Search

Background: Recent reports have shown a decrease in birth weight, a change from prior steady increases. Therefore we sought to describe the demographic and anthropometric changes in singleton term fetal growth.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of term singleton deliveries (37-42 weeks) from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2010 at a single tertiary obstetric unit. We included all 43,217 neonates from term, singleton, non-anomalous pregnancies. Data were grouped into five 3-year intervals. Mean and median birth weight (BW), birth length (BL), and Ponderal Index (PI) were estimated by year, race and gestational age. Our primary outcome was change in BW over time. The secondary outcomes were changes in BL and PI over time.Results: Mean and median BW decreased by 72 and 70 g respectively (p < 0.0001) over the 15 year period while BL also significantly decreased by 1.0 cm (P < 0.001). This contributed to an increase in the neonatal PI by 0.11 kg/m(3) (P < 0.001). Mean gestational age at delivery decreased while maternal BMI at delivery, hypertension, diabetes, and African American race increased. Adjusting for gestational age, race, infant sex, maternal BMI, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and parity, year of birth contributed 0.1 % to the variance (-1.7 g/year; 26 g) of BW, 1.8% (-0.06 cm/year; 0.9 cm) of BL, and 0.7% (+0.008 kg/m(3)/year; 0.12 kg/m(3)) of PI. These findings were independent of the proportional change in race or gestational age.Conclusions: We observed a crude decrease in mean BW of 72 g and BL of 1 cm over 15 years. Furthermore, once controlling for gestational age, race, infant sex, maternal BMI, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and parity, we identified that increasing year of birth was associated with a decrease in BW of 1.7 g/year. The significant increase in PI, despite the decrease in BW emphasizes the limitation of using birth weight alone to define changes in fetal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elective induction of labor (eIOL) prior to 39 weeks' gestation is discouraged because of presumed fetal benefits. However, few data exist on the maternal risks of expectant management. To date, no study has evaluated the maternal risk of developing a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy with expectant management of a low-risk gravid at term.Objective: We sought to evaluate the development of hypertensive disorders in term low-risk expectantly managed patients.Study Design: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study from 19 US hospitals, from 2002 to 2008 (Safe Labor Consortium) including all nonanomalous, cephalic, singleton pregnancies at 37-41 weeks. Women with a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or planned cesarean delivery or from centers with incomplete hypertensive data were excluded. Women with eIOL in each week were compared with women managed expectantly until the next week of gestation or beyond. The primary outcome was the frequency of hypertensive complications.Results: Of 114,651 low-risk deliveries, 12,772 (11.1%) had eIOL. The cohort was 49.2% nulliparous, 51.1% white, and obese (mean body mass index 30.2 kg/m(2)). The risk of developing any hypertension in expectantly managed women was 4.1% after 37 weeks, 3.5% after 38 weeks, 3.2% after 39 weeks, and 2.6% after 40 weeks. Compared with eIOL, women with hypertensive disorders had significantly higher rates of cesarean delivery and maternal morbidities (intensive care unit admission or death, third- or fourth-degree lacerations, maternal infections, and bleeding complications) at each week of gestation and the composite neonatal morbidity at 38 and 39 weeks of gestation.Conclusion: For women at low risk expectantly managed at term, there is a risk of developing hypertensive complications for each additional week of pregnancy, with associated increases in maternal and neonatal morbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess deviations in longitudinally measured cytokines with preterm birth (PTB)., Methods: Prospective longitudinal study targeting 80 subjects. Phlebotomy specimens for broad panel of cytokine analysis were obtained at three time (T) intervals: first trimester (T1: 8-14 weeks' gestation), second trimester (T2: 18-22 weeks' gestation), and third trimester (T3: 28-32 weeks' gestation). Important demographics and outcomes were tracked. Data were stratified and the target groups were analyzed as follows: "Uncomplicated" (delivered ≥37 weeks) or "Preterm Birth" (<37 weeks). Generalized Linear Modeling determined rate of change T1-T3 by outcome., Results: Complete data replete with phlebotomy at all three visits were obtained on 80 women. Birth outcomes were as follows: 11 Uncomplicated Term Birth (UTB), 28 PTB, 4 low birth weight (LBW), 16 OB complications (OBC), 11 current infections (IFN), and 10 mixed complications (MC=2 or more of the above). 28 PTB were compared to 11 uncomplicated term deliveries. In both groups, T helper type 1 (TH1) cytokine (IL-1β), pleiotrophic pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6), and counter-regulatory cytokine (IL-10) responses decreased over gestation, but rates of change in IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 were significantly different. Stratification of women by smoking status additionally demonstrated significant variance in immune status over the course of pregnancy., Conclusions: Women delivering PTB demonstrated significant differences in cytokine trajectory over pregnancy; these data further validate key role played by immune regulation in directing pregnancy outcome. Likewise, smoking impacts longitudinal trajectory of cytokines over pregnancy., (© 2020 Jeffrey M. Denney et al., published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

Objective: To assess perinatal outcomes with Carpenter-Coustan criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), those with normal glucose testing, and those who would be added to GDM by The International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent screening and diagnostic testing for GDM. Patients were divided into nonoverlapping groups: GDM by Carpenter-Coustan (Carpenter-Coustan), IADPSG GDM criteria but not Carpenter-Coustan (IADPSG), and normal GDM screening or testing (control). Outcomes included newborn birth weight, birth weight z-score, Ponderal Index, and large for gestational age. Data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance, t tests, or χ., Results: There were 8,390 women who met inclusion criteria: 338 Carpenter-Coustan; 281 IADPSG; and 7,771 women in the control group. Mean birth weight (3,411 compared with 3,240 g, P<.01), birth weight z-score (0.477 compared with 0.059, P<.01), Ponderal Index (2.79 compared with 2.73 g/cm, P=.014), and large for gestational age (19.9% compared with 8.8%, relative risk 2.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.76-2.88) were higher in IADPSG compared with women in the control group. The IADPSG group had greater birth weight (3,411 compared with 3,288 g, P<.01) than Carpenter-Coustan neonates with no difference in large for gestational age (19.9% compared with 16.0%, relative risk 1.25 95% CI 0.88-1.75), Ponderal Index (2.78 compared with 2.79 g/cm, P=1), or birth weight z-score (0.477 compared with 0.330, P=.30)., Conclusions: Newborns of women who would be added to the diagnosis of GDM by IADPSG criteria have greater measures of fetal overgrowth than those in the control group and greater birth weight in comparison with Carpenter-Coustan GDM neonates., Level of Evidence: II.

Background: In 2009, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released revised pregnancy weight gain guidelines. There are limited data regarding the effect of maternal weight gain on newborn adiposity., Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate neonatal fat mass, lean body mass, and percentage body fat according to current Institute of Medicine (IOM) pregnancy weight gain guidelines., Design: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study of neonates delivered at least 36 wk gestation and evaluated for fat mass, lean body mass, and percentage body fat. Women with abnormal glucose tolerance testing and other known medical disorders or pregnancies with known fetal anomalies were excluded. Pregravid body mass index (BMI) was categorized as normal weight (<25 kg/m2), overweight (25-30 kg/m2), or obese (>30 kg/m2). Maternal weight gain was quantified as less than, equal to, or greater than current IOM guidelines. Newborn body composition measurements were compared according to weight gain and BMI categories., Results: A total of 439 maternal-newborn pairs were evaluated; 19.8% (n=87) of women gained less than IOM guidelines; 31.9% (n=140), equal to IOM guidelines; and 48.3% (n=212), greater than IOM guidelines. Significant differences for each component of body composition were found when evaluated by IOM weight gain categories (all ANOVA, P<0.001). When controlling for pregravid BMI, only weight gain for women who were of normal weight before pregnancy remained significant., Conclusion: Maternal weight gain during pregnancy is a significant contributor to newborn body composition, particularly for women who are of normal weight before pregnancy.