Data from the Montreal survey on occupational factors in pregnancy were used to test the hypothesis that visual display units (VDUs) constitute a hazard to reproduction. Use of a VDU was recorded in 4712 current and 2164 previous pregnancies of women in full time employment at time of conception. After allowance for seven confounding variables, the risk of spontaneous abortion in current pregna...

BACKGROUND Antiretroviral prophylaxis may be a critical strategy to reduce periconception HIV transmission. Maximizing the benefit of periconception pharmacologic HIV risk-reduction requires an understanding of the links between pregnancy and adherence to this prevention strategy. METHODS We assessed study gel adherence among women with pregnancies compared to women without pregnancies enroll...

There is increased risk of early pregnancy loss after assisted reproduction. In this study the use of serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) concentrations on day 12 after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer was evaluated to predict pregnancy outcome. A total of 417 IVF pregnancies were included. Early pregnancy loss was defined as biochemical pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies an...

AIMS The present study aimed to determine whether yolk sacs with abnormal sonographic appearance are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes in both early and late gestation. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 305 viable singleton pregnancies with gestational age of 6 to 9 weeks were prospectively evaluated with respect to perinatal outcomes and sonographic characteristics of the yolk sacs. ...

INTRODUCTION Prevalence of planned pregnancies varies between countries but is often measured in a dichotomous manner. The aim of this study was to investigate to what level pregnant women had planned their pregnancies and whether pregnancy planning was associated with background characteristics and pregnancy-planning behavior. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study that utilized the ba...

OBJECTIVE To compare obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of twin pregnancies conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART) with those of naturally conceived ones and to investigate the influence of the ART procedure type on these parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS This observational study included 450 ART and 647 spontaneous twin pregnancies delivered over 15 years at a single university-b...

Exosome release by viable cells is a feature of activated cell types, including tumors, fetal cells, and cells of the immune system. Exosomes critically regulate immune activation, by mediating activation-induced cell death. Fetal cells may mimic these events to selectively delete reactive lymphocytes. In this study the presence and composition of placenta-derived exosomes are demonstrated in t...

Perinatal outcome of pregnancies caused by assisted reproduction technique (ART) is substantially worse when compared with pregnancies following natural conception. We investigated the possible risks of non-IVF ART on perinatal health. We conducted a retrospective cohort study with two exposure groups: a study group of pregnancies after controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), with or without arti...

This study was carried out to explore associations between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and maternal and neonatal outcomes compared with similar outcomes following spontaneously conceived births. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnancies conceived by ART (N = 2641) during 2006-2014 compared to naturally conceived pregnancies (N = 5282) after matching for maternal age an...

OBJECTIVE Determine whether depression screen results are consistent across successive pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered in 2 successive pregnancies to 2116 women. A woman was "screen-positive" if she scored ≥ 12 at 24-28 weeks' or 6-weeks' postpartum. Screen-positive women were assessed by telephone and triaged by mental health professionals....