Influence of preoperative light vaginal bleeding for perinatal adverse outcomes on physical examination-indicated cerclage.

PURPOSE: To clarify the relationship between light vaginal bleeding (LVB) before physical examination-indicated cerclage (PEIC) and perinatal adverse outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study involving 94 singleton pregnancies undergoing PEIC <26 weeks of gestation at a single perinatal medical center between 2008 and 2015. The primary outcome was set as spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) <34 weeks of gestation. The secondary outcomes were set as the second-trimester loss prior to 22 weeks of gestation, sPTB before 28 weeks of gestation, sPTB before 37 weeks of gestation, and stillbirth or neonatal death. Relationships between LVB and adverse outcomes were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Preoperative LVB was detected in 16 cases (17.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that preoperative LVB was an independent risk factor for sPTB <34 weeks of gestation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 8.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.72-41.1; p < .01), sPTB <28 weeks of gestation (aOR: 5.98; 95% CI: 1.67-21.4; p < .01) and perinatal death (aOR: 8.47; 95% CI: 1.11-64.5; p = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal bleeding prior to PEIC, even nonsignificant or self-limiting, is associated with sPTB before 28 or 34 weeks of gestation and perinatal death.

Risk assessment of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy with maternal characteristics in early gestation: A single-center cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are major causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. Although the combined risk assessments of maternal history, blood pressure, uterine artery Doppler, and maternal serum marker seem to be highly predictive of the development of hypertensive disorders, this method is a little complicated to be performed on many low-risk pregnant women. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of maternal characteristics, and physical findings early in the second trimester, as predictive factors of hypertensive disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study undertaken in a single tertiary care center in Japan. Singleton pregnant women without underlying disease and evaluated before 14 weeks of gestation were included. We conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis and decision tree analysis to elucidate the potential risk factors of hypertensive disorders, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. RESULTS: In total, 1986 women were evaluated, of whom 863 were nulliparous and 1123 were multiparous, and 166 (8.3%) were diagnosed with hypertensive disorders. In multivariate analysis, maternal age ≥ 40 years, prepregnancy BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2), in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), family history of hypertension, and blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg at first visit were independent risk factors for the nulliparous women. Maternal age ≥ 40 years, a history of previous hypertensive disorders, and blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg at first visit were independent risk factors for the multiparous women. According to the decision tree analysis, high-risk populations were as follows: women ≥ 40 years old who conceived thorough IVF-ET and women with prepregnancy BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) who conceived spontaneously in nulliparous women; women with a history of hypertensive disorders and women with blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg in the absence of the previous history. CONCLUSION: The combination of maternal background and physical findings is useful to identify the population with a high risk of hypertensive disorders.

Significance of high-normal blood pressure during early second trimester for predicting the onset of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of high-normal blood pressure (HNBP) during the early second trimester for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, including gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: This was a retrospective single-center cohort study of 2143 singleton pregnant women. The association of HNBP, ranging from 130/85 to 139/89 mmHg between 14 and 19 weeks of gestation, with the development of hypertensive disorders was assessed by multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: In a cohort of 2102 pregnant women, 93 (4.4%) pregnancies had HNBP during early second trimester. Pregnant women with HNBP more frequently developed hypertensive disorders than normotensive women (20.4% vs. 8.2%, p < 0.001). HNBP was significantly associated with the development of GH (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.81; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-3.25, p = 0.015) and PE (aOR: 6.05; 95% CI: 3.46-12.6, p = 0.013) after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSION: HNBP during the early second trimester is an independent risk factor for both GH and PE.

Clinical features and antenatal risk factors for postpartum-onset hypertensive disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical features and risk factors for diagnosis of a postpartum-onset hypertensive disorder. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of singleton pregnancies. Clinical features of postpartum-onset hypertensive disorders were evaluated, and prenatal risk factors were also identified with a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of 1,964 women, 57 (2.9%) developed hypertensive disorder after delivery. The independent risk factors were assisted reproductive technology, pre-pregnancy body mass index, chronic nephritis, hypothyroidism, high-normal blood pressure before or at delivery, and cesarean section. CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring of blood pressure should be considered for women with the identified risk factors even after delivery.