BACKGROUND The link between poverty and adverse maternal outcomes has been studied largely by means of quantitative data. We explore poor urban Kenyan women's views and lived experiences of the relationship between economic disadvantage and unpleasant maternal outcomes. METHOD Secondary analysis of focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews data with women in two slums in Nair...

OBJECTIVE The association between maternal psychological state during pregnancy and birth outcomes is well established. The focus of previous studies has been on the potentially detrimental consequences of maternal stress on pregnancy and birth outcomes, particularly shortened gestation and increased risk of preterm birth. Despite a growing literature linking positive affect with favorable heal...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess the risk of emergency cesarean deliveries (CDs) and adverse neonatal/maternal outcomes according to the planned gestational age at delivery (GAD) for elective CD. METHODS The study population consisted of term singleton pregnant women who were booked for elective CD and were subsequently delivered at term by CD, after excluding cases with a...

The East Mediterranean region suffers from high levels of air pollution which has a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes. This work systematically reviews the epidemiological evidence on maternal exposure to air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes in the region. Relevant papers and reports published between 2000 and 2014 were searched. Combinations of search terms including countries, exp...

Preeclampsia is a multiorgan, heterogeneous disorder of pregnancy associated with significant maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Optimal strategies in the care of the women with preeclampsia have not been fully elucidated, leaving physicians with incomplete data to guide their clinical decision making. Because preeclampsia is a progressive disorder, in some circumstances, delivery i...

In women Obesity has a significant impact on every aspect of female reproductive life both in terms of infertility and early pregnancy complications. It is linked to a number of adverse obstetric outcomes as well as increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. These complications include miscarriage, congenital abnormalities, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, iatrogenic ...

BACKGROUND Research has documented the adverse relationship of child cognitive development with maternal prenatal smoking and poor birth outcomes. The potential, however, for maternal prenatal smoking to modify the association between birth outcomes and cognitive development is unclear. METHODS We linked statewide North Carolina birth data for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black childre...