefficient of 0.749., Conclusions: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the PARmed-X for Pregnancy can be applied as a valid tool for medical screening by health care providers to help inform safe exercise prescription during pregnancy.