Pregnancy

About: Pregnancy is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 163969 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4013502 citations. The topic is also known as: pregnancy & gestation.

The outcome of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in relation to maternal antibody status.

Abstract: Background Intrauterine transmission of cytomegalovirus (CMV) can occur whether a mother has prior immunity or acquires CMV for the first time during pregnancy The degree of protection afforded an infected infant by the presence of antibody in the mother before conception is uncertain Methods We compared the outcomes of CMV-infected infants born to mothers who acquired primary CMV infection during pregnancy (primary-infection group) with those of CMV-infected infants born to mothers with immunity (recurrent-infection group) Screening for viruria identified 197 newborns with congenital CMV infection Stored serum samples were used to categorize maternal infection as either primary or recurrent We followed 125 infants from the primary-infection group and 64 from the recurrent-infection group Serial medical, audiologic, psychometric, and eye examinations were used to identify sequelae of CMV infection Results Only infants in the primary-infection group had symptomatic CMV infection at birth

Endocrine and paracrine regulation of birth at term and preterm

Abstract: We have examined factors concerned with the maintenance of uterine quiescence during pregnancy and the onset of uterine activity at term in an animal model, the sheep, and in primate species. We suggest that in both species the fetus exerts a critical role in the processes leading to birth, and that activation of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a central mechanism by which the fetal influence on gestation length is exerted. Increased cortisol output from the fetal adrenal gland is a common characteristic across animal species. In primates, there is, in addition, increased output of estrogen precursor from the adrenal in late gestation. The end result, however, in primates and in sheep is similar: an increase in estrogen production from the placenta and intrauterine tissues. We have revised the pathway by which endocrine events associated with parturition in the sheep come about and suggest that fetal cortisol directly affects placental PGHS expression. In human pregnancy we suggest that cortisol increases PGHS expression, activity, and PG output in human fetal membranes in a similar manner. Simultaneously, cortisol contributes to decreases in PG metabolism and to a feed-forward loop involving elevation of CRH production from intrauterine tissues. In human pregnancy, there is no systemic withdrawal of progesterone in late gestation. We have argued that high circulating progesterone concentrations are required to effect regionalization of uterine activity, with predominantly relaxation in the lower uterine segment, allowing contractions in the fundal region to precipitate delivery. This new information, arising from basic and clinical studies, should further the development of new methods of diagnosing the patient at risk of preterm labor, and the use of scientifically based strategies specifically for the management of this condition, which will improve the health of the newborn.

Risk factors for depressive symptoms during pregnancy: a systematic review

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors for antepartum depressive symptoms that can be assessed in routine obstetric care. We evaluated articles in the English-language literature from 1980 through 2008. Studies were selected if they evaluated the association between antepartum depressive symptoms and =1 risk factors.