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Practical Neurology Jun 2024Pregnancy and the postpartum period are potentially high-risk periods for women with epilepsy and their babies. All women with epilepsy should have the opportunity for...
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are potentially high-risk periods for women with epilepsy and their babies. All women with epilepsy should have the opportunity for preconception counselling with the aim of reducing risk, optimising outcomes for the potentially developing fetus and enabling informed decision-making. This article provides an evidence-based framework for preconception counselling discussion, including the review of diagnosis and of current antiseizure medication, the risk to the fetus in relation to antiseizure medication and maternal seizures, maternal morbidity, SUDEP risk, folic acid supplements, contraception, breastfeeding and safety advice.
PubMed: 38937091
DOI: 10.1136/pn-2023-003902 -
The Pan African Medical Journal 2024the provision of essential preconception care services for HIV-positive pregnant women is crucial to prevent HIV transmission to infants. This includes pregnancy...
INTRODUCTION
the provision of essential preconception care services for HIV-positive pregnant women is crucial to prevent HIV transmission to infants. This includes pregnancy intention screening services, adequate viral load monitoring and suppression before conception, and necessary nutritional support. In Nyeri County, the prevalence of Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV is 5.3%, which is higher than the global threshold of 5%. This study aims to evaluate the impact of pre-conception care services in preventing HIV transmission to infants in Nyeri County. The study objectives are to assess the utilization of pre-conception care services among HIV-positive women, specifically focusing on pregnancy intention screening, viral load monitoring and suppression, and access to nutritional assessment services before pregnancy. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the relationship between the provision of pre-conception care services and infant HIV outcomes.
METHODS
this cross-sectional retrospective descriptive study employed stratified sampling to select eight level 4 and level 5 hospitals in Nyeri County. The target population consisted of HIV-infected women seeking postnatal care in these facilities, with a sample size of 252 women who had HIV-exposed infants under two years old and were receiving post-natal care at the respective hospitals. Sociodemographic characteristics, including age, marital status, and education level, were collected. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics.
RESULTS
our findings revealed that only 34.2% of HIV-positive women seeking postnatal care had received information or services related to pregnancy intention screening, a crucial aspect of pre-conception care. Almost half (46.4%) of the women who participated in the study had undergone viral load measurements before pregnancy, which is another critical component of preconception care. Additionally, 85.6% of these women had received nutritional services during pregnancy from their healthcare providers. Interestingly, all women who received any pre-conception care services reported that their infants were alive and tested HIV-negative.
CONCLUSION
preconception care is crucial in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Efforts should be made to ensure that all HIV-infected women planning to conceive have access to preconception care services.
Topics: Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Female; HIV Infections; Pregnancy; Adult; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Preconception Care; Cross-Sectional Studies; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult; Viral Load; Infant, Newborn; Infant; Mass Screening; Adolescent; Postnatal Care; Prevalence; Pregnancy Outcome
PubMed: 38933429
DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2024.47.144.37196 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Jun 2024Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women of childbearing age. Pregnancy in SLE patients poses unique... (Review)
Review
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women of childbearing age. Pregnancy in SLE patients poses unique challenges due to the potential impact on maternal and fetal outcomes. We provide an overview of the management of SLE during pregnancy, including preconception risk stratification and counseling, treatment, and disease activity monitoring. These assessments are critical to minimize maternal and fetal adverse events in pregnant patients with SLE. Disease flares, preeclampsia, antiphospholipid syndrome complications, and maternal mortality are the major risks for a woman with SLE during gestation. Timely treatment of SLE relapse, differentiation of preeclampsia from lupus nephritis, and tailored management for antiphospholipid syndrome are essential for a successful pregnancy. Fetal outcomes include neonatal lupus (NL), preterm birth, cesarean delivery, fetal growth restriction (FGR), and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. We focused on NL, linked to maternal anti-Ro/SS-A and anti-La/SS-B antibodies, which can lead to various manifestations, particularly cardiac abnormalities, in newborns. While there is a common consensus regarding the preventive effect of hydroxychloroquine, the role of echocardiographic monitoring and fluorinated steroid treatment is still debated. Finally, close postpartum monitoring and counseling for subsequent pregnancies are crucial aspects of care.
PubMed: 38929983
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13123454 -
Annals of the Academy of Medicine,... May 2024Preconception is a critical period to optimise gamete function and early placental development, essential for successful conception and long-term maternal-child health.... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Preconception is a critical period to optimise gamete function and early placental development, essential for successful conception and long-term maternal-child health. However, there is a lack of preconception services and consequently, global fertility rates continue to fall and mothers embark on their pregnancy journey in poor health. There is an urgent need to implement a holistic community-level preconception care programme to optimise risk factors for poor fecundability and improve long-term maternal-child health.
METHOD
We reviewed current evidence on fecundability lifestyle risk factors, the efficacy of existing preconception interventions and the use of digital platforms for health optimisation, to create a new digital-based preconception intervention model that will be implemented via an app. We present the theory, content and mode of delivery of this holistic model targeting couples planning for pregnancy.
RESULTS
We propose a new model featuring a user-friendly mobile app, which enables couples to self-assess fecundability risks through a personalised risk score that drives a tailored management plan. This tiered management provides anticipatory guidance supported by evidence-based recommen-dations, and promotes ongoing engagement for behavioural optimisation and specialist referrals as required. Based on the health belief model, this new model delivered with a mobile app seeks to shift couples' perceptions about their susceptibility and severity of subfertility, benefits of making a change and barriers to change.
CONCLUSION
Our proposed digital-based intervention model via a mobile app stands to enhance preconcep-tion care by providing personalised risk assessments, real-time feedback and tiered management to optimise preconception reproductive health of couples. This model forms a reference content framework for future preconception care intervention delivery.
Topics: Humans; Preconception Care; Mobile Applications; Female; Pregnancy; Holistic Health; Child Health; Fertility; Risk Factors; Maternal Health
PubMed: 38920222
DOI: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2023283 -
Annals of the Academy of Medicine,... Sep 2023Perinatal depression and anxiety are public health concerns affecting approximately 1 in 10 women in Singapore, with clear evidence of association with various adverse... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Perinatal depression and anxiety are public health concerns affecting approximately 1 in 10 women in Singapore, with clear evidence of association with various adverse outcomes in mother and child, including low birthweight, preterm birth and negative impact on infant neurodevelopment, temperament and behaviour. A workgroup was formed to develop recommendations to address the perinatal mental health needs of women with depression and anxiety. The approach was broad-based and aimed to incorporate holistic methods that would be readily applicable to the network of care providers supporting childbearing women.
METHOD
The Grading and Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Evidence to Decision framework was employed to draw these guidelines. Workgroup members-comprising experts in the field of perinatal mental health and obstetric medicine-deliberated on the public health needs of the target population, and reviewed literature published from 2001 to 2022 that were relevant to improve the well-being of women with depression and anxiety during the preconception and perinatal periods.
RESULTS
A consensus meeting was held involving a wider professional network, including family physicians, paediatricians, psychiatrists, social services and the Health Promotion Board in Singapore.
CONCLUSION
Ten consensus statements were developed, focusing on the overall aim of achieving optimal perinatal mental health for women with depression and anxiety. They relate to awareness and advice on preconception mental health, screening and assessment, optimising care and treatment. Special considerations were recommended for women who suffered severe maternal events, tailoring care for adolescents and women with special needs, and addressing infant mental health needs.
Topics: Humans; Singapore; Female; Pregnancy; Anxiety; Depression; Pregnancy Complications; Perinatal Care; Mental Health; Consensus
PubMed: 38920193
DOI: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2023148 -
Lancet (London, England) Jun 2024Gestational diabetes remains the most common medical disorder in pregnancy, with short-term and long-term consequences for mothers and offspring. New insights into... (Review)
Review
Gestational diabetes remains the most common medical disorder in pregnancy, with short-term and long-term consequences for mothers and offspring. New insights into pathophysiology and management suggest that the current gestational diabetes treatment approach should expand from a focus on late gestational diabetes to a personalised, integrated life course approach from preconception to postpartum and beyond. Early pregnancy lifestyle intervention could prevent late gestational diabetes. Early gestational diabetes diagnosis and treatment has been shown to be beneficial, especially when identified before 14 weeks of gestation. Early gestational diabetes screening now requires strategies for integration into routine antenatal care, alongside efforts to reduce variation in gestational diabetes care, across settings that differ between, and within, countries. Following gestational diabetes, an oral glucose tolerance test should be performed 6-12 weeks postpartum to assess the glycaemic state. Subsequent regular screening for both dysglycaemia and cardiometabolic disease is recommended, which can be incorporated alongside other family health activities. Diabetes prevention programmes for women with previous gestational diabetes might be enhanced using shared decision making and precision medicine. At all stages in this life course approach, across both high-resource and low-resource settings, a more systematic process for identifying and overcoming barriers to preventative care and treatment is needed to reduce the current global burden of gestational diabetes.
PubMed: 38909623
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00826-2 -
Lancet (London, England) Jun 2024Gestational diabetes is the most common medical complication in pregnancy. Historically, gestational diabetes was considered a pregnancy complication involving treatment... (Review)
Review
Gestational diabetes is the most common medical complication in pregnancy. Historically, gestational diabetes was considered a pregnancy complication involving treatment of rising glycaemia late in the second trimester. However, recent evidence challenges this view. Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy-specific factors influence gestational glycaemia, with open questions regarding roles of non-glycaemic factors in the aetiology and consequences of gestational diabetes. Varying patterns of insulin secretion and resistance in early and late pregnancy underlie a heterogeneity of gestational diabetes in the timing and pathophysiological subtypes with clinical implications: early gestational diabetes and insulin resistant gestational diabetes subtypes are associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Metabolic perturbations of early gestational diabetes can affect early placental development, affecting maternal metabolism and fetal development. Fetal hyperinsulinaemia can affect the development of multiple fetal tissues, with short-term and long-term consequences. Pregnancy complications are prevented by managing glycaemia in early and late pregnancy in some, but not all women with gestational diabetes. A better understanding of the pathophysiology and heterogeneity of gestational diabetes will help to develop novel management approaches with focus on improved prevention of maternal and offspring short-term and long-term complications, from pre-conception, throughout pregnancy, and beyond.
PubMed: 38909619
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00827-4 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024Preconception health has the potential to improve parental, pregnancy and infant outcomes. This scoping review aims to (1) provide an overview of the strategies,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Preconception health has the potential to improve parental, pregnancy and infant outcomes. This scoping review aims to (1) provide an overview of the strategies, policies, guidelines, frameworks, and recommendations available in the UK and Ireland that address preconception health and care, identifying common approaches and health-influencing factors that are targeted; and (2) conduct an audit to explore the awareness and use of resources found in the scoping review amongst healthcare professionals, to validate and contextualise findings relevant to Northern Ireland.
METHODS
Grey literature resources were identified through Google Advanced Search, NICE, OpenAire, ProQuest and relevant public health and government websites. Resources were included if published, reviewed, or updated between January 2011 and May 2022. Data were extracted into Excel and coded using NVivo. The review design included the involvement of the "Healthy Reproductive Years" Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement advisory panel.
RESULTS
The searches identified 273 resources, and a subsequent audit with healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland revealed five additional preconception health-related resources. A wide range of resource types were identified, and preconception health was often not the only focus of the resources reviewed. Resources proposed approaches to improve preconception health and care, such as the need for improved awareness and access to care, preconceptual counselling, multidisciplinary collaborations, and the adoption of a life-course approach. Many behavioural (e.g., folic acid intake, smoking), biomedical (e.g., mental and physical health conditions), and environmental and social (e.g., deprivation) factors were identified and addressed in the resources reviewed. In particular, pre-existing physical health conditions were frequently mentioned, with fewer resources addressing psychological factors and mental health. Overall, there was a greater focus on women's, rather than men's, behaviours.
CONCLUSIONS
This scoping review synthesised existing resources available in the UK and Ireland to identify a wide range of common approaches and factors that influence preconception health and care. Efforts are needed to implement the identified resources (e.g., strategies, guidelines) to support people of childbearing age to access preconception care and optimise their preconception health.
Topics: Humans; Preconception Care; Ireland; Female; United Kingdom; Health Policy; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy
PubMed: 38909211
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19188-0 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024Reproductive health promotion can enable early mitigation of behavioral and environmental risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, while optimizing...
BACKGROUND
Reproductive health promotion can enable early mitigation of behavioral and environmental risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, while optimizing health of women + (all genders that can gestate a fetus) and babies. Although the biological and social influences of partners on pregnancy are well established, it is unknown whether online Canadian government reproductive health promotion also targets men and partners throughout the reproductive lifespan.
METHODS
Reproductive health promotion, designed for the general public, was assessed in a multi-jurisdictional sample of Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal) and select non-governmental organization (NGO) websites. For each website, information related to environmental and behavioral influences on reproductive health (preconception, pregnancy, postpartum) was evaluated based on comprehensiveness, audience-specificity, and scientific quality.
RESULTS
Government and NGO websites provided sparse reproductive health promotion for partners which was generally limited to preconception behavior topics with little coverage of environmental hazard topics. For women + , environmental and behavioral influences on reproductive health were well promoted for pregnancy, with content gaps for preconception and postpartum stages.
CONCLUSION
Although it is well established that partners influence pregnancy outcomes and fetal/infant health, Canadian government website promotion of partner-specific environmental and behavioral risks was limited. Most websites across jurisdictions promoted behavioral influences on pregnancy, however gaps were apparent in the provision of health information related to environmental hazards. As all reproductive stages, including preconception and postpartum, may be susceptible to environmental and behavioral influences, online health promotion should use a sex- and gender-lens to address biological contributions to embryo, fetal and infant development, as well as contributions of partners to the physical and social environments of the home.
Topics: Humans; Female; Canada; Male; Reproductive Health; Health Promotion; Pregnancy; Internet; Sex Factors; Health Behavior
PubMed: 38902656
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19159-5 -
Nutrients May 2024To evaluate perinatal outcomes and risk factors for large for gestational age (LGA; birth weight over 90 percentile) in gestational diabetes diagnosed before 24...
To evaluate perinatal outcomes and risk factors for large for gestational age (LGA; birth weight over 90 percentile) in gestational diabetes diagnosed before 24 gestational weeks and treated with diet therapy alone until delivery (Diet Early gestational diabetes mellitus (Diet Early GDM)), we assessed the maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes of patients with early GDM ( = 309) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT; = 309) at Keio University Hospital. The gestational weight gain (GWG) expected at 40 weeks was significantly lower in the Diet Early GDM group than in the NGT group. The Diet Early GDM group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of low birth weight (<2500 g) and higher Apgar score at 5 min than the NGT group. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the pre-pregnancy body mass index and GWG expected at 40 weeks were significantly associated with LGA for Diet Early GDM. No differences were observed in random plasma glucose levels in the first trimester, 75 g oral glucose tolerance test values, and initial increase or subsequent decrease between the two groups. Dietary early GDM did not exhibit a worse prognosis than NGT. To prevent LGA, it might be important to control maternal body weight not only during pregnancy but also before conception.
Topics: Humans; Pregnancy; Diabetes, Gestational; Female; Adult; Pregnancy Outcome; Infant, Newborn; Gestational Weight Gain; Birth Weight; Glucose Tolerance Test; Gestational Age; Blood Glucose; Risk Factors; Body Mass Index; Fetal Macrosomia; Diet Therapy; Infant, Low Birth Weight
PubMed: 38892487
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111553