scholarly journals Adjusting growth standards for fetal sex improves correlation of small babies with stillbirth and adverse perinatal outcomes: A state-wide population study

Author(s):  
Natasha Pritchard ◽  
Susan Walker ◽  
Stephen Tong ◽  
Anthea C. Lindquist

Objective: Identify the proportion of infants reclassified if sex-specific birthweight charts were used, and if this reclassification has an impact on the correlation between birthweight centile and adverse perinatal outcome. Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Victoria, Australia. Population: All infants born from 2005-2015 (529,261) Methods: We applied GROW centiles, either adjusted or unadjusted for fetal sex. We compared proportions of small for gestational age (SGA, <10th centile) infants, then the populations of males considered small only by sex-specific charts and females considered small only by unadjusted charts. Main Outcome Measures: Stillbirth, combined perinatal mortality, NICU admissions, Apgars <7 at 5 minutes, emergency caesarean sections. Results: Of those <10th centile by unadjusted charts, 39.6% were male, and 60.5% female. Using sex-specific charts, 50.3% <10th centile were male and 49.7% female. 9,449 (19.2%) females that were SGA according to unadjusted charts were appropriate for gestational age (AGA,>10th-<90th centile) using sex-specific charts. These reclassified newborn females were not at increased risk of adverse outcomes compared with an AGA infant, but were at increased risk of being iatrogenically delivered for suspected growth restriction (RR 4.90, 95%CI 4.39–5.48). 8,048 male infants were reclassified as SGA by sex-specific charts (25% SGA increase). Compared with AGA infants, these reclassified male newborns were at greater risk of stillbirth (RR 1.94, 95%CI 1.30-2.90) and all other adverse perinatal outcomes. Conclusions: Sex-specific growth standards classify a new high-risk cohort of male infants as SGA, and exclude a cohort of females, whose risk is no greater than appropriately grown infants.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 4643
Author(s):  
María Sonsoles Galán Arévalo ◽  
Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández ◽  
Luis Mariano Esteban ◽  
Mercedes Andeyro-García ◽  
Roi Piñeiro Pérez ◽  
...  

Fetal growth restriction has been associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes (APOs). We determined the importance of fetal growth detention (FGD) in late gestation for the occurrence of APOs in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) newborns. For this purpose, we analyzed a retrospective cohort study of 1067 singleton pregnancies. The newborns with higher APOs were SGA non-FGD and SGA FGD in 40.9% and 31.5% of cases, respectively, and we found an association between SGA non-FGD and any APO (OR 2.61; 95% CI: 1.35–4.99; p = 0.004). We did not find an increased APO risk in AGA FGD newborns (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.80, 1.59; p = 0.483), except for cesarean delivery for non-reassuring fetal status (NRFS) with a decrease in percentile cutoff greater than 40 (RR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.11–5.21) and 50 (RR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.14–7.54). Conclusions: Newborns with the highest probability of APOs are SGA non-FGDs. AGA FGD newborns do not have a higher incidence of APOs than AGA non-FGDs, although with falls in percentile cutoff over 40, they have an increased risk of cesarean section due to NRFS. Further studies are warranted to detect these newborns who would benefit from close surveillance in late gestation and at delivery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 643
Author(s):  
Veronica Giorgione ◽  
Corey Briffa ◽  
Carolina Di Fabrizio ◽  
Rohan Bhate ◽  
Asma Khalil

Twin pregnancies are commonly assessed using singleton growth and birth weight reference charts. This practice has led to a significant number of twins labelled as small for gestational age (SGA), causing unnecessary interventions and increased risk of iatrogenic preterm birth. However, the use of twin-specific charts remains controversial. This study aims to assess whether twin-specific estimated fetal weight (EFW) and birth weight (BW) charts are more predictive of adverse outcomes compared to singleton charts. Centiles of EFW and BW were calculated using previously published singleton and twin charts. Categorical data were compared using Chi-square or McNemar tests. The study included 1740 twin pregnancies, with the following perinatal adverse outcomes recorded: perinatal death, preterm birth <34 weeks, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and admissions to the neonatal unit (NNU). Twin-specific charts identified prenatally and postnatally a smaller proportion of infants as SGA compared to singleton charts. However, twin charts showed a higher percentage of adverse neonatal outcomes in SGA infants than singleton charts. For example, perinatal death (SGA 7.2% vs. appropriate for gestational age (AGA) 2%, p < 0.0001), preterm birth <34 weeks (SGA 42.1% vs. AGA 16.4%, p < 0.0001), HDP (SGA 21.2% vs. AGA 13.5%, p = 0.015) and NNU admissions (SGA 69% vs. AGA 24%, p < 0.0001), when compared to singleton charts (perinatal death: SGA 2% vs. AGA 1%, p = 0.029), preterm birth <34 weeks: (SGA 20.6% vs. AGA 17.4%, p = 0.020), NNU admission: (SGA 34.5% vs. AGA 23.9%, p < 0.000). There was no significant association between HDP and SGA using the singleton charts (p = 0.696). In SGA infants, according to the twin charts, the incidence of abnormal umbilical artery Doppler was significantly more common than in SGA using the singleton chart (27.0% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001). In conclusion, singleton charts misclassify a large number of twins as at risk of fetal growth restriction. The evidence suggests that the following twin-specific charts could reduce unnecessary medical interventions prenatally and postnatally.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Fernandez-Rodriguez ◽  
Concepción de Alba ◽  
Alberto Galindo ◽  
David Recio ◽  
Cecilia Villalain ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesLate-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) has heterogeneous prenatal and postnatal diagnostic criteria. We compared the prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of late-onset FGR and their ability to predict adverse perinatal outcomes.MethodsRetrospective cohort study of 5442 consecutive singleton pregnancies that delivered beyond 34 + 0 weeks. Prenatal diagnosis of FGR was based on customized fetal growth standards and fetal Doppler while postnatal diagnosis was based on a birthweight <3rd percentile according to newborn charts (Olsen’s charts and Intergrowth 21st century programme). Perinatal outcomes were analyzed depending on whether the diagnosis was prenatal, postnatal or both.ResultsA total of 94 out of 5442 (1.7%) were diagnosed as late-onset FGR prenatally. Olsen’s chart and Intergrowth 21st chart detected that 125/5442 (2.3%) and 106/5442 (2.0%) of infants had a birthweight <3rd percentile, respectively. These charts identified 35/94 (37.2%) and 40/94 (42.6%) of the newborns with a prenatal diagnosis of late-onset FGR. Prenatally diagnosed late-onset FGR infants were at a higher risk for hypoglycemia, jaundice and polycythemia. Both prenatally and postnatally diagnosed as late-onset FGR had a higher risk for respiratory distress syndrome when compared to non-FGR. The higher risks for intensive care admission and composite adverse outcomes were observed in those with a prenatal diagnosis of late-onset FGR that was confirmed after birth.ConclusionsCurrent definitions of pre- and postnatal late-onset FGR do not match in more than half of cases. Infants with a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of this condition have an increased risk of neonatal morbidity even if these diagnoses are not coincident.


Author(s):  
Shulian Zhang ◽  
Guanpeng Zhai ◽  
Jin Wang ◽  
Wenjing Shi ◽  
Rong Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractLow birth weight is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in many diseases in adult life. We investigated the expression of IGF-II and the status of differentially methylated regions (DMR) in small for gestational age (SGA) infants after birth.Plasma IGF-II, IGF-II receptor (IGF2R), IGF-I, and IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) levels were measured after birth in 150 newborn infants. These included 30 term appropriate for gestational age (AGA), 30 term SGA, 30 term large for gestational age (LGA), 30 preterm AGA, and 30 preterm SGA infants.Plasma IGF-II levels after birth were lower in both term SGA (435.1±33.82 vs. 620.4±44.79, p=0.002) and LGA infants (483.7±33.8 vs. 620.42±44.79, p=0.018) than in term AGA infants. The expression ofIGF-II was associated with birth weight and expressed at high levels, which suggests that IGF-II may continue to play an important role after birth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (08) ◽  
pp. 818-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Mendez-Figueroa ◽  
Suneet P. Chauhan ◽  
Tyisha Barrett ◽  
Van Thi Thanh Truong ◽  
Claudia Pedroza ◽  
...  

Objective To assess the ability of customized and population growth nomograms in identifying newborns with composite neonatal morbidity (CNM). Study Design This study included women who participated in the 10 Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) trials and delivered a nonanomalous singleton with a known gestational age (GA) of 24 weeks or more and documented birthweight. Population nomograms were based on Alexander's nomogram, whereas customized nomograms used publicly available softwares. Random-effect logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR). Positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated to assess nomogram performance. Results Of 92,225 women, 85% met the inclusion criteria. Using the population nomogram, 12% were small for gestational age (SGA) and 10% were large for gestational age (LGA), and using customized nomograms, 15% were SGA and 16% LGA. SGA newborns had a higher likelihood of CNM (aOR: 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.48–2.76) for population nomograms and 3.22 (95% CI: 3.07–3.39) for customized nomograms. LGA newborns had a similar CNM with population nomogram but significantly higher with customized nomogram (aOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.34–1.50). For the adverse outcomes among SGA and LGA, the positive LRs for the two nomograms were similar with overlapping 95% CI. Conclusion Though both SGA and LGA are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, the detection using both nomograms was similar.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianchen Wu ◽  
Xiaoli Gong ◽  
Yangyu Zhao ◽  
Lizhen Zhang ◽  
Yiping You ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Fetal growth velocity standards have yet to be established for the Chinese population. This study aimed to establish such standards suitable for the Chinese population. Methods We performed a multicenter, population–based longitudinal cohort study including 9075 low–risk singleton pregnant women. Data were collected from the clinical records of 24 hospitals in 18 provinces of China. Demographic characteristics, reproductive history, fetal ultrasound measurements, and perinatal outcome data were collected. The fetal ultrasound measurements included biparietal diameter (BPD), abdominal circumference (AC), head circumference (HC), and femur diaphysis length (FDL). We used linear mixed models with cubic splines to model the trajectory of four ultrasound parameters and estimate fetal weight. Fetal growth velocity was determined by calculating the first derivative of fetal size curves. We also used logistic regression to estimate the association between fetal growth velocities in the bottom 10th percentile and adverse perinatal outcomes. Results Fetal growth velocity was not consistent over time or among individuals. The estimated fetal weight (EFW) steadily increased beginning at 12 gestational weeks and peaked at 35 gestational weeks. The maximum velocity was 211.71 g/week, and there was a steady decrease in velocity from 35 to 40 gestational weeks. The four ultrasound measurements increased in the early second trimester; BPD and HC peaked at 13 gestational weeks, AC at 14 gestational weeks, and FDL at 15 gestational weeks. BPD and HC also increased from 19 to 24 and 19 to 21 gestational weeks, respectively. EFW velocity in the bottom 10th percentile indicated higher risks of neonatal complications (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79–2.78) and preterm birth < 37 weeks (OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 2.64–5.14). Sensitivity analyses showed that EFW velocity in the bottom 10th percentile was significantly associated with more adverse pregnancy outcomes for appropriate–for–gestational age neonates. Conclusions We established fetal growth velocity curves for the Chinese population based on real–world clinical data. Our findings demonstrated that Chinese fetal growth patterns are somewhat different from those of other populations. Fetal growth velocity could provide more information to understand the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, especially for appropriate–for–gestational age neonates.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 853
Author(s):  
Sara Cruz Melguizo ◽  
María Luisa de la Cruz Conty ◽  
Paola Carmona Payán ◽  
Alejandra Abascal-Saiz ◽  
Pilar Pintando Recarte ◽  
...  

Pregnant women who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. With this study, we aimed to better understand the relationship between maternal infection and perinatal outcomes, especially preterm births, and the underlying medical and interventionist factors. This was a prospective observational study carried out in 78 centers (Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group) with a cohort of 1347 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive pregnant women registered consecutively between 26 February and 5 November 2020, and a concurrent sample of PCR-negative mothers. The patients’ information was collected from their medical records, and the association of SARS-CoV-2 and perinatal outcomes was evaluated by univariable and multivariate analyses. The data from 1347 SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnancies were compared with those from 1607 SARS-CoV-2-negative pregnancies. Differences were observed between both groups in premature rupture of membranes (15.5% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001); venous thrombotic events (1.5% vs. 0.2%, p < 0.001); and severe pre-eclampsia incidence (40.6 vs. 15.6%, p = 0.001), which could have been overestimated in the infected cohort due to the shared analytical signs between this hypertensive disorder and COVID-19. In addition, more preterm deliveries were observed in infected patients (11.1% vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001) mainly due to an increase in iatrogenic preterm births. The prematurity in SARS-CoV-2-affected pregnancies results from a predisposition to end the pregnancy because of maternal disease (pneumonia and pre-eclampsia, with or without COVID-19 symptoms).


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxia Xie ◽  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Yi Mu ◽  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Yanping Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractWe aimed to describe the characteristics of adolescent pregnancy, determine its effect on adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes and explore whether that association varies with gestational age with the goal of proposing specific recommendations for adolescent health in China. This study included 2,366,559 women aged 10–24 years who had singleton pregnancies between 2012 and 2019 at 438 hospitals. Adolescent pregnancy was defined as younger than 20 years of age. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the effects. Women aged 20–24 years served as the reference group in all analyses. The proportion of rural girls with adolescent pregnancies rebounded after 2015 even though common-law marriage in rural areas decreased. Higher risks of eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57 ~ 2.23), severe anaemia (aOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09 ~ 1.28), maternal near miss (MNM; aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12 ~ 1.37), and small for gestational age (SGA; aOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.28 ~ 1.33) were observed when gestational age was > 37 weeks. Adolescent pregnancy was independently associated with increased risks of other perinatal outcomes. Further implementation of pregnancy prevention strategies and improved health care interventions are needed to reduce adolescent pregnancies and prevent adverse fertility outcomes among adolescent women in China at a time when adolescent fertility rate is rebounding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Zeng ◽  
Erica Erwin ◽  
Wendy Wen ◽  
Daniel J. Corsi ◽  
Shi Wu Wen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Racial disparities in adverse perinatal outcomes have been studied in other countries, but little has been done for the Canadian population. In this study, we sought to examine the disparities in adverse perinatal outcomes between Asians and Caucasians in Ontario, Canada. Methods We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study that included all Asian and Caucasian women who attended a prenatal screening and resulted in a singleton birth in an Ontario hospital (April 1st, 2015-March 31st, 2017). Generalized estimating equation models were used to estimate the independent adjusted relative risks and adjusted risk difference of adverse perinatal outcomes for Asians compared with Caucasians. Results Among 237,293 eligible women, 31% were Asian and 69% were Caucasian. Asians were at an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, placental previa, early preterm birth (< 32 weeks), preterm birth, emergency cesarean section, 3rd and 4th degree perineal tears, low birth weight (< 2500 g, < 1500 g), small-for-gestational-age (<10th percentile, <3rd percentile), neonatal intensive care unit admission, and hyperbilirubinemia requiring treatment, but had lower risks of preeclampsia, macrosomia (birth weight > 4000 g), large-for-gestational-age neonates, 5-min Apgar score < 7, and arterial cord pH ≤7.1, as compared with Caucasians. No difference in risk of elective cesarean section was observed between Asians and Caucasians. Conclusion There are significant differences in several adverse perinatal outcomes between Asians and Caucasians. These differences should be taken into consideration for clinical practices due to the large Asian population in Canada.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document