Eddy and colleagues are to be commended on this comprehensive, global synthesis of qualitative evidence (22 studies), reporting on barriers and facilitators of magnesium sulphate use for eclampsia prevention and treatment. Almost all of the 22 studies were from low-and-middle-income countries that bear most of the burden of pre-eclampsia-related morbidity and mortality. The analysis accounted for the

To describe prenatal decision-making processes and birth plans in pregnancies amenable to planning perinatal palliative care.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between intrapartum antibiotics (IABX) and asthma and allergic rhinitis among children by ages 6, 8, and 10 years old.

Routine BRCA1/2 sequencing in ovarian cancer patients has come a long way since referrals to clinical genetics for sequencing were based upon the often imperfect assessment of family history in a gynaecological surgery or medical oncology clinic and the subsequent determination that the risk of an underlying genetic abnormality was above a particular threshold (often 10%).

To investigate whether first-trimester maternal haemodynamic adaptation impacts placental, embryonic and fetal development as well as birth outcomes in pregnancies with and without placenta-related complications.

Pregnancy and childbirth increase the risk for pelvic floor dysfunction, including sexual dysfunction. So far, the mechanisms and the extent to which certain risk factors play a role remain unclear.

To compare the risk of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and contact with specialist health-care services for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between pregnant and non-pregnant women.

To determine the frequency of germline and somatic pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer tested by next generation sequencing (NGS), with the aim of defining the best strategy to be implemented in future routine testing.

To investigate the association between hysterectomy with conservation of one or both adnexa and ovarian and tubal cancer.

To estimate the incidence of urinary incontinence (UI), including its subtypes stress UI (SUI), urgency UI (UUI) and mixed UI (MUI), and to examine risk factors for de novo SUI and UUI in Chinese women.

Asthma is the commonest chronic medical condition reported in pregnancy, affecting more than 10% of pregnant women (Flores et al., J Asthma 2020;57:693-702) and is associated with worse outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19 and influenza. However, the quality of results that Xu et al. were able to produce, is limited. Of the 20 studies identified by the systematic review, 90% (18) were judged to

To assess the cost-effectiveness of prenatal detection of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) following maternal primary infection in the first trimester within standard pregnancy follow-up or involving population-based screening (serological testing at 7 and 12 weeks of gestation), with or without secondary prevention (valaciclovir) in maternal CMV primary infection.

While there are a number of benefits to minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for women with ovarian cysts, there is an increased risk of ovarian capsule rupture during the procedure, which could potentially seed the abdominal cavity with malignant cells. We developed a decision model to compare the risks, benefits, effectiveness and cost of MIS versus laparotomy in women with ovarian masses.

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19, has affected the world on a pandemic scale resulting in catastrophic outcomes and deaths. Currently, there is limited safety data specific to mRNA vaccine use in pregnant or lactating individuals and the potential risks to a pregnant individual and the fetus are unknown. We report an updated literature review of current information and evidence available

Single-cell technologies capture cellular heterogeneity to focus on previously poorly described subpopulations of cells. While work by our lab and many others have metagenomically characterized a low biomass intrauterine microbial community, alongside microbial transcripts, antigens, and metabolites, the functional importance of low biomass microbial communities in placental immuno-microenvironments

Large scale studies exploring the associations of asthma severity, exacerbations, and medication use with adverse perinatal outcomes have been published in recent years.

To evaluate the association between maternal fructosamine levels at the time of delivery and stillbirth.

To propose postpartum recovery domains.

Core outcome sets aim to reduce research heterogeneity and standardise reporting, allowing meaningful comparisons between studies.

To investigate the risk of stillbirth or neonatal death before 45 post-menstrual weeks in relation to gestational duration, stratified by Body Mass Index (BMI) and parity.

To assess the cost-effectiveness of induction of labour (IOL) at 41 weeks of gestation compared with expectant management until 42 weeks of gestation.

The objective of this study was to assess caesarean section (CS) rates before and after the implementation of the Project Appropriate Birth (PPA), based on the Robson ten group classification system.

To explore and describe what women who have given birth in Norway emphasise as important aspects of care during childbirth.

Obesity is associated with increased surgical site infection (SSI) following caesarean section (CS).

Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Dr John M. Thorp, discusses his top articles from this issue in an audio podcast available at: https://soundcloud.com/bjog/November-editorial-2021.

To understand the prevalence of intrapartum oxytocin use, assess associated perinatal and maternal outcomes, and evaluate the impact of a WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist intervention on oxytocin use at primary-level facilities in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The antenatal screening strategy remains inadequate for eliminating congenital syphilis. To further eliminate maternal fetal transmission, preconception syphilis screening is considered an option. In this study, we investigated syphilis seropositivity and intra-couple discordance among married couples planning a pregnancy in China to provide essential baseline evidence for preconception syphilis screening

To examine the association between county-level caesarean delivery (CD) rates among women at low risk and morbidity among term newborns.

To estimate the association between chronic hypertension and perinatal mortality and to evaluate the extent to which risks are impacted by preterm delivery.

To examine postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) trends in Sweden using the Robson classification system.

Pregnant women may develop disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), possibly resulting in massive maternal haemorrhage and perinatal death. The Japan guideline recommends use of antithrombin III (ATIII) for DIC in obstetrics; however, its effect remains uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of ATIII for DIC in obstetrics, using a national inpatient database in Japan.

To evaluate the impact of Covid-19 vaccination (Pfizer–BioNTech BNT162b2) during the third trimester of pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

There are concerns regarding the risks of mid-urethral slings (MUS) for stress urinary incontinence (SUI), particularly because of the lack of long-term data. We compare patient-reported outcomes of a multicentre randomised controlled trial of retropubic (TVT, GYNECARE™) versus transobturator (TOT, MONARC™) tape surgery at 12 years.

To compare the incidence of systemic conditions between women who had surgical treatment for stress incontinence with mesh and without mesh.

Hypertensive disorders account for 14% of global maternal deaths. Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is recommended for prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. However, MgSO4 remains underused, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

To evaluate current practice and outcomes of pregnancy in women previously diagnosed with Budd–Chiari syndrome and/or portal vein thrombosis, with and without concomitant portal hypertension.

Determination of lactate in fetal scalp blood (FBS) during labour has been recognised since the 1970s. The internationally accepted cutoff of >4.8 mmol/l indicating fetal acidosis is exclusive for the point-of-care device (POC) LactatePro™, which is no longer in production. The aim of this study was to establish a new cutoff for scalp lactate based on neonatal outcomes with the use of the Statstri

Uterus transplantation (UTx) is fast evolving from an experimental to a clinical procedure, combining solid organ transplantation with assisted reproductive technology. The commencement of the first human uterus transplant trial in the United Kingdom leads us to examine and reflect upon the legal and regulatory aspects closely intertwined with UTx from the process of donation to potential implications

Introduction Optimal prevention and treatment of infectious diseases requires identifying segments of the population at elevated risk of developing severe disease who would benefit from heightened efforts to prevent exposure or to use personal protective equipment. These are the groups that would have high priority for vaccine access and warrant outreach efforts to encourage vaccine use. Elevated burden

To define patterns of prescription and factors associated with choice of pharmacotherapy for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), namely metformin, glyburide, and insulin, during a time period of evolving professional guidelines.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common pregnancy complications and is associated with preeclampsia, preterm birth, stillbirth, cesarean delivery, fetal macrosomia, birth injury, neonatal hypoglycemia, childhood obesity in the offspring and other short- and long-term complications.(Sweeting AN, et al. Diabetes Care. 2016;39:75-81)

After an almost thirty year gap, there have been three large scale randomized trials investigating whether interventions to increase maternal and/or staff awareness of reduced fetal movements (RFM) reduces the stillbirth rate. Each study has employed different approaches; in the most recently reported study Flenady et al. report the outcome of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial of

As the obesity pandemic continues, a growing number of women is affected by this disease during pregnancy. Maternal obesity increases the risk for various negative pregnancy outcomes, including pre-eclampsia, in a dose-dependent fashion (Marchi et al. Obesity Reviews. 2015. 16, 621–638). Therefore, it is recommended to achieve adequate weight control before becoming pregnant. However, as obesity originates

To compare pregnancy rates and outcomes for women with cystic fibrosis in the UK with the general population and assess the effect of introduction of disease modifying treatment.

Guidelines standardise high-quality evidence-based management strategies for clinicians. Uterine fibroids are a highly prevalent condition and may exert significant morbidity.

Syphilis, an age-old disease, at risk of becoming the ‘forgotten’ disease in the developed world, is now seeing a reported rise in its incidence in United States. Largely attributed to changing social and behavioural factors, especially among young men who have sex with men (MSM), there has also been an increase among premenopausal women, coinciding with a concerning rise of congenital cases (Schmidt

Hysterectomy remains a common procedure worldwide, hence better understanding of the long-term health consequences, including for cancer risk, is imperative to enable effective counselling about the risks and benefits of the surgery. At present, the association between hysterectomy and ovarian cancer is unclear. Most earlier studies reported a protective effect, while studies including women diagnosed

Caesarean delivery rates have risen, seemingly inexorably, through the latter decades of the 20th century and into the current millennium. While most experts agree that overall caesarean rates remain higher than necessary, debate continues on what optimal caesarean delivery rates should be as well as where to focus efforts to increase the likelihood of women having safe vaginal deliveries. Much of

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic exposed multiple shortcomings in national and international capacity to respond to an infectious disease outbreak. It is essential to learn from these deficiencies to prepare for future epidemics. One major gap is the limited availability of timely and comprehensive population-based routine data about COVID-19’s impact on pregnant women and babies. As part of the Horizon 2020

To report complication rates following prolapse surgery using polypropylene mesh inlay, polypropylene mesh kit, biological collagen xenografts and native tissue repairs.

To describe characteristics, risk factors and maternal, obstetric and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

To estimate the causal effects of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM) on birthweight and the risks of large for gestational age (LGA).

Increased nuchal translucency (NT) on first trimester ultrasound poses a diagnostic and prognostic dilemma. Given association with chromosomal changes and other structural anomalies, an isolated increased NT is an indication to pursue genetic diagnosis. Early diagnosis may aid decisions for pregnancy management as a chromosomal abnormality is identified in 30% of cases.

Despite the existence of numerous published models predicting the risk of cesarean delivery in women undergoing induction of labor (IOL), validated models are scarce.

To compare the 24-months efficacy of pessary or surgery as primary treatment for symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

To explore i) the association of sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA) during pregnancy with placental expression of genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism in obese pregnant women; ii) maternal metabolic factors mediating changes in these placental transcripts; and iii) cord blood markers related to these mRNAs mediating neonatal adiposity.

To assess the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) associated with genital mycoplasma infection asymptomatic women.

To assess the current status of cesarean delivery (CD) in China, propose reference CD rates for China overall and by regions, investigate the main indications for CDs, and identify possible areas for safe reduction.

The My Baby’s Movements (MBM) trial aimed to evaluate the impact on stillbirth rates of a multifaceted awareness package (MBM intervention).

To apply the iceberg model, quantifying absolute and relative incidence, to the four main causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in Ireland: haemorrhage, hypertension, sepsis and thrombosis.