background physical activity (pa) patterns during pregnancy have not been explored in depth and most previous studies lack assessment of variables such as type, frequency, duration and intensity of activity. objectives this study had two goals: 1) to analyze pa patterns during pregnancy according to weekly time spent on different types of activity; and 2) to determine women’s perception about h...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis that compared the first- and second- trimester screening tools for Down syndrome. STUDY DESIGN A decision tree was designed that compared four possible screens for Down syndrome: (1) current second- trimester expanded maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein test (AFP), (2) first-trimester nuchal translucency screen, (3)...

BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia and macrosomia. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at increased risk of developing GDM. Today, GDM is diagnosed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a rather cumbersome test for the women and health care system. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate first-trimester maternal characteristics and biomarkers in pregnancies that subsequently develop HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome. METHOD Maternal history, biochemical, and biophysical parameters were compared between women who developed HELLP, preeclampsia (PE) without HELLP and controls. After determination...

Pathologic exa mination o f t he p roducts o f em bryos a nd fetuses, both from spontaneous abortions (SAbs) and terminations of pregnancy, has become increasingly important. While s uch exa mination wa s o nce p erformed p rimarily for t he p urpose o f f urthering s cientiἀc un derstanding o f prenatal human development, the practical medical applications of this knowledge have become clear a...

VACTERL association (OMIM 192350) is a non-random combination of multiple congenital malformations including vertebral, anal, cardiac, tracheoesophageal, renal and limb anomalies. The wide spectrum of defects suggests the occurrence of defective development during early embryogenesis. The authors report a case of a complex polymalformative association detected by ultrasound in the first trimest...

The effects of vaginal bleeding during first and second trimester on pregnancy outcomes was assessed in a hospital-based population of 268 non-diabetic women. The group of non-bleeders comprised 173 females whereas, there were 71 females with first and 24 with second trimester bleeding. Fetal loss (abortion) occurred in 34% of first trimester and 25% of second trimester bleeders. Low birth weig...

To evaluate the potentials of the first trimester uterine artery Doppler, placental volume measurement and ductus venosus blood flow as predictors of third trimester fetal growth parameters. This study was a prospective-observational study, conducted on 200 pregnant women, during a period of 2 years starting from June 1st 2013 till May 30th 2015, in order to evaluate the potentials of the first...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of the first trimester screening for Down syndrome (DS) in an unselected low-risk Finnish population. The study involved 4,617 women who attended screening between the 8th and 14th weeks of pregnancy in 1998-2000. They gave a blood sample for the measurement of pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta human chorionic ...