BackgroundThe incidence of several adverse pregnancy outcomes including fetal growth restriction are higher in pregnancies where the fetus is male, leading to suggestions that placental insufficiency is more common in these fetuses. Placental insufficiency associated with fetal growth restriction may be identified by multi-vessel Doppler assessment, but little evidence exists regarding sex specific differences in these Doppler indices or placental function. This study aims to investigate sex specific differences in fetal and placental perfusion and to correlate these changes with intra-partum outcome.Methods and FindingsThis is a prospective cohort study. We measured Doppler indices of 388 term pregnancies immediately prior to the onset of active labour (≤3 cm dilatation). Fetal sex was unknown at the time of the ultrasound assessment. Information from the ultrasound scan was not made available to clinical staff. Case notes and electronic records were reviewed following delivery. We report significantly lower Middle Cerebral artery pulsatility index (1.34 vs. 1.43, p = 0.004), Middle Cerebral artery peak velocity (53.47 cm/s vs. 58.10 cm/s, p = <0.001), and Umbilical venous flow/kg (56 ml/min/kg vs. 61 ml/min/kg, p = 0.02) in male fetuses. These differences however, were not associated with significant differences in intra-partum outcome.ConclusionSex specific differences in feto-placental perfusion indices exist. Whilst the physiological relevance of these is currently unknown, the identification of these differences adds to our knowledge of the physiology of male and female fetuses in utero. A number of disease processes have now been shown to have an association with changes in fetal haemodynamics in-utero, as well as having a sex bias, making further investigation of the sex specific differences present during fetal life important. Whilst the clinical application of these findings is currently limited, the results from this study do provide further insight into the gender specific circulatory differences present in the fetal period.

Background: Deeply infiltrating endometriosis has an estimated prevalence of 1% in women of reproductive age. Ninety percent have rectovaginal lesions but disease may also include the bowel, bladder and ureters. Current practice often favours minimally invasive surgical excision; however, there is increasing evidence that medical management can be as effective as long as obstructive uropathy and bowel stenosis are excluded. Our objective was to establish the proportion of women with deeply infiltrating endometriosis successfully managed with hormonal therapies within our tertiary endometriosis centre in West London. Secondary analysis was performed on anonymised data from the Trust's endometriosis database. Results: One hundred fifty-two women with deeply infiltrating endometriosis were discussed at our endometriosis multidisciplinary meeting between January 2010 and December 2016. Seventy-five percent of women underwent a trial of medical management. Of these, 44.7% did not require any surgical intervention during the study period, and 7.9% were symptomatically content but required interventions to optimise their fertility prospects. Another 7.0% were successfully medically managed for at least 12 months, but ultimately required surgery as their symptoms deteriorated. 26.5% took combined oral contraceptives, 14.7% oral progestogens, 1.5% progestogen implant, 13.2% levonorgestrel intrauterine device, 22.1% gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, and 22.1% had analogues for 3-6 months then stepped down to another hormonal contraceptive. All women who underwent serial imaging demonstrated improvement or stable disease on MRI or ultrasound. Conclusions: Medical treatments are generally safe, well tolerated and inexpensive. More than half (52.6%) of women were successfully managed with medical therapy to control their symptoms. This study supports the growing evidence supporting hormonal therapies in the management of deeply infiltrating endometriosis. The findings may be used to counsel women on the likely success rate of medical management.

A 32-year-old woman underwent a medical termination in the second trimester of a spontaneously conceived triploid pregnancy after developing early-onset preeclampsia with subsequent haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome. Placental histology was normal (non-molar) and unusually, she developed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) 4 weeks later. She was managed conservatively following multidisciplinary team input to exclude malignant pathology. The rarity of late-onset spontaneous OHSS could have resulted in inappropriate surgical management. In the absence of supportive treatment there is also a risk of the condition progressing to a critical stage. Follow-up ultrasonography after termination of pregnancy should be considered for women with evidence of ovarian hyperstimulation, particularly if other risk factors for OHSS are present. Delayed-onset OHSS should be considered in women presenting with bilateral cystic ovarian enlargement after triploid pregnancy.

Objectives: Our objective was to establish the primary mode of imaging and MR protocols utilised in the preoperative staging of deeply infiltrating endometriosis in centres accredited by the British Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE). Methods: The lead consultant radiologist in each centre was invited to complete an online survey detailing their protocols. Results Out of 49 centres, 32 (65%) responded to the survey. Two centres performed transvaginal ultrasound as the primary method for preoperative staging of deeply infiltrating endometriosis and the remainder performed MRI. 21/25 centres did not recommend a period of fasting prior to MRI and 22/25 administered hyoscine butylbromide. None of the centres routinely offered bowel preparation or recommended a specific pre-procedure diet. 21/25 centres did not time imaging according to the woman’s menstrual cycle, and instructions regarding bladder filling were varied. Rectal and vaginal opacification methods were infrequently utilised. All centres preferentially performed MRI in the supine position – six used an abdominal strap and four could facilitate prone imaging. Just under half of centres used pelvic-phased array coils and three centres used gadolinium contrast agents routinely. All centres performed T1W with fat-suppression and T2W without fat-suppression sequences. There was significant variation relating to other MR sequences depending on the unit. Conclusions: There was significant inconsistency between centres in terms of MR protocols, patient preparation and the sequences performed. Many practices were out of line with current published evidence. Advances in knowledge: Our survey demonstrates a need for evidence-based standardisation of imaging in BSGE accredited endometriosis centres.