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AIMS: To explore the incidence and complexity of women presenting for maternity care who require concurrent cancer care, and to report the birth outcomes of these women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective audit of women attending a 'high risk' maternal medicine clinic at an Australian tertiary maternity hospital between 1 October 2021 and 30 April 2023 was conducted. The inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of cancer and a concurrent pregnancy, or a diagnosis of cancer prior to the current pregnancy. Clinic lists and coding data were screened via the electronic medical record to identify potential subjects. Data were collected from the individual maternity and neonatal records. RESULTS: Forty of 705 (5.7%) women attending the maternal medicine clinic met the inclusion criteria, of which ten had a new diagnosis of cancer in pregnancy and 30 presented for maternity care after a previous diagnosis of cancer. Cancer therapy during pregnancy included surgery and chemotherapy. Most pregnancies (92.5%) resulted in term deliveries (≥37 weeks gestation). Four neonates were preterm, and one was small-for-gestational-age. Caesarean section delivery and post-partum haemorrhage were more common than expected, but the rate of other adverse pregnancy outcomes was consistent with the background population. Over half of neonates required neonatal intensive care unit / special care nursery admission but the indications for admission were common, self-limiting conditions, and the length of stay was short (mean <5.0 days). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 6% of women attending the maternal medicine clinic had a current or previous diagnosis of cancer. Most pregnancies resulted in term deliveries and neonatal outcomes were excellent.

CONTEXT: Body weight and composition may change over the natural menopause transition. Whether surgical menopause has similar effects, and the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), are unknown. Understanding the metabolic effects of surgical menopause will inform clinical care. OBJECTIVE: To prospectively measure weight and body composition over 24 months following surgical menopause compared with a similar comparison group who retained their ovaries. METHODS: Prospective observational study of weight change from baseline to 24 months in 95 premenopausal women at elevated risk of ovarian cancer planning risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) and 99 comparators who retained their ovaries. Change in body composition from baseline to 24 months was also assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup of 54 women who underwent RRSO and 81 comparators who retained their ovaries. In the subgroup, weight, fat mass, lean mass, and abdominal fat measures were compared between groups. RESULTS: At 24 months both groups had gained weight (RRSO 2760 ± 4860 g vs comparators 1620 ± 4540 g) with no difference between groups (mean difference 730 g; 95% CI 920 g to 2380 g; P = .383). In the body composition subgroup, there was no difference in weight between groups at 24 months (mean difference 944 g; 95% CI -1120 g to 2614 g; P = .431). RRSO women may have gained slightly more abdominal visceral adipose tissue (mean difference 99.0 g; 95% CI 8.8 g to 189.2 g; P = .032) but there were no other differences in body composition. There were also no differences in weight or body composition between HRT users and nonusers at 24 months. CONCLUSION: 24 months after RRSO, there was no difference in body weight compared with women who retained their ovaries. RRSO women gained more abdominal visceral adipose tissue than comparators, but there were no other differences in body composition. Use of HRT following RRSO had no effect on these outcomes.

Folate supplementation in the periconceptual period is the standard of care for the prevention of neural tube defects. To support dietary folate intake, some countries have introduced mandatory folic acid fortification of food products. Robust evidence supports the additional use of a low-dose folic acid supplement (0.4 mg/day) in all women from 2-3 months preconception until the end of the 12th week of gestation. For women with pre-existing diabetes, high-dose folic acid supplementation (5 mg/day) is recommended in some, but not all international guidelines. The recommendation is made based on consensus opinion and reflects the increased risk of neural tube defects in pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes. However, there is limited evidence to clarify the high-risk groups that benefit from high-dose folic acid versus those that do not. There are also some data to suggest that high-dose folic acid may be harmful to mothers and offspring, although this issue remains controversial. This narrative review explores the evidence that supports the recommendation for women with pre-existing diabetes to take high-dose folic acid in the periconceptual period. It explores the potential benefits of high-dose supplemental folate beyond the prevention of neural tube defects, and also the potential adverse impacts of high-dose folate use. These topics are considered with a specific focus on the issues that are pertinent to women with pre-existing diabetes. Based on the available evidence, a pragmatic approach to the use of folic acid supplements in women with pre-existing diabetes during the periconception period is suggested. The need for comprehensive preconception care that optimises glycaemic control and addresses other modifiable risk factors before pregnancy is emphasized.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effectiveness of a nonsurgical, preconception weight loss intervention on pregnancy outcomes in women with obesity. METHODS: This was a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 164 women with BMI 30 to 55 kg/m2 who were aged 18 to 38 years and planning pregnancy were randomized to a 12-week standard dietary intervention (SDI; n = 79) or a modified very low-energy diet (VLED; n = 85). Participants were observed for ≤48 weeks while trying for pregnancy and then during pregnancy. The primary outcome was maternal fasting plasma glucose at 26 to 28 weeks' gestation. Exploratory outcomes were individual and composite obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: Weight loss was greater in the VLED group (SDI 3.2 [0.6] kg vs. VLED 13.0 [0.5] kg, p < 0.01). In completers who had a singleton live birth (SDI 22/79 vs. VLED 35/85, p = 0.10), there was no difference in fasting glucose at 26 to 28 weeks' gestation (SDI 4.8[0.2] mmol/L vs. VLED 4.6 [0.1] mmol/L, p = 0.42). However, the composite of adverse pregnancy outcomes was significantly lower in the VLED group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Substantial prepregnancy weight loss in women with obesity does not alter fasting glucose at 26 to 28 weeks' gestation but does reduce a composite of adverse pregnancy outcomes. A better understanding of metabolic changes in pregnancy after preconception weight loss may assist in improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

This is the full version of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society (ADIPS) 2020 guideline for pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy. The guideline encompasses the management of women with pre-existing type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes in relation to pregnancy, including preconception, antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum care. The management of women with monogenic diabetes or cystic fibrosis-related diabetes in relation to pregnancy is also discussed.

This is an executive summary of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society (ADIPS) 2020 guideline for pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy. The summary focuses on the main clinical practice points for the management of women with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes in relation to pregnancy, including preconception, antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum care. The full guideline is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/ajo.13265.