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Health and Quality of Life Outcomes Jul 2021Pregnant women experience physical, physiological, and mental changes. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant indicator of psychological and physical...
BACKGROUND
Pregnant women experience physical, physiological, and mental changes. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant indicator of psychological and physical behaviours, changing over the course of pregnancy. This study aims to assess HRQoL of pregnant women during different stages of pregnancy.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study was performed using the The EuroQoL Group's five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) to assess the HRQoL of pregnant women, and demographic data were collected. This study was conducted in a regional university hospital in Guangzhou, China.
RESULTS
A total of 908 pregnant women were included in this study. Pregnant women in the early 2 trimester had the highest HRQoL. The HRQoL of pregnant women rose from the 1st trimester to the early 2nd trimester, and dropped to the bottom at the late 3rd trimester due to some physical and mental changes. Reports of pain/discomfort problem were the most common (46.0%) while self-care were the least concern. More than 10% of pregnant women in the 1st trimester had health-related problems in at least one dimension of whole five dimensions. In the whole sample, the EuroQoL Group's visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) was 87.86 ± 9.16. Across the gestational stages, the HRQoL remained stable during the pregnancy but the highest value was observed in the 1st trimester (89.65 ± 10.13) while the lowest was in the late 3rd trimester (87.28 ± 9.13).
CONCLUSIONS
During pregnancy, HRQoL were associated with gestational trimesters in a certain degree. HRQoL was the highest in the early 2nd trimester and then decreased to the lowest in the late 3rd trimester due to a series of physical and psychological changes. Therefore, obstetric doctors and medical institutions should give more attention and care to pregnant women in the late 3rd trimester.
Topics: Adult; China; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters; Pregnant Women; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34289867
DOI: 10.1186/s12955-021-01811-y -
Placenta May 2012Characterization of normal changes in the serum proteome during pregnancy may enhance understanding of maternal physiology and lead to the development of new gestational... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Characterization of normal changes in the serum proteome during pregnancy may enhance understanding of maternal physiology and lead to the development of new gestational biomarkers. In 23 Nepalese pregnant women who delivered at term, two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) was used to assess changes in relative protein abundance between paired serum samples collected in the first and third trimesters. One-hundred and forty-five of over 700 protein spots in DIGE gels (pI 4.2-6.8) exhibited nominally significant (p < 0.05) differences in abundance across trimesters. Additional filtering using a Bonferroni correction reduced the number of significant (p < 0.00019) spots to 61. Mass spectrometric analysis detected 38 proteins associated with gestational age, cytoskeletal remodeling, blood pressure regulation, lipid and nutrient transport, and inflammation. One new protein, pregnancy-specific β-glycoprotein 4 was detected. A follow-up isotope tagging for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) experiment of six mothers from the DIGE study revealed 111 proteins, of which 11 exhibited significant (p < 0.05) differences between trimesters. Four of these proteins: gelsolin, complement C1r subcomponent, α-1-acid glycoprotein, and α-1B-glycoprotein also changed in the DIGE analysis. Although not previously associated with normal pregnancy, gelsolin decreased in abundance by the third trimester (p < 0.01) in DIGE, iTRAQ and Western analyses. Changes in abundance of proteins in serum that are associated with syncytiotrophoblasts (gelsolin, pregnancy-specific β-1 glycoprotein 1 and β-2-glycoprotein I) probably reflect dynamics of a placental proteome shed into maternal circulation during pregnancy. Measurement of changes in the maternal serum proteome, when linked with birth outcomes, may yield biomarkers for tracking reproductive health in resource poor settings in future studies.
Topics: Blotting, Western; Chromatography, Liquid; Female; Humans; Malnutrition; Mass Spectrometry; Nepal; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Proteome; Rural Population; Two-Dimensional Difference Gel Electrophoresis
PubMed: 22385826
DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2012.02.009 -
Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences Jan 2014Despite the volume of knowledge and daily reports on pre-eclampsia, its pathogenesis is still yet to be ascertained. Oxidative stress (oxidant (free radical) in excess...
BACKGROUND
Despite the volume of knowledge and daily reports on pre-eclampsia, its pathogenesis is still yet to be ascertained. Oxidative stress (oxidant (free radical) in excess of antioxidant) injury is one of the recently suggested pathogenetic mechanisms. This study, however, was designed to determine second and third trimesters of plasma malondialdehyde (product of free radical attack on membrane lipid) and vitamins C and E in pre-eclamptic Nigerian women.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
A Total of 100 subjects, each for pre-eclamptic, apparently normal and non-pregnant women qualified for the study. Venous blood samples were taken in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and at the point of contact for non-pregnant women. Variables were analyzed using SPSS version 16, taking level of significance to be 0.05.
RESULTS
Plasma malondialdehyde in the third trimester of normal pregnancy (2.03±0.71µmol/l) was found to be significantly higher than the one in the second trimester (1.65±0.62µmol/l) (p<0.0001). For pre-eclamptic subjects, the malondialdehyde in the third trimester (3.13±0.61µmol/l) was also higher than the malondialdehyde in the second trimester (3.00±1.21µmol/l). The mean vitamin C values for subjects with normal pregnancy were similar in the second and third trimesters (38.25±19.66 vs. 38.66±19.40; p=0.882). For subjects with pre-eclampsia, the mean Vit C values were also similar in the 2(nd) and 3(rd) trimesters (35.05±18.37 vs. 37.20±24.44µmol/l; p=0.175). Mean vitamin E values in the second and third trimesters were also similar for subjects with normal pregnancy (28.62±13.85 vs. 28.50±13.35µmol/l; p=0.950). A similar finding was observed in pre-eclamptic subjects (25.09±12.79 vs. 28.00±14.83µmol/l; p=0.067).
CONCLUSION
There was an increased product of membrane lipid attack (malondialdehyde) with no change in plasma levels of vitamins C and E as pregnancy advances into the third trimester of both normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Antioxidant vitamins may not be useful in stopping the progression of free radical attack on membrane lipid to control pre-eclampsia.
Topics: Adult; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Female; Humans; Lipid Peroxidation; Malondialdehyde; Membrane Lipids; Nigeria; Oxidative Stress; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Prospective Studies; Vitamin E; Young Adult
PubMed: 24591797
DOI: 10.4314/ejhs.v24i1.5 -
Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology... Jul 2013The number of unintentionally childless couples is increasing as more couples seek to conceive for the first time in the third or fourth decade of the woman's life....
BACKGROUND
The number of unintentionally childless couples is increasing as more couples seek to conceive for the first time in the third or fourth decade of the woman's life. Determination of ovarian reserve is an essential component of infertility assessment. The Anti-Müllerian-Hormone (AMH) seems to be the most reliable predictor of ovarian reserve. In this study we analyzed AMH in a cohort of pregnant women without fertility impairment to determine age-dependent decline and possible AMH fluctuations during pregnancy and postpartum.
METHODS
A total of 554 healthy women aged 16 to 47 years without history of infertility or previous surgery on the ovaries were enrolled in the study between 1995 and 2012. In 450 women, a single measurement of AMH was taken during pregnancy, allowing for cross sectional analysis of trimester- and age-related differences in AMH levels. For another 15 women longitudinal data on AMH levels for all trimesters was recorded. In addition, for 69 women AMH was measured at the time just before and after delivery, and for another 20 AMH was measured just before delivery and once on each of the first four days after delivery. We used AMH-Gen-II ELISA (Beckman Coulter, Immunotech, Webster, USA) for the assessment of AMH levels. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to compare AMH levels between age groups, trimesters and postpartum.
RESULTS
Comparison between the trimesters revealed a significant difference in AMH values at each trimester (first trimester: 1.69 ng/ml (IQR 0.71-3.10), second trimester: 0.8 ng/ml (IQR 0.48-1.41), third trimester: 0.5 ng/ml (IQR 0.18-1.00)). AMH significantly dropped during the course of pregnancy and immediately after delivery, whereas an increase was observed over the first four days postpartum. Women, greater than or equal to 35 years, showed significant lower AMH levels than those <35 years across all trimesters.
CONCLUSIONS
AMH levels decrease during pregnancy. The decline in AMH levels during pregnancy indicates ovarian suppression. AMH levels recover quickly after delivery. AMH levels assessed in pregnant women are not an accurate indicator of ovarian reserve, since AMH levels during pregnancy seem not to be independent of gestational age.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Anti-Mullerian Hormone; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters; Prospective Studies; Time Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 23844593
DOI: 10.1186/1477-7827-11-60 -
European Review For Medical and... Feb 2021To evaluate changes in pH and Flow Rate (FR) of the Unstimulated Whole Saliva (UWS) in a sample of pregnant women in different gestational periods. (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate changes in pH and Flow Rate (FR) of the Unstimulated Whole Saliva (UWS) in a sample of pregnant women in different gestational periods.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
After collecting demographic data and medical histories, as well as conducting an oral examination, a sample of pregnant women were instructed on how to prepare prior to the sample collection. At a time between 11.00 and 12.00 a.m., they were subjected to salivary collection (spitting method, time 5 minutes); the measurement of FR was carried out using a professionally calibrated precision scale and the pH with a portable pH meter.
RESULTS
The average FR of the women's detected sample (0.40 ± 0.20 ml/min) was lower than that of non-pregnant women (0.48 ± 0.15 ml/min) of the same age (p <0.05). We observed an increase (p <0.001) of FR in the first trimester (0.56 ± 0.20 ml/min) compared to second (0.34 ± 0.14 ml/min) and third (0.31 ± 0.14 ml/min) trimester. The salivary pH of pregnant women was lower than the one detected in the non-pregnant women's sample (p <0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study highlighted an increase in the FR in the first trimester compared to that detected in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy which viceversa was lower than the average FR in non-pregnant women. This data, combined with the decrease in salivary pH, supports the hypothesis that correlates the FR increase with the attempt to counter the decrease in pH due to gastric regurgitation frequent in the first trimester. Further studies are necessary to evaluate salivary FR and pH in pregnant women samples related to the emesis phenomenon.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters; Salivary Glands; Secretory Rate
PubMed: 33660789
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202102_25074 -
Nutrients Oct 2020The aim of this study was to identify dietary patterns in pregnant women and to assess the relationships between sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, and...
The aim of this study was to identify dietary patterns in pregnant women and to assess the relationships between sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, and pregnancy-related factors. This is a descriptive, correlational study involving 306 pregnant women in Melilla (Spain) in any trimester of pregnancy. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used. Dietary patterns were determined via exploratory factor analysis and ordinal logistic regression using the proportional odds model. Three dietary patterns were identified: Western, mixed, and prudent. Sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, and pregnancy-related factors influencing dietary quality were established. The Western dietary pattern was considered the least recommended despite being the most common among women who live in Melilla ( = 0.03), are Christian ( = 0.01), are primiparous women ( < 0.001), and are in their first or second trimester ( = 0.02). Unemployed pregnant women were also more likely to have a less healthy dietary pattern ( = -0.716; = 0.040). The prudent dietary pattern, the healthiest of the three, was most commonly observed among Muslim women ( = 0.01), women with more than two children ( < 0.001), and women in the third trimester of pregnancy ( = 0.02). Pregnant women who engaged in no physical activity or a low level of physical activity displayed a mixed pattern ( < 0.001). This study provides evidence on the factors influencing dietary patterns during pregnancy and suggests that more specific nutrition programmes should be developed to improve the nutritional status of pregnant women.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural Diversity; Diet Surveys; Diet, Healthy; Diet, Western; Employment; Exercise; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Life Style; Logistic Models; Nutritional Status; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters; Pregnant Women; Religion; Socioeconomic Factors; Spain
PubMed: 33113986
DOI: 10.3390/nu12113242 -
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) Nov 2019The exposome is a novel research paradigm offering promise for understanding the complexity of human exposures, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and...
BACKGROUND
The exposome is a novel research paradigm offering promise for understanding the complexity of human exposures, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pregnancy outcomes. The physiologically active state of pregnancy requires understanding temporal changes in EDCs to better inform the application of the exposome research paradigm and serve as the impetus for study.
METHODS
We randomly selected 50 healthy pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancies from a pregnancy cohort who had available serum/urine samples in each trimester for measuring 144 persistent and 48 nonpersistent EDCs. We used unsupervised machine-learning techniques capable of handling hierarchical clustering of exposures to identify EDC patterns across pregnancy, and linear mixed-effects modeling with false-discovery rate correction to identify those that change over pregnancy trimesters. We estimated the percent variation in chemical concentrations accounted for by time (pregnancy trimester) using Akaike Information Criterion-based R methods.
RESULTS
Four chemical clusters comprising 80 compounds, of which six consistently increased, 63 consistently decreased, and 11 reflected inconsistent patterns over pregnancy. Overall, concentrations tended to decrease over pregnancy for persistent EDCs; a reverse pattern was seen for many nonpersistent chemicals. Explained variance was highest for five persistent chemicals: polybrominated diphenyl ethers #191 (51%) and #126 (47%), hexachlorobenzene (46%), p,p'-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (46%), and o,p'-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (36%).
CONCLUSIONS
Concentrations of many EDCs are not stable across pregnancy and reflect varying patterns depending on their persistency underscoring the importance of timed biospecimen collection. Analytic techniques are available for assessing temporal patterns of EDCs during pregnancy apart from physiologic changes.
Topics: Endocrine Disruptors; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Linear Models; Machine Learning; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Trimesters; Specimen Handling; Young Adult
PubMed: 31569155
DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001082 -
The Journal of Nutrition Oct 2019The impact of fasting on risk of preterm birth during Ramadan is unclear.
BACKGROUND
The impact of fasting on risk of preterm birth during Ramadan is unclear.
OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the association between Ramadan fasting during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth for Arab women in Canada.
METHODS
We analyzed birth certificates from 3,123,508 deliveries in Quebec, Canada, from 1981 to 2017. We identified 78,109 births of Arabic-speaking women and determined if Ramadan occurred during any trimester of pregnancy. We calculated rates of extreme (22-27 wk), very (28-31 wk), and late (32-36 wk) preterm birth and estimated RRs and 95% CIs for the association of Ramadan fasting with risk of preterm birth by pregnancy trimester, using log-binomial regression models adjusted for maternal characteristics.
RESULTS
Arabic speakers had an overall preterm birth rate of 5.53 per 100 births, but rates varied with timing of Ramadan. Among Arabic speakers, fasting during Ramadan between weeks 15-21 of the second trimester was associated with 1.33 times the risk of very preterm birth relative to no fasting (95% CI: 1.06, 1.68). Between weeks 22 and 27 of the second trimester, fasting during Ramadan was associated with 1.53 times the risk of very preterm birth (95% CI: 1.21, 1.93). Ramadan fasting was not associated with extreme or late preterm birth regardless of the trimester of pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study of 78,109 births to Arabic-speaking women in Quebec, Ramadan fasting during the second pregnancy trimester was associated with the risk of very preterm birth. Optimal prenatal education about nutritional needs in the second trimester of pregnancy is recommended.
Topics: Adult; Arabs; Fasting; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Islam; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters; Premature Birth; Quebec
PubMed: 31198942
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz126 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2023Disgust is an essential part of the behavioral immune system, protecting the individual from infection. According to the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis (CPH),...
Disgust is an essential part of the behavioral immune system, protecting the individual from infection. According to the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis (CPH), disgust sensitivity increases in times of immunosuppression, potentially including pregnancy. We aimed to replicate a previous study observing longitudinal changes in disgust sensitivity in pregnant women. Additionally, for the first time, we explored how recent health problems influence these changes. To do this, we obtained disgust sensitivity measures from 94 women in each trimester and in early postpartum. In contrast to the original study, where disgust sensitivity was highest in the first trimester, we found that overall and animal reminder disgust increased across pregnancy and after birth. In line with the CPH, women who were recently sick in the first trimester had elevated disgust sensitivity at that time. Although disgust sensitivity was significantly higher in the second trimester and postpartum period compared to the first trimester in mothers pregnant with a male fetus, the overall results regarding the effect of fetus sex on disgust sensitivity were mixed. It seems that changing levels of disgust sensitivity during pregnancy and postpartum result from a suite of physiological and psychological changes that occur during this sensitive period of a woman's life.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Male; Humans; Disgust; Postpartum Period; Pregnant Women; Pregnancy Trimesters; Parturition
PubMed: 36959238
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31060-6 -
JSLS : Journal of the Society of... 1998To review the effect of non-gynecologic laparoscopic procedures performed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on pregnancy outcome.
PURPOSE
To review the effect of non-gynecologic laparoscopic procedures performed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on pregnancy outcome.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A review of the patient log for the antenatal obstetrical unit was used to identify the patients in this series from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1997. Medical records were then analyzed to identify estimated gestational age at surgery and delivery, type of delivery, use of tocolysis, and complications from surgery.
RESULTS
Nine patients were identified as having non-gynecologic laparoscopic surgery (without conversion to laparotomy) during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. The median estimated gestational age at surgery was 25 weeks (mean 24 weeks). The most common procedure performed was laparoscopic cholecystectomy (6 patients). Five patients received tocolysis after the initial procedure. All patients delivered at greater than or equal to 37 weeks estimated gestational age (median 38 weeks). No infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopic procedures appear safe in second and third trimester pregnancy. In this study, laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed as late as 34 weeks estimated gestational age without any adverse effects on pregnancy outcome.
Topics: Adult; Appendicitis; Cholecystitis; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gestational Age; Humans; Laparoscopy; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Prognosis; Registries; Retrospective Studies; Tocolysis
PubMed: 9876745
DOI: No ID Found