OBJECTIVES: This study examines the extent of selection biases identified in the process of linking Medicaid claims with evidence of pregnancy to vital records. METHODS: Two years of Medicaid claims were scanned to identify pregnancy-related diagnoses and procedures. Information on 55,764 Medicaid recipients was provided to the Division of Health ...

The purposes of this study are to describe intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant women in Thailand and compare maternal characteristics, health practices during pregnancy, and maternal health between abused and nonabused pregnant women. Of 475 pregnant Thai women, 13.1% report ever being abused, whereas 4.8% report physical abuse during ...

BACKGROUND: Violence is a recognized health risk to the mother, fetus, and infant during pregnancy and first-year postpartum (pregnancy-associated period). Although homicide is a leading cause of injury death among pregnant and postpartum women, the continuum of violence-related physical injuries that women sustain during this period has not been studied ...

Oral health care in pregnancy is often avoided and misunderstood by physicians, dentists, and patients. Evidence-based practice guidelines are still being developed. Research suggests that some prenatal oral conditions may have adverse consequences for the child. Periodontitis is associated with preterm birth and low birth weight, and high levels of ...

OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to compare the satisfaction levels of antenatal care between healthy pregnant women who received short message service (SMS) via mobile phone for prenatal support, and those who did not. The second objective was to compare the confidence, anxiety levels and also pregnancy outcomes. DESIGN: A ...

AIM: To discover the extent of sexual violence during pregnancy, its correlation to various variables and effects, and to consider future possibilities for creating awareness in health providers, health seekers and communities for prevention. METHODS: Two thousand pregnant women were interviewed using a semi-structured, pre-designed, pre-tested questionnaire with some open-ended ...

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding does not reliably protect against pregnancy except during the first 6 months postpartum and only then if accompanied by amenorrhea. Reluctance to use other methods of contraception during lactation may result in unplanned pregnancy. The aims of this study were to describe, among women in rural Egypt attending ...

When the United States implemented civilian and military smallpox vaccination programs in 2003, the National Smallpox Vaccine in Pregnancy Registry was established to better evaluate outcomes after the inadvertent vaccination of pregnant women. Women were referred to the registry by vaccine administrators, health care providers, or state health departments or ...

INTRODUCTION: Reducing racial/ethnic disparities is a key objective of the Healthy People 2010 initiative. Unfortunately, racial disparities among women delaying initiation of childbearing have received limited attention. As more women in the US are delaying initiation of childbearing, it is important to examine racial disparities in reproductive health outcomes for ...

Approximately 7 million women in the United States become widows each year. It is not known how many women are pregnant at the time of their husband's death. This study describes the lived experience of widowhood during pregnancy as defined by 10 widows whose husbands were killed in the September ...

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review of studies designed to increase awareness of knowledge about, and consumption of folic acid before and during pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: Studies were identified from Cochrane Library, Medline, and the references of primary studies and reviews. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies included randomized controlled ...

Unintended pregnancy among military women influences their lives and has implications for troop readiness and deployment. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of unintended pregnancy in the US Army and assess the variables associated with unintended pregnancy. Using a cross-sectional design, 212 female soldiers who delivered ...

Little is known about men's patterns of substance use around their partner's pregnancy, despite evidence from studies of pregnant women that men's substance use may reduce women's ability to desist from substance use during pregnancy, increase the probability that women will return to use postpartum, and increase the risk of ...

In Latin America, one of the most common barriers to family planning access is denial of services to women who present at clinics in the absence of menses. Where pregnancy tests are unavailable, many providers fear that nonmenstruating women may be pregnant and, worrying about possible harm to the fetus, ...

OBJECTIVES: To describe the association between fear of childbirth and social, demographic and psychological factors in a cohort of 30 480 healthy nulliparous women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. DESIGN: Nationwide population-based study. SETTING: The Danish National Birth Cohort. POPULATION: Healthy nulliparous women (n= 30 480) with singleton pregnancies. METHODS: Data ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore, among Dutch rheumatologists, aspects such as attitude towards guidelines, pharmacotherapy and information needs in the treatment of pregnant as well as non-pregnant rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Fifteen rheumatologists from nine different hospitals were interviewed by means of a semi-structured interview. ...

Population health datasets are a valuable resource for studying maternal and obstetric health outcomes. However, their validity has not been thoroughly examined. We compared medical records from a random selection of New South Wales (NSW) women who gave birth in a NSW hospital in 2002 with coded hospital discharge records. ...

OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence of pica behaviour during pregnancy; to identify the substances commonly ingested and their prevalence; and to determine the characteristics of women who reported practising pica. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross sectional study involving use of questionnaire administered in interview format. SETTING: Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. SUBJECTS: ...

This article presents a review of the research relevant to oral health during pregnancy and includes nursing practice recommendations for referral of women to a dentist for safe and effective dental care during pregnancy. In recent years, research linking periodontitis to the risk for adverse birth outcomes has resulted in ...

Nature intends that the physical and hormonal changes of pregnancy insure the growth and development not just of the baby but of the mother. The physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and, then, labor, birth, and breastfeeding play vital roles in guiding women on the journey of becoming a mother. ...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible etiological factors, socio-economical characteristics, pregnancy and birth characteristics for Cerebral Palsy in region of Prishtina. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: National Institute of Public Health in Kosova. METHOD: Study was based in the data collected from two different questioners. Questioner for disabled persons and their families, ...

This study explored the changes that occur with acculturation in the likelihood that women of Mexican origin in the United States get pregnant, that they considered their pregnancies intended, and that they were happy about their pregnancies. Data were from 924 women of Mexican origin in the 1995 National Survey ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence of clinical miscarriage and to investigate the factors influencing the occurrence of clinical miscarriage. DESIGN: Prospective study with both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons. SETTING: City of Göteborg, Sweden. POPULATION: Population-based study in cohorts of 19-year-old women followed longitudinally. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of miscarriage and ...

OBJECTIVE: Following the presentation of a case study and an overview of current data highlighting the need for further research into the use of antipsychotic medication during pregnancy, the aim of the present paper was to outline the establishment of, and present preliminary data from, the National Register of Antipsychotic ...

In this column, the various physical changes that may occur during each trimester of pregnancy are introduced in an activity that involves participants in childbirth education classes or in a waiting room of a prenatal care clinic. This lesson is intended to educate and reassure women of the normalcy of ...

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of different kinds of physical and emotional violence in an Iranian pregnant population and to examine its associated risk factors. This cross-sectional study was done from March through July 2005 in the 4 main hospitals of Kerman, Iran, which had ...

Treatment programs for women who use drugs during pregnancy have developed out of a backdrop of punitive policies and the psychosocial complexities of this population, which include psychological comorbidities and consideration of the needs of their children. In this literature review, we examine evidence-based approaches to treatment for these women ...

The aim of this article is to describe the main methodological challenges in the monitoring of dietary intake in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a pregnancy cohort aiming to include 100 000 participants. The overall challenge was to record dietary patterns in sufficient detail to support future ...

OBJECTIVES: Many studies have shown strong effects of pregnancy intention on antenatal care (ANC) behaviour in developed countries, but studies from developing settings have shown mixed results. Few investigators have utilized a prospective measure of pregnancy intention. This paper will analyze the association of pregnancy intention and the utilization of ...

INTRODUCTION: Antenatal care is concerned mainly with prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of general medical and pregnancy associated disorders. Quality of care varies across health facilities; the booking status of the women who deliver would have influence on the pregnancy outcome. METHOD: A comparative study of caesarean section outcome among ...

BACKGROUND: Illegal migration is an increasing problem worldwide and the so-called undocumented migrants encounter major problems in access to prevention and health care. The objective of the study was to compare the use of preventive measures and pregnancy care of undocumented pregnant migrants with those of women from the general ...

In this paper, I discuss the shortcomings of the legal protections that exist for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and parenting for United States' workers. The two main sources of protection for pregnancy and parenting in United States employment law are the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act ...

The exceptional progress in obstetrics, especially in the second half of the 20th century, creates a series of dilemmas, without having yet the answer to old, basic questions, such as premature delivery and prevention of preeclampsia. Sexual liberty and the delay of the first pregnancy are responsible for the drop ...

Pregnancy registries should be devised so that the interests of science, society, and the individual are all considered. For example, there may be ethical issues that relate to how women are chosen to participate in the registry and how informed consent is obtained. In most cases, consent is required for ...

AIM: To determine the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among pregnant greenhouse workers in Italy and to identify risk factors related to the non-use of appropriate preventive measures. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers, to Italian female greenhouse workers regarding their use of PPE and the ...

Women who were neither married nor cohabiting were far more likely to experience pregnancy loss. The reasons for this association are unclear, and confounding due to medical, social or behavioral factors that are correlated with marital/relationship status is possible. On the other hand, our findings are consistent with a recent ...

CONTEXT: Unintended pregnancy is associated with risk behaviors and increased morbidity or mortality for mothers and infants, but a woman's feelings about pregnancy may be more predictive of risk and health outcomes than her intentions. METHODS: A sample of 1,044 black women who were at increased risk were enrolled at ...

Obstetric documentation processes may influence the clinical, behavioural, and psychological outcomes of pregnancy, although recent alterations to integrate obstetric documentation with pregnancy handheld records have been unsuccessful. Woman-held records as a companion to usual obstetric documentation have the potential to improve pregnancy-related health behaviours with a demonstrated association with maternal ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present article is an update on the effects of drug abuse on pregnancy outcome. RECENT FINDINGS: Substance abuse in pregnancy is on the increase worldwide. Simultaneously, there is great variability in prevalence rates in different countries, regions of countries and in different ethnic groups. In the ...

The relationship between pregnancy intention (unintended versus intended pregnancy) and social well-being was examined in a sample of 72 pregnant, mostly low-income women attending Women, Infants, and Children programs and prenatal clinics in a midwestern community. Feelings of happiness about giving birth and the extent to which having a baby ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A majority of women suffer from low back pain and pelvic pain (LBPP) during pregnancy. The aim of the study was to investigate perceived health, sexual life, social situation, sick leave and use of medical services 6 months after pregnancy in women with LBPP during pregnancy. RESEARCH ...

BACKGROUND: Lone women are responsible for a quarter of Brazilian families. The unplanned pregnancy, a strong reality for many young poor women in this country, provokes a strong impact on physical, emotional, socio-economic and family dimensions. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Do personal characteristics determine the behaviours of males towards unplanned pregnancy? Do ...

Women with cystic fibrosis (CF) now regularly survive into their reproductive years in good health and wish to have a baby. Many pregnancies have been reported in the literature and it is clear that whilst the outcome for the baby is generally good and some mothers do very well, others ...

The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of unintended pregnancy among ever-married women. The study sample was 2349 ever-married women aged 15-49 years who gave birth in 1999. Unintended pregnancy was defined as unwanted and mistimed pregnancies. Of these, 431 (18.5%) women reported unintended pregnancy: 137 were ...

QUESTION: It seems to me that cancer is occurring or being diagnosed more frequently among young women who are or might become pregnant. In the past year, I have seen several such women in my practice and I have had difficulty finding appropriate information in order to counsel them. Is ...

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is the most common medical condition of pregnancy, affecting up to 80% of all pregnancies to some degree. In most cases it subsides by the week 16 of pregnancy, although up to 20% of women continue to have symptoms throughout pregnancy. Severe NVP (Hyperemesis ...

OBJECTIVE: There is increasing concern about the use of multiple medications in populations with psychiatric illnesses. One large study reported that 99% of pregnant women had received a prescription for at least one medication during pregnancy, with a mean of 13.6 medications per woman. The present descriptive study examined patterns ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe women's late pregnancy after loss experiences (from 25 weeks gestation to birth), document the timing and frequency of their common discomforts and events, and explore changes in these experiences over time. DESIGN: A longitudinal, qualitative study of pregnancy calendar entries and field notes. SETTING: Prenatal care providers ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between lifetime physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) with pregnancy intent among pregnant women in Lima, Peru. METHODS: A total of 2167 women who delivered at the Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal, Lima, Peru were interviewed during the postpartum recovery period. Logistic regression was used ...

OBJECTIVE: to describe factors related to the initiation of prenatal care (PNC) among pregnant Mexican women. DESIGN: descriptive correlational. SETTING: public prenatal clinic in Monterrey, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: 253 pregnant Mexican women aged 13-46 years. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: structured interviews were conducted to obtain information concerning demographics, reproductive history, current pregnancy, ...