BACKGROUND Pregnancy is a time of altered metabolic functioning and maternal blood lipid profiles change to accommodate the developing fetus. While these changes are physiologically necessary, blood lipids concentrations have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and high birth weight. As blood lipids are not routinely measu...

Previous research suggests that female sex hormones can increase the sensitivity of women's emotion processing systems. The largest rises in sex hormone levels in a woman's life are from early to late pregnancy. The current study, therefore, investigated whether changes in emotion processing are seen across pregnancy. Hypervigilant emotion processing has been implicated in the aetiology of anxi...

We have measured arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) continuously overnight in 13 non-pregnant (NP), 13 pregnant normotensive (NPIH) and 15 pregnant patients with a diagnosis of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). The two pregnant groups did not differ in duration of pregnancy (> 35 weeks) and none was in labour. There was no significant difference in age between these three groups. Mean SpO2 i...

Traumatic stress has traditionally been studied in the aftermath of traumatic events. In contrast, this study aimed to explore if traumatic stress can occur before an event that is perceived as threatening or feared. Traumatic stress, as related to the forthcoming delivery, was studied in 1224 women. Background data and psychological characteristics were assessed in early pregnancy and traumati...

Vitamin B12 deficiency is uncommon in pregnancy, it occurs in 10-28% of uncomplicated pregnancies, and is associated with a few complications. We present a case report of a 21-year-old patient with severe anaemia during late pregnancy caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. At 38 weeks gestation and with a BMI of 48.9, a history of rupture of membranes was given but not confirmed. On examination, she...

This study evaluated the relationship between sleep quality in late pregnancy and recurrence of postpartum major depression (PPMD) through 28 weeks postpartum. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at 36 weeks gestation was assessed in 51 non-depressed women with a history of PPMD; recurrence was determined by the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Schedule for Affective D...

Intra-uterine pressure was recorded by placing a Foley catheter in the extra-amniotic space before the termination of pregnancy in 25 patients, and Caesarean section in 12 patients. The effects of administration of i.v. ketamine 2 mg/kg body weight, sodium thiopentone 4 mg/kg body weight and ergometrine 0.5 mg, and intra-cervical 0.5% lignocaine 20 ml were measured in the first trimester of pre...

GFR and renal plasma flow (RPF) decrease in preeclampsia, a serious hypertensive complication of pregnancy. Serial data derived in late pregnancy (LP) and >5 mo postpartum (PP) in 13 healthy controls and 10 preeclamptic women (13 and 5, respectively) returning PP for theoretical analysis of neutral dextran sieving curves (theta(D)), are presented and are used to calculate the key determinants o...

OBJECTIVES Pregnancy motivates women to try stopping smoking, but little is known about timing of their quit attempts and how quitting intentions change during pregnancy and postpartum. Using longitudinal data, this study aimed to document women's smoking and quitting behaviour throughout pregnancy and after delivery. DESIGN Longitudinal cohort survey with questionnaires at baseline (8-26 wee...

PROBLEM Experimental infection of cats with FIV-B-2542 produces high rates of fetal infection and reproductive failure. We hypothesized that dysregulation of placental cytokine expression occurs in FIV-infected queens, and aberrant expression potentiates inflammation and impacts pregnancy outcome. Our purpose was to quantify expression of representative pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-12p3...