Tag Archives: Preconception care

Pregnancy Complications Are A Stress Test For Future Maternal Health And Pregnancies

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

… women who have had two pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia are at a higher risk of hypertension after pregnancy.

… “while delivery may ‘cure’ preeclampsia in the moment, these mothers are at high risk of chronic hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and blood clots for the rest of their lives. Pregnancy acts like a natural stress test for women.”

… the research adds to growing data on the link between hypertensive pregnancy disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and maternal death …

… preterm delivery, preeclampsia and low-birth weight tend to recur and predispose to each other in a second pregnancy. The severity of the complication in the first pregnancy further increases these risks.

… if their first pregnancy resulted in a delivery between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation, the risk of a preterm delivery in the second pregnancy increased to 14.7% … if their first pregnancy resulted in an even earlier preterm delivery- between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation-the risk of a preterm delivery in the second pregnancy increased to 25.4%. Delivery between 20 and 27 weeks in the first pregnancy doubled the risk for delivering a baby that was small for gestational age in the second pregnancy.

… spontaneous preterm delivery, preeclampsia, low fetal growth, placental abruption and stillbirth in a first and second pregnancy are interrelated,” … “Perhaps they all may be features of a ‘placenta-associated syndrome.’ …

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Endometriosis ups risk of preterm birth

Posted on by
1

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

Pregnant women with endometriosis are at increased risk for delivering prematurely as well as suffering a number of other adverse pregnancy outcomes …

… While 5 in 100 women without endometriosis delivered preterm, nearly 7 in 100 women with endometriosis delivered preterm …

“Endometriosis appears to be a risk factor for preterm birth, irrespective of ART,” …

… delivery by C-section was almost twice as common in women with endometriosis compared to women without endometriosis.

Women with endometriosis were also more likely to suffer from pre-eclampsia …

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Will IVF Work For A Particular Patient? The Answer May Be Found In Her Blood

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

… researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood.

… The researchers found that the peripheral blood gene expression ‘signature’ (also known as the transcriptome) before IVF was predictive of IVF outcome.

One of the most difficult decisions for patients who have had unsuccessful IVF treatments is whether they should undergo further attempts at IVF, or if there are ways to optimise chances of success. The researchers hope that the results generated by this work will lead to the development of a test to aid in IVF decision-making. They say that their work will help to identity biomarkers that can identify events occurring at implantation, the maintenance of pregnancy and successful or unsuccessful pregnancy outcome.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Pregnancy Complications May Increase Autism Risk

Posted on by
3

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

Complications during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with autism …

The team reviewed 64 studies of prenatal risk factors for autism. It is the first time a meta-analysis of the relationship between pregnancy-related factors and risk of autism has been carried out …

… the factors most strongly associated with an increased autism risk are:

- Being born to an older mother or father.
- Having a mother who was born abroad.
- Having a mother who experienced bleeding during pregnancy.
- Having a mother who experienced gestational diabetes.
- Having a mother who used medication during pregnancy.
- Being the first born – or later born in families where there are three or more children.

… Mothers who are born in another country may not have natural resistance to infections in the country where they give birth, which may increase the risk for autism. Moving to another country may also put women under stress, which could increase their chances of having a child who develops autism.

Bleeding during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and medication use are also associated with increased autism risk. Bleeding can cause foetal hypoxia … Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy experience hormonal and metabolic changes, which may affect their baby’s health and development. Foetal development may also be affected by some medications which can cross the placenta during pregnancy.

The association between birth order and autism risk is unclear …

“There is some evidence to suggest that exposure to pregnancy complications in general may increase the risk of autism.”

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Complications Early In Pregnancy Or In Previous Pregnancies Adversely Affect Existing Or Subsequent Pregnancies

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

Complications in early pregnancy or in previous pregnancies can predict the likelihood of further problems in current or subsequent pregnancies …

Improving care for pregnant women and their babies is of particular importance in countries such as The Netherlands where perinatal mortality is a cause for concern. The Netherlands has a perinatal mortality rate of 9.8 per 1000 (2006 figures) – the second highest rate in Europe [1].

… “There were several interesting findings. To name two: firstly, we found that after any first trimester complication or event, the risk of preterm or very preterm delivery is increased in the subsequent or ongoing pregnancy; secondly, we found that increased risks of adverse obstetric outcome are, in all cases, related to the severity or recurrence, or both, of the first trimester complication or event. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review in which the impact of more than one first trimester complication on adverse obstetric outcome has been investigated systematically.”

The researchers found that a history of one or more miscarriages nearly doubled the risk in an ongoing pregnancy of preterm premature rupture of the membrane that surrounds the baby in the womb, and increased the risk of premature or very premature delivery (earlier than 37 or 34 weeks respectively). Recurrent miscarriages (three or more miscarriages) increased the risk in a subsequent pregnancy of all of these conditions; in addition, it increased the risk of placenta praevia (where the placenta partially or completely blocks the cervix) six-fold and congenital malformations nearly two-fold. If a previous pregnancy had to be terminated for any reason, this increased the risk of premature rupture of the membrane, premature and very premature delivery in subsequent pregnancies.

… vaginal bleeding in the first trimester increased the risk of preeclampsia, premature or very premature delivery and more than doubled the risk of low birth weight …

… “While it is true that most conditions are difficult to prevent, with improved monitoring in high risk pregnancies it is possible to reduce perinatal or postnatal foetal complications.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Pregnant or breastfeeding? Eat more oily fish

Posted on by
Reply

For further information about nutrition, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Lunk

… [Pregnant women] should be eating more oily fish to boost their intake of omega-3 fatty acids …

“… women in pregnancy and lactation should aim to have a regular intake of these long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that you find in oily fish … ” …

“It’s a small change in lifestyle that can major effect on long-term health,” Prof Koletzko said.

… women who had a recommended omega-3 intake during pregnancy could cut their risk of premature birth by 30 per cent.

… for “high risk” women who’d had previous premature births, their risk was reduced by 60 per cent.

A British study … also showed flow-on benefits for the child.

“If the mother had eaten more fish and seafood during pregnancy, then there was a marked advantage for IQ development until age eight years,” Prof Koletzko says.

“Fine motor development, and social behaviour, were all beneficially affected.”

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Rapid Increase Seen in Assisted Reproduction

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

The number of assisted reproduction cycles performed worldwide jumped 25.6% from 2000 to 2002, according to an international report.

… Between 219,000 and 246,000 babies were born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) in 2002 — an estimated 12% increase over the same two-year period …

Frozen embryo transfers increased 47% between 2000 and 2002, twice as fast as the increase in egg aspiration cycles.

… The researchers noted that these increases reflected growth in the number of countries and centers reporting, as well as true growth in assisted reproduction activity.

… Worldwide, the 601,243 initiated cycles resulted in a delivery rate of 22.4% per aspiration for conventional in vitro fertilization, 21.2% per intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and 15.3% per frozen embryo transfer.

Overall, frozen embryo transfers represented 21.7% of the aspirations, up from 14.4% in 2000.

There was substantial variation in overall assisted reproductive technology by nation, ranging from a low of two cycles per 1 million inhabitants in Ecuador to 3,688 per million in Israel.

Overall, the number of transferred embryos dropped, with particularly low numbers in Europe and Australia.

… The percentage of transfers with four or more embryos decreased from 15.4% to 13.7% in fresh cycles.
The proportion of single embryo, fresh transfers increased from 10.5% to 12.4%.
The proportions of twin pregnancies fell from 26.5% to 25.7%.
The proportion of triplet pregnancies decreased from 2.9% to 2.5%.
There was similar reduction in multiple pregnancies for frozen embryo transfers.

… In the report, multiple pregnancies were associated with a higher rate of premature birth … For example, 94.2% of triplets were born prematurely, compared to 13.5% for singletons. Likewise, the perinatal mortality rate was 71.2 per 1,000 babies among triplets, compared to 10.7 among singletons.

Dr. de Mouzon’s group also reported a notable increase in intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which accounted for 56.6% of fertilization procedures in 2002 compared with 47.6% in 2000. The rates were particularly high in Latin America (75.9%) and the Middle East (92.4%).

“Since there is no reason to believe that there is such an increase in male infertility, the reasons behind this trend are difficult to know, since [it] has not been demonstrated to improve results for non-male infertility treatment,” …

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Obese Women Should Limit Pregnancy Weight Gain

Posted on by
Reply

For further information on nutrition and exercise in pregnancy, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Link

Obese women should gain only 11 to 20 pounds during pregnancy, according to updated guidelines from the Institute of Medicine.

The recommendation builds on the agency’s earlier guidelines that recommend a weight gain of 15 to 25 pounds for overweight women, 25 to 35 pounds for normal women, and 28 to 40 pounds for underweight women.

Researchers have included recommendations for obese women since body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain have increased among women across the country.

… The new ranges are more conservative, with the underweight BMI category starting at 18.5 instead of 19.8.

… This will result in better outcomes for both mom and baby, he said, since it is “remarkably clear that pre-pregnancy BMI is an independent predictor of many adverse outcomes.”

Interventions in diet and exercise — both before and during pregnancy — will be essential in assisting women in meeting the guidelines, especially those who are obese, he said.

“The idea is that it will require an effort by many people,” Dr. Catalano said. “It’s not just something that one healthcare provider during pregnancy can do. It includes a host of other people including a nutritionist, dietician, and even an exercise physiologist.”

… “Women don’t need to eat for two, but for 1.1,” he said.

… There is no continued support for lower-range weight gains in women under 20, as younger women and adolescents often need to gain more to improve birth outcomes.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Women Still Drinking During Pregnancy

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

Article

Despite [warnings] that alcohol can affect unborn children, pregnant women haven’t changed their drinking habits much over the past two decades, the CDC said.

The average annual percentage of pregnant women who drank remained relatively stable at about 12% for any alcohol use and 2% for binge drinking …

… The U.S. Surgeon General has consistently advised women against drinking alcohol during pregnancy. National prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome is about 0.5 to 2.0 cases per 1,000 births, but the other fetal alcohol spectrum disorders occur about three times as often …

… Women with the highest rates of drinking during pregnancy were older, college graduates, employed, and unmarried.

Between 2001 and 2005, 17.7% of pregnant women ages 35 to 44 reported having at least one drink in the past 30 days, compared with 8.6% of women ages 18 to 24.

… While it’s not well understood why drinking habits differ across certain aspects of social status, the researchers had a few possible explanations. It could be that older women may be more alcohol dependent and have more difficulty abstaining from alcohol while pregnant, they speculated.

Also, they said, more-educated women and employed women might have more discretionary money to spend on alcohol.

… healthcare providers should routinely ask women of childbearing age about their alcohol use and inform them of the risks of drinking during pregnancy.

Alcohol use levels before pregnancy are a strong predictor of alcohol use during pregnancy … Many women who use alcohol continue to do so during the early weeks of gestation because they don’t realize they’re pregnant, as about half of all births are unplanned.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Low Levels of Vitamin B12 May Increase Risk for Neural Tube Defects

Posted on by
Reply

For further information, please contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

From http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2009/nichd-02.htm

Low Levels of Vitamin B12 May Increase Risk for Neural Tube Defects

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect … Women who consume little or no meat or animal based foods are the most likely group of women to have low B12 levels, along with women who have intestinal disorders that prevent them from absorbing sufficient amounts of B12.

Neural tube defects are a class of birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord. One type, spina bifida, can cause partial paralysis. Another type, anencephaly, is a fatal defect in which the brain and skull are severely underdeveloped.

Researchers have known that taking another nutrient, folic acid, during the weeks before and after conception can greatly reduce a woman’s chances of having a child with a neural tube defect.

… “If women wait until they realize that they are pregnant before they start taking folic acid, it is usually too late,” Dr. Mills said.

“Our results offer evidence that women who have adequate B12 levels before they become pregnant may further reduce the occurrence of this class of birth defects,” Dr. Mills said.

Vitamin B12 is available in milk, meats, poultry, eggs, as well as fortified cereals and some other fortified foods … Folate is found in leafy green vegetables, fruits, and dried beans and peas.

An interesting study that highlights the importance of preconception care and good nutrition before and during pregnancy.

Changing your food habits is often a difficult thing to do. Optimum Health & Nutrition can provide assistance.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting.