Search results for " birth"

Returns to Childbirth Technologies: Evidence from Preterm Births

2013

We investigate the impact of obstetrician supervision, as opposed to midwife supervision, on the short-term health of low-risk newborns. We exploit a unique policy rule in the Netherlands that creates a large discontinuity in the probability of a low-risk birth being attended by an obstetrician at gestational week 37. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, we consistently find no health benefits from obstetrician supervision, despite increased rates of neonatal intensive care unit admissions among births supervised by obstetricians. These results indicate potential cost savings from increased use of midwifery care for low-risk deliveries.

Response to the comment on "Can stress biomarkers predict preterm birth in women with threatened preterm labor?"

2017

Obstetric and offspring risks of women’s morbid conditions linked to prior anticancer treatments

2016

Background Literature shows the effects of type of cancer and/or anticancer treatment on live birth percentages and/or pregnancy and neonatal complications in female cancer survivors. However, studies analyzing the obstetric and offspring risks of the morbid conditions associated with previous anti-cancer treatments are missing. The present review aims to uncover these risks. Methods A literature search based on publications up to March 2016 identified by PubMed and references cited in relevant articles. Results The morbid conditions associated with prior anticancer treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and/or hematopoietic stem-cell transplant may induce not only obstet…

The effects on offspring of premature parturition

2001

The time of parturition defines the length of the intrauterine period of fetal life, a requisite to achieve adequate adaptation to the external environment. Immaturity, a condition whose severity is inversely related to the length of pregnancy, is the main determinant of the increased morbidity and mortality associated with preterm birth. Despite great advances in medical technology and expertise, mainly after the introduction of the neonatal intensive care units, only one- to two-thirds of infants from the subsets with lower birthweight/gestational age reach survival at discharge. Distinct major neurological and sensorial sequelae, including cerebral palsy, retinopathy of prematurity, and …

2014

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant catch-up growth seem associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases in later life, but individual studies showed conflicting results. OBJECTIVES: We performed an individual participant data meta-analysis for 147,252 children of 31 birth cohort studies to determine the associations of birth and infant growth characteristics with the risks of preschool wheezing (1-4 years) and school-age asthma (5-10 years). METHODS: First, we performed an adjusted 1-stage random-effect meta-analysis to assess the combined associations of gestational age, birth weight, and infant weight gain with childhood asthma. Second, we performed an adjus…

Comparison of the ability of alternative birthweight and fetal weight standards to identify preterm newborns at increased risk of perinatal death

2013

Objective To compare prediction of perinatal deaths among preterm infants based on fetal weight standards versus a new subpopulation-based birthweight standard. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting France. Population A total of 9100 preterm singletons, born between 24 and 36 weeks of gestation in 2000–09, in Burgundy (France). Methods We first classified all newborns as either small for gestational age (SGA) or not, based on alternative fetal weight or birthweight standards, including a new birthweight standard that excludes infants born to mothers with disease related to the weight of a fetus. Based on discrepancies between the different classifications, we then divided the newbor…

Newborn screening of inherited metabolic disorders by tandem mass spectrometry: past, present and future

2013

Inborn errors of metabolism are inherited biochemical disorders caused by lack of a functional enzyme, transmembrane transporter, or similar protein, which then results in blockage of the corresponding metabolic pathway. Taken individually, inborn errors of metabolism are rare. However, as a group these diseases are relatively frequent and they may account for most of neonatal mortality and need of health resources. The detection of genetic metabolic disorders should occur in a pre-symptomatic phase. Recently, the introduction of the tandem mass spectrometric methods for metabolite analysis has changed our ability to detect intermediates of metabolism in smaller samples and provides the mea…

Low target birth weight or growth retardation? Umbilical Doppler flow velocity waveforms and histometric analysis of fetoplacental vascular tree

1993

Objective: The placental vascular architecture of small-for-gestatonal-age fetuses seems to have an impact on the flow patterns in the umbilical arteries. Study Design: Blood flow velocity waveforms of the umbilical arteries were measured by Doppler ultrasonography in nine small-for-gestational-age fetuses with elevated systolic/diastolic ratios of the umbilical arteries, seven small-for-gestational-age fetuses with normal flow patterns, and 14 appropriate-for-gestational-age fetuses with normal flow patterns. After delivery histomorphometric placental investigations were performed. Results: Reduced end-diastolic flow velocities were significantly associated with both a reduction of vascula…

Non‐immune hydrops fetalis was rare in Sweden during 1997‐2015, but cases were associated with complications and poor prognosis

2020

Aim: The study was designed to document the incidence of non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) at birth and characterise associated outcomes and obstetric complications. Methods: Data on more than 1.9 million births were extracted from the Swedish Birth Register for 1997-2015. Pregnancies not affected by NIHF served as controls. National registers on mortality and hospitalisations provided follow-up information. Results: There were 309 cases of NIHF at birth corresponding to an incidence of 1.6 per 10 000, lower than in previous studies. NIHF was more frequent in mothers aged ≥35 years and with a history of stillbirth. Preterm delivery occurred in 77.7% in the NIHF group, including 31.7% before…

The effect of gestational age and cervical length measurements in the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in twin pregnancies : an individual pat…

2016

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of gestational age (GA) and cervical length (CL) measurements at transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) in the prediction of preterm birth in twin pregnancy. DESIGN: Individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis. SETTING: International multicentre study. POPULATION: Asymptomatic twin pregnancy. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE searches were performed and IPD obtained from authors of relevant studies. Multinomial logistic regression analysis determined probabilities for birth at ≤28(+0) , 28(+1) to 32(+0) , 32(+1) to 36(+0) , and ≥36(+1) weeks as a function of GA at screening and CL measurements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Predicted probabilities for preterm birth at ≤28(+0) , 2…