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Abstract: Objective: Labetalol and methyldopa are the two antihypertensive drugs most frequently used to control blood pressure for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess if labetalol is associated with poor infant outcomes. Study design: Retrospective population-based cohort study using the linked maternal/infant databases in the Province of Saskatchewan. Women with a diagnosis of a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy who delivered a singleton in Saskatchewan from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2005 and who were dispensed only labetalol or only methyldopa were included in the study. Occurrences of small for gestational age (SGA)<10th percentile, SGA<3rd percentile, preterm birth, stillbirth, hospitalization for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), sepsis, and seizure during infancy, and infant death were compared. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for potential confounding. Results: A total of 1223 eligible women were included in the final analysis. Among them, 300 received labetalol only and 923 received methyldopa only during pregnancy. For women with chronic hypertension, the rate of hospitalization for RDS, sepsis, and seizure during infancy was significantly higher for infants born to mothers who were dispensed labetalol only as compared with infants born to mothers who were dispensed methyldopa only (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–2.22). Conclusion: Compared with methyldopa, the use of labetalol for chronic hypertension of pregnancy may be associated with increased rate of hospitalization during infancy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To assess the association between in vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and adverse birth outcomes. Study design: Retrospective cohort study involved IVF/ICSI patients who were treated in the Ottawa Fertility Centre from 1996 to 2005 with a viable pregnancy (>20 weeks of gestation) and mothers who conceived naturally. Results: Eleven of the 1044 infants conceived with IVF/ICSI (1.1%) and 7 of the 1910 naturally conceived infants (0.4%) had congenital heart defects (P <0.01). Five of the 138 infants (3.6%) born to mothers with a body mass index>30 and conceived by IVF/ICSI had congenital heart defects, compared with none in the 240 infants born to mothers with a body mass index>30 and conceived naturally (P <0.01). Conclusion: Infants conceived with use of IVF/ICSI have three times as high a risk of a congenital heart defect as naturally conceived infants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To examine the possible association between oral contraceptive use and adverse birth outcomes.Study Design: We conducted a population-based cohort study of pregnant women who used oral contraceptives within 3 months before their last menstrual period. Subjects were divided into three groups, according to the interval (0-30, 31-60, and 61-90 days) between the dispensing date and their last menstrual period. For each exposed subject, 4 subjects without exposure to oral contraceptives were individually matched by infant's year of birth and plurality and by mother's age and parity.Results: Oral contraceptive use within 30 days prior to the last menstrual period was associated with increased risks of very low birth weight (OR: 3.24, 95% CI: 1.18, 8.92), low birth weight (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.17, 3.20), and preterm birth (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.55); however, oral contraceptive use 31-90 days prior to the last menstrual period did not increase the risk of low birth weight or preterm birth.Conclusion: Our results indicate the use of oral contraceptives near the time of conception may be associated with an increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]