BackgroundIn Syria, there are no previous studies on postpartum depression. The aim of this study is was identify the prevalence of postpartum depression and investigate its risk factors among Syrian women seen at the Primary Health Care Centres in Damascus.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between January and December 2017 in Damascus, Syria. Postpartum women seen at a convenience sample of the largest and well-utilized primary health care centres in Damascus were invited to participate in the study. The Arabic version of the validated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale questionnaire was used to measure postpartum depression. A cut-off score of 13 was considered to indicate probable depression.ResultsOut of a total of 1105 women participated in this study, 28.2% had a score of 13 (probable Depression). The multivariate analysis showed that postpartum depression was significantly associated with a reported a health problem during last pregnancy (OR = 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–3.5); displacement (OR = 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–1.97); perceived exposure to a lot of life stressors (OR = 5.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4–10.5); while antenatal care had a protective effect (OR = 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36–0.75).ConclusionsThe prevalence of postpartum depression among Syrian women in this study was relatively high, as compared to other Arab and Non-Arab countries. Displacement due to the Syrian crisis among other factors was associated with postpartum depression. Obstetricians and other professionals should be sensitized about the importance of screening for the problem for better management.

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is the most common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality during the first trimester of pregnancy. The present study aimed to review and evaluate the management outcomes of ectopic pregnancy in Damascus University Maternity Hospital, Syria.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on women referring to Damascus University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) for ectopic pregnancy. Patients were assigned into groups by method of treatment: expectant management (Group 1), single-dose methotrexate regimen (Group 2), two-dose methotrexate regimen (Group 3), and surgical intervention (Group 4). Parameters assessed were risk factors for ectopic pregnancies, transvaginal ultrasonography findings, serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels on Days 0, 4, 7, and types of surgical intervention in women that underwent any surgical intervention. A treatment modality was considered successful when hCG levels declined to less than 5 mIU/L without further administration of methotrexate dose or need for surgery.Results: Seventy-seven women with ectopic pregnancy were admitted to the hospital during the study period. Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 constituted 20.8%, 13.0%, 6.5% and 59.7% of the patients respectively. The most common encountered risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in the patients were history of previous intra-abdominal or pelvic surgery (57.1%) and history of miscarriage (41.6%). A statistically significant difference in the serum hCG concentrations measured on day 0, day 4, and day 7 were observed between the groups.Conclusions: The success rate in ectopic pregnancy treatment was 56.25% for the expectant management, 70% for the single-dose methotrexate regimen, and 40% for two-dose methotrexate regimen.

Background: Conventional ultrasound dating is not very accurate after 34 weeks of gestation and has standard deviation of about 2 weeks. Objective: Verify whether fetal colon diameter can be used as a tool for estimating gestational age (GA) of fetuses between 34 to 40 weeks. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital, Damascus, Syria, during the period from September 2019-September 2020. The study enrolled 395 women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 34-40 weeks of gestation. Fetal bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femoral lengths were assessed by ultrasound. In addition, descending colon diameter was assessed at the level of colonic haustra. The correlation between GA and colon diameter was assessed by the Pearson correlation test. Results: Significant correlation between fetal colon diameter and gestational age was observed P < 0.0001 (r = 0.852). In addition, a highly significant correlation between colon diameter and bi-parietal diameter, femoral length, head circumference and abdominal circumference were found with P values < 0.0001. The correlation between gestational age at 3 rd trimester and colon diameter was significantly stronger than the correlation between gestational age and bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, and abdominal circumference. Whereas, no significant difference was found when comparing colon diameter and femoral lengths (P = 0.089). Conclusion: The present study suggested that colon diameter can be used for predicting third trimester gestational age.