Background and Aim: Cervical ripening before the onset of labor is an important factor for the prediction of delivery mode, and is directly associated with vaginal delivery. The search for a safe, inexpensive, and easy method of cervical ripening is of great significance. Few studies have focused on the effect of date fruit on uterine contractions and cervical ripening. Therefore, the purpose o...

Nitric oxide (NO) has been proposed as a mediator of cervical ripening. We investigated the expression, using Western blotting, and localization, using immunohistochemistry, of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes, inducible NOS (iNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS) and neuronal NOS (bNOS) in the human cervix during pregnancy and parturition. Cervical biopsies were obtained from non-pregnant women,...

OBJECTIVE This study examines the necessity of a formal pelvic examination in patients with early pregnancy-related complaints and an intrauterine pregnancy on bedside ultrasound (US). METHODS Data were prospectively collected on emergency department (ED) patients presenting with early pregnancy complaints and bedside US evidence of intrauterine pregnancy. All patients received a formal pelvi...

BACKGROUND Cervical incompetence is an important cause of miscarriage and premature birth and polycystic ovary syndrome is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder that is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility and eugonadotrophic hypogonadism. By now, it is still debated whether women with PCOS have an increased risk of miscarriage and there have been no studies about the pregnancy outcome...

OBJECTIVES To review and compare pregnancy outcomes of patients undergoing history-indicated, ultrasound-indicated, or rescue cerclage. DESIGN Case series with internal comparison. SETTING A regional obstetric unit in Hong Kong. PATIENTS Women undergoing cervical cerclage at Kwong Wah Hospital between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2011. INTERVENTIONS Cervical cerclage. MAIN OUTCOME M...

A case of cervical pregnancy was treated successfully with methotrexate and folinic acid. Serial beta-HCG and sonography were used to diagnose the pregnancy and to monitor the therapy. Treatment was successful and the patients reproductive capability was preserved.

BACKGROUND Cervical ripening is a prerequisite for a normal obstetrical outcome. This process, including labor, is a painful event that shares features with inflammatory reactions where peripheral nociceptive pathways are involved. The capsaicin and heat receptor TRPV1 is a key molecule in sensory nerves involved in peripheral nociception, but little is known regarding its role in the pregnant ...