Pregnancy and Birth

It has been a mere 10 years since a portion of the genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the infectious agent responsible for most cases of post transfusion hepatitis was sequenced. The discovery in 1989 was followed by the development of tests to detect anti-HCV antibodies, facilitating the screening of potential blood donors.

While morning sickness can occur in up to 70% of all pregnancies, it is usually more troublesome than serious. The more severe and disturbing condition, hyperemesis gravidarum, may complicate up to .3% of pregnancies, causing physiological changes that may effect the mother and fetus.

From the 7th European conference of Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology - October 5, 1999, in Istanbul, TurkeyReporting for OBGYN.net at ESIDOG, Dr. Joseph Pastorek

Whereas the surgical approach has long been the standard of care for ectopic pregnancy, a wider range of treatment options is now available--leading to a number of questions for the OB/GYN. Our expert panelists debate the relative merits and drawbacks of methotrexate and various invasive procedures, and also discuss their preferred diagnostic approaches, in managing the patient who presents with signs and symptoms of ectopic pregnancy.

Subjects who underwent immediate postpartum curettage had a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure at 16 hours post delivery (p

Pre-eclampsia first described more than hundred years ago, remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive researches, our knowledge of the aetiology and pathophysiology is still limited (Chappel & Bewley, 1998).

One of the first uses of ultrasonic energy applied for medical diagnostic purposes was by Dr. George D. Ludwig at the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland in 1947-1949, and subsequently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He demonstrated thatgallbladder stones could be detected by an ultrasonic echo method using A mode metal flaw detectors and naval sonar. The documentation of Dr. Ludwig's research came by way of his daughter, Rosemary Ludwig Turner.

Ultrasound-History@OBGYN.net is very fortunate to have papers and communications of Donald W. Baker donated to this polybiography site. Don Baker was a central figure in the invention and production of the first commercial medical Doppler instruments for the noninvasive study of blood flow and motion in the living body. This work constitutes a distinguished career of over 50 years.

My ultrasound training began when I was starting the second year of a neurology residency at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I had just finished a year of general medical internship which was a requirement for neurology residents.

I would like to share with you a few words about the use of a-mode ultrasound (echoencephalography) at Bowman Gray. My training began several years before the ready availability of computed tomography in the emergency center setting. An early application of ultrasound was for rapid screening of trauma and stroke patients for intracranial mass lesions.

Some of the earliest efforts involving the use of ultrasound for guidance of renal biopsy procedures took place at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine Ultrasound Laboratory in 1974 and 1975.

This syndrome, which is poorly understood from both diagnostic and treatment perspectives, results in significant perinatal morbidity and mortality. Improved outcomes depend on a better understanding of the etiology of this devastating disease and on the performance of randomized, controlled trials to evaluate treatment protocols.

A Case of Prenatal Renal Vein Thrombosis, Intrauterine Death of Twin II Associated With Hereditary Thrombophilia

39 year old para 0500 referred because of her horrid obstetric history felt due, at least in part, to placental floor infarction which was found with her last placenta. She has a history of left leg and thigh phlebitis. She took INH for six months in 1991 for a PPD conversion.

Thrombophilia is claimed in many adverse pregnancy outcomes such as recurrent pregnancy loss, intrauterine growth retardation, abruptio placenta, intrauterine fetal death, and pre-eclampsia with onset before 34 wk.

This case describes an asymptomatic abdominal "tumor" that, after removal, was determined to be calcified fetus, or stone baby.

Postpartum "Blues":occurs in 50-80%, onset usually between day 3 and day 14 postpartum, symptoms may persist from several days to a few weeks.

Welcome to November’s Musings! This month I am going to introduce what I hope will become a regular feature of Midwifery Musings: an interview with a midwife. It is my intent to provide readers with an in-depth look at each midwife’s practice, an overview of the legal and professional aspects of midwifery in their location, and a discussion about the contributions they are making in the provision of maternity care.

This month I had the pleasure of interviewing Simone Valk, a midwife practicing in Rotterdam, Holland. Simone graciously gave of her time to share a bit about herself, the training of midwives in Holland and the general nature of maternity care in Holland. The differences between our systems of healthcare is quite evident, but I found the differences in philosophy most impressive, and sobering.

As a midwife, I am often privileged to witness displays of human emotion that seem to occur exclusively within the context of birth. There are few other transitions of life that elicit the sort of emotion, be it positive or negative, that childbirth does. At every birth I attend there is always a memorable moment, often subtle and intimate, little insights into human nature that I tuck away in my subconscious.

In the United States, nearly one in four births is a cesarean birth. Many of these cesareans are unexpected, so it is a good idea for the expectant mother to become informed and educated about the procedure before her baby arrives.

The possibility of twins or more passes through the minds of every pregnant mother, but nevertheless having the presence of more than one fetus confirmed on ultrasound is a shock. Thankfully the length of the pregnancy allows plenty of time to adapt. Indeed, 'it' rapidly becomes 'they' and one feels a sense of incompleteness for those friends who are expecting just one.

As mothers-to-be, most women imagine a picture perfect pregnancy-- mild or no morning sickness in the first weeks, and within the fourth month, the soft kicking of new life within. Along with the growing, telltale tummy of an expectant mother, comes the choosing of a name decorating a nursery, buying baby clothes, and baby showers in honor of the mommy-to-be and the impending "arrival".

Prenatal-onset Group B Strep (POGBS) Disease: Giving a Name to Group B Strep DiseaseAcquired before Birth and Four Courses of Action to Help in Its Prevention

Multiple gestation is the medical term that refers to a woman who is pregnant with twins, triplets, or other higher-order multiple pregnancies. This will occur in slightly less than 2% of all pregnancies. Within the category of multiple gestation, twin births are by far the most common, accounting for 95% of all multiple pregnancies.

All obstetricians and reproductive endocrinologists know the placenta as the uppermost important organ for normal fetal growth till maturity. This endocrinological organ can be affected by many pathological states like other maternal organs.

To determine the risk factors related to recurrent caesarean section (C.S) morbidity and to suggest a morbidity scoring system based on these risk factors which can help in the prediction of C.S. morbidity.

In contrast to the pattern seen with singleton births, twins born to older mothers do not appear to have a greater risk of birth complications than do twins born to younger mothers, according to a recent study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the University of Kansas.

Vaginal deliver rates after previous caesarean section have been on the increase through the 1980s and 1990s but even at the dawn of the 21st century, trial of scar remains a controversy in obstetric care.

Several studies have been conducted about Bacterial Vaginosis and its relation with preterm labor that was accompanied with controversial results. The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of Bacterial Vaginosis and common genitourinary infections between term and pre-term pregnancies.