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Objective: The length of the third stage of labor is an important risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Current practice recommends manual placenta removal, if not delivered spontaneously, within 30 min. The review reexamines the evidence to determine the optimal length of the third stage of labor. Methods: A MEDLINE search that associated the length of the third stage of labor with the risk of PPH was undertaken. Results: A retrospective cohort study revealed the risk of a PPH became significant at 10 min (odds ratio = 2.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.6–2.6), and had doubled by 20 min (odds ratio = 4.3, 95% confidence interval: 3.3–5.5). A receiver operator curve determined the optimal length of the third stage of labor to prevent PPH was 18 min. A follow up randomized controlled trial showed that hemodynamic compromise secondary to a PPH can be reduced with manual placenta removal at 10 compared to 15 min (6.4 versus 19.2%,p = 0.001). Conclusion: The time interval of 15 min may be a more appropriate time interval to recommend placental removal to prevent PPH. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is an important health problem in pregnant women and their infants in sunny countries. Low socio-economic status (LSES), covered dressing style, pregnancies in winter season and having dark skin are the major risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. The present study evaluated serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] concentrations in pregnant women and in their newborns and determined the risk factors in LSES cities in Turkey. Methods: Ninety-seven pregnant women and their newborns were included in the study between December 2012 and February 2013. All of the pregnant women had irregular follow-up or had received no antenatal care, were pregnant during summer, had presented to the hospital after 37 weeks of gestation (WG) and had received no vitamin D supplementation. A detailed history was obtained, which included mothers' age, number of births and dressing sytle. Maternal and cord blood samples were taken to measure 25(OH)D3 levels. Results: All of the pregnant women were predominantly LSES, had covered dressing style and none of them had received vit D3 supplementation during pregnancy. The mean serum 25(OH)D3 level and mean cord blood level of of 97 mothers were 4.97 ± 3.27 ng/ml and 4.29 ± 2.44 ng/ml, respectively. There was a strong positive correlation between maternal serum and umbilical cord 25(OH)D3 levels ( r: 0.735, p < 0.05). Ninety-five mothers had serum 25(OH)D3 below 20 ng/ml and all cord blood serum 25(OH)D3 levels were below 20 ng/ml. Level of 25(OH)D3 was not correlated with mother age, WG or newborn weight. Serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations in primigravida and multigravida were 3.71 ± 1.88 and 5.2 ± 3.4 ng/ml, respectively, with a significant difference between them ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Severe vitamin D deficiency is common in reproductive women and their newborns in LSES cities of Turkey. Covered dressing style, not receiving any vitamin D supplementation and primigravida women are at greatest risk. Vitamin D supplementation campaigns which should cover pregnant women and the newborn to prevent maternal and perinatal vitamin D deficiency should be implemented especially in risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To measure the incidence and outcomes of pregnancies in renal transplant (RT) patients and to identify risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using the United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003-2010. The incidence of pregnancies in women with RT was measured and logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted effect of RT on maternal and fetal outcomes. Results: We identified 375 deliveries in patients with a RT among 7 094 300 births for an overall incidence of 5.3 cases per 100 000 births over 8 years. Maternal complications, including preeclampsia OR = 9.87 (7.76, 12.55) and blood transfusion OR = 2.29 (1.69, 3.12) were more common in women with RT as compared to in women without. RT pregnancies were also complicated by an increased risk of preterm birth OR = 4.65 (3.72, 5.81), intrauterine fetal death OR = 3.67 (1.89, 7.15) and fetal congenital anomalies OR = 5.28 (2.81, 9.90). Among women with RT and pre-existing hypertension, the risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) was considerably increased from 4.3% to 21.8%, OR = 3.79 (1.67, 8.62). Conclusion: Pregnancies in RT patients are associated with an increased risk of maternal and fetal morbidities. Among women with RT, pre-existing hypertension strongly increases the risk of IUGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of this study was to compare population and customized-based birth weight centiles in their association with perinatal outcome and maternal risk factors, in nulliparous Caucasian women in a socio-economic disadvantaged region. Methods. We analyzed perinatal outcomes in births of 302 Caucasian women of which 155 were small for gestational age (SGA) and 147 were appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Out of the overall study group, two cohort studies were designed. One was classified by population centiles as either SGA ( n== 133) or AGA ( n == 169) and the other was classified by customized centiles as either SGA ( n == 131) or AGA ( n == 172). Maternal risk factors and operative delivery rates for fetal distress, Apgar scores, need for resuscitation and neonatal nursery care given, were determined for both customized and population-based SGA babies. Results. The customized SGA only group showed more mental health problems and special nursery in comparison with the AGA group. The population SGA only group had more smoking and mental health problems than the AGA group, but no differences on neonatal outcome measures. Conclusion. Use of customized centiles does identify an additional group neonates with a significantly higher need for special nursery admission in a homogeneous ethnic Caucasian group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the use of the modified Wells score in pregnancy as a risk stratification tool in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: All pregnant or post-partum patients who were referred for CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) to evaluate suspected PE over a 5-year period were included in the study. Patient records were used to apply the modified Wells score (MWS) and analyze their risk of PE. Results: A total of 125 women were referred for CTPA over 5 years. A MWS of 6 or greater ('High Risk') was 100% sensitive and 90% specific with a positive predictive value of 36% for PE on CTPA. No patients with a low MWS (less than 6) had a PE, giving a negative predictive value of 100%. p ≤ 0.001. D-dimers, chest X-ray, blood gases and EKG were significantly less effective than the MWS in aiding the diagnosis of PE. Conclusion: Current methods employed for the diagnosis of PE are inadequate. Risk stratification using the MWS may allow safe exclusion of PE before resorting to CTPA. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to have used the MWS in a pregnant patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impacts of grandmultiparity on adverse pregnancy outcomes on the pregnancy planning in Japan. It examines the pregnancy outcomes of 41 Japanese women and observe an increased in incidence of perinatal complications in grandmultiparous women. Two tables are presented which shows the research result on the pregnancy outcomes of Japanese women and of the age-matched Japanese women.