Background: Doppler parameters have been commonly used for the prediction of neonatal outcomes. However, controversies exist with regard to the value of Doppler parameters in predicting the risk of neurological outcomes among neonates. Objective: This prospective cohort study attempted to assess the value of Doppler parameters in predict ing cranial ultrasound abnormalities (CUAs) in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) among fetuses at 28–34 weeks of gestation. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 83 delivered IUGR fetuses and 75 control fetuses matched for gestational age (GA). The value of mentioned Doppler parameters and GA in predicting the risk of CUAs, including periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and basal ganglia lesions (BGLs), was analyzed. Results: The incidence of CUAs among IUGR fetuses (66.3%) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in the control group (40%). The incidence of neonatal mortality among IUGR fetuses was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in the control group. Absent or reversed end-diastolic velocity (AREDV) in the umbilical artery (UA) and the ductus venosus (DV) after adjustment for GA was associated with increased odds of IVH, PVL, BGLs, and any CUA. Conclusions: GA at birth and AREDV in the UA and the DV within 1 week before childbirth were reliable predictors of CUAs during the neonatal period.

Background Some studies indicate that more than 10% of pregnant women are affected by psychological problems. The current COVID‐19 pandemic has increased mental health problems in more than half of pregnant women. The present study compared the effectiveness of virtual (VSIT) and semi-attendance Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) techniques on the improvement of the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress of pregnant women with psychological distress. Methods This study was conducted on 96 pregnant women with psychological distress in a 2-arm parallel-group, randomized control trial between November 2020 and January 2022. The semi-attendance SIT received treatment for six sessions, sessions 1, 3 and 5 as individual face-to-face and sessions 2, 4 and 6 as virtual once a week for 60 min continuously [n = 48], and the virtual SIT received six sessions simultaneously once a week for 60 min (n = 48) in pregnant women of 14–32 weeks’ gestation referred to two selected hospitals. The primary outcome of this study was BSI-18 [Brief Symptom Inventory] and NuPDQ-17 [Prenatal Distress Questionnaire]. The secondary outcomes were the PSS-14 [Cohen’s General Perceived Stress Scale]. Both groups completed questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, pregnancy-specific stress, and generally perceived stress questionnaires before and after the treatment. Results The post-intervention results showed that the stress inoculation training technique in both VSIT and SIT interventions effectively reduced anxiety, depression, psychological distress, pregnancy-specific stress and general perceived stress [P < 0.01]. Also, the SIT interventions on decreasing anxiety [P < 0.001, η2 = 0.40], depression [P < 0.001, η2 = 0.52] and psychological distress [P < 0.001, η2 = 0.41] were more considerable than that of VSIT. However, There was no significant difference between SIT and VSIT intervention in terms of their effects on pregnancy-specific stress [P < 0.38, η2 = 0.01] and general stress [P < 0.42, η2 = 0.008]. Conclusion The semi-attendance SIT group has been a more effective and practical model than the VSIT group, for reducing psychological distress. Therefore, semi-attendance SIT is recommended for pregnant women.

Background Pregnant women with suspected fetal anomalies experience a great deal of stress following prenatal screening tests. The present study aimed to investigate women's worries about prenatal screening tests suspected of fetal anomalies. Methods Through the use of qualitative content analysis, the reports of women whose prenatal screening tests were suspected of fetal anomalies were analyzed and the results were interpreted. The participants were selected from four public and private maternity care clinics of Babol, Iran, from December 2021 to January 2022, using targeted convenience sampling. Data were collected from 20 women aged 24 to 41 years old, who underwent prenatal screening tests and were suspected of fetal anomalies, using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Results The four main themes included the "causes of worries" (with sub-themes of challenge with spouse and relatives, medical diagnosis processes, previous unpleasant experiences, physical and mental problems, financial worries, and misinformation), "anxiety-coping styles" (with cognitive emotion-oriented, behavioral emotion-oriented, and problem-oriented sub-themes), "reactions to a possible diagnosis of anomaly" (with three sub-themes, namely concealment, extreme fear and worry, and denial), and "attribution of the cause of the anomaly" (with sub-themes of consanguine marriage, evil eyes, tendency to have a baby of a particular gender, a history of anomalies in the previous child, the spouse's medical illness, unplanned pregnancy, and high maternal anxiety). Conclusion Women with suspected fetal anomalies experience a great deal of stress, the most important reason for which is the "physician’s uncertainty". "Sharing worries with relatives" was the most common style of coping with worries. Establishing emotional support and empathetic communication between midwives and physicians with pregnant women suspected of fetal anomalies were important ways to reduce their worries.