BACKGROUND Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as an elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone level with a normal thyroxin level without signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism. Although it is well accepted that overt hypothyroidism has a deleterious impact on pregnancy, recent studies indicate that subclinical hypothyroidism may affect maternal and fetal health. Studies suggest an association betwee...

BACKGROUND Placenta accreta is considered a life-threatening condition and the main cause of maternal mortality. Prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta usually is made by clinical presentation, imaging studies like ultrasound and MRI in the second and third trimester. OBJECTIVE To determine accuracy of ultrasound findings for placenta accreta in the first trimester of pregnancy. MATERIALS A...

The performance of prenatal screening tests for the identification of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) has markedly improved since the 1970s and early 1980s when maternal age was the sole mode of screening the general pregnant population. With the discovery of second trimester serum markers in the 1980s and 1990s and implementation of double, triple, and quad marker testing; the discovery of first tr...

Introduction: Several factors influence women’s decision to take First Trimester Screening (FTS) tests. These factors are associated with the ambivalence of women toward undergoing screening tests.  Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Shared Decision-Making (SDM) about undergoing FTS on Decisional Conflict (DC) immediately after consultation and uptake of FTS. Materials a...

Congenital heart disease is the most common abnormality in the human fetus. Fetal echocardiography has been used to detect the majority of cardiac defects, and it is now part of the routine screening method for fetal evaluation. In this article, we present standard ultrasonographic views of the normal fetal heart obtained during the second trimester, first-trimester fetal echocardiography findi...

BACKGROUND Since 1998, Italian law requires serological screening for toxoplasmosis by the thirteenth week of pregnancy, and seronegative women should undergo further checks every 30 - 40 days until delivery (a total of 5 - 7 screenings). This is an improvement of the previous law which foresaw three free tests (one by the end of the third month, one in the fifth, and one in the ninth month of ...