BACKGROUND In The Netherlands, caesarean sections (CSs) are rarely combined with tubal occlusion (TO), partly because discussing CS/TO near delivery is considered unethical and earlier hypothetical counselling--i.e. suppose you happen to need a CS--is rare. This results in more unintended pregnancies and is inconsistent with informed choice. We explored whether TO should indeed not be made rout...

Cardiac disease is an uncommon but potentially serious medical complication of pregnancy. It is an important cause of preventable maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. A multidisciplinary approach involving close liaison and collaboration between the obstetrician, cardiologist, anaesthetist, neonatologist, paediatric cardiologist and, if appropriate, the cardiothoracic surgeon, is ess...

We report on the first Helpline for pharmacists dealing with the safety of medications in pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Pharmacists from all parts of Canada participated in this pilot, receiving guidance in approximately 90% of cases. There were 472 inquiries relating to 598 products with regards to safety in pregnancy and 197 calls relating to 249 products regarding exposure in breastfee...

INTRODUCTION Women in HIV prevention trials often must typically agree to avoid pregnancy. Regardless, some become pregnant. Screening tools predicting pregnancy risk could maximize trial safety and efficiency. OBJECTIVES We assessed incidence and correlates of pregnancy among women at high HIV risk. METHODS We enrolled sexually-active, HIV-negative women into an observational cohort (2008-...

Contraceptive use during the postpartum period is critical for maternal and child health. However, little is known about the use of family planning and the determinants in Nepal during this period. This study explored pregnancy spacing, unmet need, family planning use, and fertility behaviour among postpartum women in Nepal using child level data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys 20...

Individuals at 50% risk of Huntington's disease (HD) who prefer not to know their carrier status, might opt for exclusion prenatal diagnosis (ePND) or exclusion preimplantation genetic diagnosis (ePGD). This study aims to provide a better understanding of couples' motives for choosing ePND or ePND, and surveys couples' experiences in order to make recommendations for the improvement of counsell...

  Background To identify the prevalence of behavioural (Pre-pregnancy), obstetrical and medical risks of pregnancy in Iranian women.   Methods A total of 2993 postpartum women who delivered in 23 randomly selected hospitals of six provinces were enrolled in this nationwide cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire was completed based on interviewees’ self-reports and medical record data...

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have numerous adverse health consequences for the developing fetus, including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and alcohol-related effects, and therefore is a significant public health problem. A variety of programs have been developed to prevent drinking during pregnancy and the resulting health problems. Some of these efforts, such as public service announ...

Counseling patients regarding the benefits, harms, and dilemmas of genetic testing is one of the greatest ethical challenges facing reproductive medicine today. With or without test results, clinicians grapple with how to communicate potential genetic risks as patients weigh their reproductive options. Here, we consider a case of a woman with a strong family history of early-onset Alzheimer's d...