Fetal birth weight, a challenge to the mother and simplest marker for fetal maturity: a study in new rural hospital setup

Background: The birth weight is an important factor which the obstetricians have to give due importance when contemplating elective induction of labor before 40 completed weeks. It is a single most important determinant for survival, growth and development of infant. It reflects the health status of the mother during adolescence and pregnancy and also the quality of antenatal care. It is well known that there is a co-relation between weight of the fetus and the length of the gestation and other various factors. This study looks into the various factors influencing the fetal birth weight and length of gestation and what is its relative importance to the viability of developmental chances of premature infants and also infants born at term. Objective was to study the effect of various maternal factors like maternal age, parity, maternal weight, gestational age on fetal birth weight.Methods: 176 participants with term pregnancies were studied under three independent variables viz gestational age, maternal age and maternal weight that had effect on the fetal birth weight in two groups - primipara and multipara and reported by statistical analysis.Results: The independent variables gestational age and maternal weight showed a statistically significant correlation (p <0.05) with fetal birth weight in both the groups. Whereas the variable maternal age didn’t have any statistically significant effect (p >0.05) on the fetal birth weight in the study.Conclusions: Primipara had more pronounced correlation with fetal birth weight than multipara in the variable gestational age. The maternal weight affected fetal birth weight equally in both the groups. And maternal age had no effect on fetal birth weight in either groups.

Estimation Of Fetal Weight With Various Methods And Its Correlation With Birth Weight

Objective:This study was to estimate the fetal weight in term pregnancy by clinical methods and ultrasound and to compare the results with actual birth weight (ABW). Material and Methods:This study was conducted at a tertiary care center, Alluri Sita Ramaraju Academy of Medical Sciences. It was a prospective study covering 100 pregnant women at term gestation. Results:Estimated birth weight by abdominal girth × symphysis fundal height (AG × SFH) formula was closest to the ABW(P= 0.060), as compared to the estimated birth weight by Johnson's formula (P = 0.000) and Hadlock's formula (P = 0.000). Therefore, of the three formulae studied, AG × SFH formula had better predictive value as compared to Johnson's and Hadlock's formulae. The accuracy of AG × SFH (Insler's formula) for estimating the fetal weight at term was found to be comparable to Hadlock's formula (P= 0.104). Conclusion: Clinical estimation of birth weight definitely has a role in the management of labor and delivery. AG × SFH is a simple, easy, cost-effective, and universally applicable method to predict fetal birth weight which can be used even by paramedics like midwives and also in centers where ultrasound is not available.

Study for umbilical cord plasma leptin in gestational diabetes and normal pregnancy / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: To compare umbilical cord plasma leptin level between infants of mothers with gestational diabetes and infants of control subjects and to evaluate the regulation of leptin in GDM. METHODS: Leptin concentrations were measured in cord blood at birth using a specific radioimmunoassay employing human recombinant leptin (Human Leptin RIA kit; Linco Research, Inc. USA). We compared cord plasma leptin level between gestational diabetes (n=18 women) and control pregnancies (n=21 women). RESULTS: Maternal weight, fetal birth weight, Ponderal index and placental weight were significant variables among the demographic variables. There was statistical difference in cord plasma leptin level between infants of mothers with gestational diabetes and infants of control subjects (Control subjects: 4.8 [3.7-7.9]ng/mL, GDM women: 8.0 [6.6-11.9]ng/mL, P=0.022). There was also statistical difference in the ratio between cord plasma leptin level and birth weight (Control subjects: 0.001 [0.001-0.002]ng/mL/gm, GDM women: 0.002 [0.002-0.003]ng/mL/gm (P=0.022)), and between cord plasma leptin level and Ponderal index (Control subjects: 0.280 [0.217-0.579], GDM women: 0.605 [0.452-1.005], (P=0.008)). There was no difference in gender. CONCLUSION: We found significant difference in umbilical cord plasma leptin level and adjusted leptin level for fetal birth weight, Ponderal index and placental weight between infants of mothers with gestational diabetes and infants of control subjects. It is suggested that umbilical cord plasma leptin is produced by fetal fat tissue, but it is more complicatedly regulated by placenta and other factors in gestational diabetes.