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After being treated for breast cancer, women of childbearing age need only wait 6 months to conceive, not the 2 years that is often recommended, findings from a new…

In discussions with 300 pregnant adolescents, 42 percent expressed fears of not being able to get pregnant. This is remarkable, say doctors from Rhode Island.

“Many programs aimed at…

Women who are underweight before they become pregnant are at heightened risk for suffering a miscarriage in the first trimester, a UK study shows, but taking vitamin supplements…

Pregnancy raises complex issues for women with multiple sclerosis. Preconceptual considerations include the small risk (approximately 3 per cent) of their child inheriting the disease and the practical…

Most women with pre-existing epilepsy have no change in the frequency of their seizures during pregnancy, but some 30 per cent have more frequent seizures. These are often women…

There is probably an increased incidence of stroke during pregnancy and the puerperium, although it remains rare. There are some causes of stroke which seem to be more common…

Although the incidence of cerebral and spinal tumours is probably no greater than at other times, some tumours expand during pregnancy and may present unusually rapidly. This probably reflects…

Headache
The most common form of headache during pregnancy (as at other times) is chronic daily headache of the tension type. This may be a continuation of pre-existing…

Pregnant women who develop an infection of the placenta or nearby membranes in their first pregnancy have twice the risk of getting it in their second pregnancy,…

Does maternal smoking during pregnancy predict the smoking patterns of young adult offspring? Tobacco Control 2006; 15: 452-7

The authors base their findings on over 3,000 mothers and…

The U.S. maternal mortality rate for multiple pregnancy is only slightly higher than for singleton. A history of previous dizygotic twins increases the likelihood of subsequent multiple pregnancy 10-fold. Hemorrhage is about 5 times…

Although the blood volume is increased in multiple pregnancy, maternal anemia often develops because of greater demand for iron by the fetuses. However, prior anemia, poor diet, and malabsorption may precede or…

A. Maternal

The incidence of spontaneous abortion of at least one of several fetuses is increased in multiple pregnancy. Stillbirth occurs twice as often among twins as among singleton pregnancies. Premature labor and delivery…

A. Labor and Delivery

Admit the patient to the hospital at the first sign of labor, if there is leakage of amniotic fluid, or if significant bleeding occurs. An ultrasound evaluation should be performed…

A. Multiple Pregnancy

Although human pituitary gonadotropin and other ovulation induction agents result in fewer multiple pregnancies when used by experts, even in the best of hands it is inevitable that some multiple pregnancies…

Multiple pregnancy must be distinguished from the following conditions.

A. Singleton Pregnancy

Inaccurate dates may give a false impression of the duration of the pregnancy, and the fetus may be larger than expected.…

With the ready availability of ultrasound, fewer than 10% of twin gestations are undiagnosed before labor and delivery. Early diagnosis facilitates appropriate prenatal care.

A. Symptoms and Signs

All of the common annoyances…

A. Monozygotic Multiple Gestation

Monozygotic twins, resulting from the fertilization of a single ovum by a single sperm, are always of the same sex. However, the twins may develop differently depending on the time…

Diabetics have triple the normal rate of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Therefore, a urine culture is obtained initially, and appropriate treatment initiated if it is positive. After cessation of therapy, urinary culture…

Glucose infusion (D5W, lactated Ringer’s solution) is given to all patients in labor unless delivery is immediate, but care is taken to control the infusion at 125 mL/h unless the patient…

Early pregnancy exposure to higher glucose levels results in enhanced rates of abortion and an increased incidence of congenital anomalies. Neonates whose mothers have higher glucose levels over a longer…

The criteria for the diagnosis of GDM are based on the original work of O’Sullivan and Mahan and modified by Carpenter and Coustan (see section on Gestational Diabetes). Risk assessment for…

There are three ways to diagnose preexisting diabetes mellitus and each way must be confirmed by a follow-up test. Criteria for diagnosing diabetes mellitus include:

(1) Symptoms of diabetes…

Deterioration of glucose tolerance occurs normally during pregnancy. Significant metabolic changes are necessary to provide proper energy delivery to the growing conceptus. Hormones associated with pregnancy such as human placental lactogen…