Circulating growth hormone (GH) concentrations increase in pregnancy and administration of GH during early-mid pregnancy increases fetal growth in well-fed pigs. To determine whether increased maternal GH could promote fetal growth when feed availability is restricted, fifteen cross-bred primiparous sows (gilts) were fed at approximately 30% of ad libitum intake, from mating onwards and were in...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between maternal glucose levels and intrauterine fetal adiposity distribution in women with a normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 28 weeks gestation. STUDY DESIGN We recruited 231 women with a singleton pregnancy. At 28 and 37 weeks gestation, sonographic measurements of fetal body composition were performed. Multiple regression analysis was used...

BACKGROUND Molecular analysis of plasma DNA during human pregnancy has led to the discovery that maternal plasma contains both fetal and maternal DNA. This valuable source of fetal DNA opens up new possibilities for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. APPROACH Published data from the last 3 years demonstrating the feasibility and utility of analyzing fetal DNA in maternal plasma are reviewed. C...

BACKGROUND Use of high-dose inhalational anesthesia during open fetal surgery may induce maternal-fetal hemodynamic instability and fetal myocardial depression. The authors' preliminary human retrospective study demonstrated less fetal bradycardia and left ventricular systolic dysfunction with lower dose desflurane supplemented with propofol and remifentanil IV anesthesia (SIVA). In this animal...

BACKGROUND Maternal counting of fetal movement is a popular and valuable screening tool of fetal wellbeing, however it is still not known what percentage of healthy pregnant women who gave birth to healthy term newborns had experienced decreased fetal movements during gestation and what maternal and fetal factors are associated with this maternal perception of decreased fetal movements. The aim...

Our aim was to evaluate the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and sonographically measured fetal epicardial fat thickness between 24-28 weeks' gestation. This was a cross-sectional study that included 40 pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus, matched with 40 normal pregnancies with similar maternal age, body-mass index, gestational age, fetal gender, and fetal abdominal...

The identification of cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal circulation has made non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) possible. Maternal plasma cell free DNA is a mixture of maternal and fetal DNA, of which, fetal DNA represents a minor population in maternal plasma. Therefore, methods with high sensitivity and precision are required to detect and differentiate fetal DNA from the large backg...