Placenta increta is an uncommon and life-threatening complication of pregnancy characterized by complete or partial absence of the decidua basalis. Placenta increta usually presents with vaginal bleeding during difficult placental removal in the third-trimester. Although placenta increta may complicate first and early second-trimester pregnancy loss, the diagnosis can be very difficult during e...

A study involving the obstetric clinic population of 3 major teaching hospitals of Karachi has been conducted to define changes in leucocyte and platelet counts as pregnancy progresses. 573 "normal" pregnant women--183 in the first trimester, 195 in the second trimester and 194 in the third trimester were included in this analysis. We have found leucocytosis to be a feature of normal pregnancy;...

The objective of this descriptive study was to examine the vitamin and mineral supplements safety beliefs and practices of Iranian pregnant women. Data were collected from 400 randomly chosen women. More than 50% of the participants believed that taking vitamins and minerals during pregnancy was safe; 87% reported taking iron during pregnancy, of which 71.7 % reported their doctor as the main r...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate maternal complications and perinatal outcomes in women with mechanical heart valves treated with warfarin and heparin during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective chart review was performed on 45 pregnancies in 28 women who were previously fitted with mechanical valve prostheses and treated between 1991 and 2005 at Seoul National University Hospital. Outcome parameters...

BACKGROUND Fish and meat intake may affect gestational weight gain, body composition and serum fatty acids. We aimed to determine whether a longitudinal dietary intervention during pregnancy could increase fish intake, affect serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain and body composition changes during pregnancy in women of normal weight participating in the Pregnancy Obesity Nutr...

Hypertensive disorders occur in approximately 6% to 8% of all pregnancies and are a significant source of maternal and fetal morbidity. Little is known about the range of agents routinely used in practice. We used Medicaid claims from 2000 to 2007 to identify completed pregnancies. We included women who were Medicaid beneficiaries from at least 3 months prior to last menstrual period to 1 month...

BACKGROUND Central nervous system malformations are the second most common congenital malformations after congenital heart diseases. These malformations are associated with many instances of morbidity and mortality which underline the importance of prevention and their early diagnosis. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is the diagnosis of neural tube defect (NTDs) in the first trimester a...

Introduction During the last two trimesters of pregnancy, glucose is spared (for the foetus), while the concentration of fatty acids in plasma increases, which can create complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and preterm delivery. Aim To study the association of serum lipid levels during the second and third trimesters with the development of pregnancy-associated...

Ultrasound has revolutioned the care of women carring twins. First trimester evaluation is the best time to determine chorioniocity and amnioniocity in multiple gestations. First trimester diagnosis is based on the number of gestational sacs, amnions and yolk sacs. Growth rate in multiple multiple gestations during the fist and early second trimesters parallels the growth rate of singleton preg...

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of the first, second and third trimester serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) concentrations with neonatal anthropometric parameters. The effect of tobacco smoking during pregnancy on PAPP-A level was also studied. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and fifty healthy pregnant women were divided into smoking ...