No abstract

This study provides reference ranges for thigh fat and muscle at 28 and 37 weeks gestation. The inclusion of fetal thigh fat in the algorithm improves the predictive power for birth weight. This information is important to explore the role of fetal thigh in the detection of aberrant growth.

Over the study period, MgSO4 has become the leading antiseizure medication used, and this has led to a significant decrease in rates of eclampsia.

The purpose of this study was to identify any changing trends in the incidence and caesarean section (CS) rate of pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (DM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) over a 10- year period, between 1999 and 2008. Although the incidence of pre-gestational DM has not significantly changed over the course of the last 10 years, there is an obvious rising trend in the incidence of GDM. Despite an increase in the overall CS rate during this time period, a parallel increase in the CS rate has not been observed among women whose pregnancies are complicated either by gestational or by pre-gestational diabetes (PGD).

Detecting aberrant fetal growth has long been an important goal of modern obstetrics. Failure to diagnose abnormal fetal growth results in perinatal morbidity or mortality. However, the erroneous diagnosis of abnormal growth may lead to increased maternal anxiety and unnecessary obstetric interventions. We review the aetiology of deviant fetal growth and its implications both for the neonatal period and later in adult life. We examine maternal factors that may influence fetal growth such as obesity, glycaemic control and body composition. We discuss novel ways to improve our detection of abnormal fetal growth with a view to optimising antenatal care and clinical outcomes. These include using customised centiles or individualised growth assessment methods to improve accuracy. The role of fetal subcutaneous measurements as a surrogate marker of the nutritional status of the baby is also discussed. Finally, we investigate the role of Doppler measurements in identifying growth-restricted babies.