Adverse perinatal outcomes of adolescent pregnancies in one center in Istanbul, Turkey.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate fetal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies of adolescents and compare them with adult pregnancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective case-control study was carried out at Bakirkoy Maternity and Children's Diseases Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. It enrolled 2,491 pregnancies who delivered between 2005-2010, of which 998 were adolescent pregnancies and 1,493 were adults as controls. RESULTS: The mean age of the adolescent group was 17.10 years and in the control group the mean age was found to be 26.73 years. Intermarriage, vaginal delivery, preterm rupture of membranes, preterm birth, and preeclampsia were significantly higher in adolescent pregnancies than the control group. Gestational diabetes was more common with increasing age. There was no statistically meaningful difference between the groups in terms of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), low birth weight, anemia, 5-minute APGAR score, and intrauterine fetal demise. CONCLUSIONS: Young maternal age is a risk factor for preterm birth, preterm rupture of membranes, and preeclampsia. According to this study, adolescent pregnancies are more risky and more likely to have adverse fetal outcomes.

Fetal thoracic aorta doppler in cases with intrauterine growth restriction.

PURPOSE: Considering the accompanying hemodynamic changes Doppler studies have recently been performed for early diagnosis of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) cases with high morbidity and mortality. In the present study, Doppler study of the fetal thoracic aorta was conducted and the sensitivity and specificity of the study was assessed in the diagnosis and follow-up of IUGR, as well as prediction of pregnancy outcome. METHODS: This study included 44 IUGR cases and 52 healthy pregnant women (as a control group); Doppler waveforms of the fetal aortas were used to predict fetal outcome in pregnancies complicated with IUGR. Due to the short interval between the diagnosis of IUGR and delivery, the Doppler measurement could be redone for only 11 pregnant women in the control group; Doppler measurement could be done twice. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the study group and the control group in terms of maternal age. There were significant differences in terms of gestational age, birth weight, pulsatility index, blood pressure and first minute apgar score. Of the 44 IUGR cases, there were additional pathologies such as hypertension, DM and oligohydroamniosis, while there was no significant malfunction in the control group. CONCLUSION: We observed a decrease in the aortic blood flow and a high pulsatility index, which was an independent variable in the IUGR group. A high PI was strongly correlated with bad pregnancy outcome, fetal distress and a high cesarean section rate.