Objective: To compare reproductive outcome in women with uterine anomalies and women with a normal uterus, and evaluate the effect of resectoscope metroplasty. Methods: The pregnancy outcomes, past and present, of 105 women with congenital uterine anomalies were compared with those of 182 women with a normally shaped uterus. The outcomes of 25 women with septate and bicornuate uteri before and after resectoscope metroplasty were also analyzed. The χ 2 and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis, with P b 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Uterine anomalies were associated with higher rates of spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, breech presentation, and cesarean delivery (P b 0.001). The highest incidence of early spontaneous abortion was noted among women with septate uteri, and the highest incidence of preterm labor was noted among women with arcuate or bicornuate uteri. Among women with arcuate uteri, significantly lower gestational age and birth-weight were observed compared with any other type of adverse outcome. Compared with their previous pregnancies, the abortion rates were lower and delivery rates were higher in women who conceived following hysteroscopic metroplasty (P b 0.001). Conclusion: Resesctoscope metroplasty significantly improved pregnancy outcome in women with uterine anomalies.

No abstract

This study used malondialdehyde (MDA) determination by HPLC and enzymatic assays for total serum peroxides and antioxidant capacity to evaluate oxidative stress in 47 healthy full-term small-for-gestational age (SGA) newborns vs 67 appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) newborns. Blood samples were collected at delivery from umbilical cord artery and vein and from peripheral blood of the babies on the third day after birth. Blood samples of mothers were also collected and compared with blood of 29 normal non-pregnant women (NPW). Serum peroxide values were significantly higher in both groups of mothers than in NPW, decreasing towards the third day in AGA mothers, while persisting in SGA mothers. Antioxidant capacity of sera of both groups of mothers was lower than NPW. Both SGA mothers and babies had increased MDA at delivery, unlike AGA counterparts. MDA levels in umbilical vein were higher than in umbilical arteries, while immunohistochemistry revealed abundant presence of 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE)-protein adducts only in stroma of the SGA placenta. These results show that both mothers and babies are exposed to oxidative stress during and after delivery, which is more pronounced and persistent in the perinatal period of the SGA group, while lipid peroxidation in placenta could play a role in SGA pathophysiology.

Maternal blood IL-6 and CRP could become useful in predicting tocolysis failure and intrauterine treat for the fetus.

No abstract