Pregnancy and Birth

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According to a new study in Tobacco Control, women exposed to secondhand smoking (SHS), particularly those with no history of smoking, have a higher risk of spontaneous abortions, ectopic pregnancies, and stillbirths than women with no such exposure.

Rates of cesarean delivery have risen, and with them, interest in determining what influence-if any-progress and management of labor have on the uptick. A retrospective chart review presented at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine: The Pregnancy Meeting suggests that labor curves are unchanged and a better understanding of labor management is needed to reverse the cesarean trend.

“Term” delivery is defined as 39 weeks 0 days, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. For women with repeat cesareans, that timing may not result in the best outcomes, say investigators from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.