Late Pregnancy Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Doubled Odds of Birth Asphyxia and Emergency Caesarean Section: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the associations between maternal vitamin D status in late pregnancy and emergency caesarean section (EMCS) and birth asphyxia, in a population based sample of women in Sweden.

Methods: Pregnant women were recruited at the antenatal care in Sweden and 1832 women were included after exclusion of miscarriages, terminated pregnancies and missing data on vitamin D status. Mode of delivery was retrieved from medical records.

Trajectory of vitamin D status during pregnancy in relation to neonatal birth size and fetal survival: a prospective cohort study.

Background: We investigated the associations between vitamin D status in early and late pregnancy with neonatal small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW) and preterm delivery. Furthermore, associations between vitamin D status and pregnancy loss were studied.

Methods: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was sampled in gestational week ≤ 16 (trimester 1 (T1), N = 2046) and > 31 (trimester 3 (T3), N = 1816) and analysed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Sociodemographic factors associated with dietary supplement use in early pregnancy in a Swedish cohort.

Sociodemographic factors have been associated with dietary supplement use among pregnant women but few data exist in a Swedish population. This study aimed to identify factors associated with overall supplement use as well as use of folic acid, vitamin D and n-3 in early pregnancy. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy were included at registration to the antenatal care in 2013-2014 (n 2109).

Vitamin D Status during Pregnancy in a Multi-Ethnic Population-Representative Swedish Cohort.

There is currently little information on changes in vitamin D status during pregnancy and its predictors. The aim was to study the determinants of change in vitamin D status during pregnancy and of vitamin D deficiency (<30 nmol/L) in early pregnancy. Blood was drawn in the first (T1) and third trimester (T3).

Adopting a healthy lifestyle when pregnant and obese - an interview study three years after childbirth.

Background: Obesity during pregnancy is increasing and is related to life-threatening and ill-health conditions in both mother and child. Initiating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle when pregnant with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m(2) can improve health and decrease risks during pregnancy and of long-term illness for the mother and the child. To minimise gestational weight gain women with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) in early pregnancy were invited to a lifestyle intervention including advice and support on diet and physical activity in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Preeclampsia and Blood Pressure Trajectory during Pregnancy in Relation to Vitamin D Status.

Every tenth pregnancy is affected by hypertension, one of the most common complications and leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy include pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia. The pathophysiology of the development of hypertension in pregnancy is unknown, but studies suggest an association with vitamin D status, measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D).

Hemodynamic responses to single sessions of aerobic exercise and resistance exercise in pregnancy.

Introduction: Previous research on maternal hemodynamic responses to a single exercise session during pregnancy is sparse, especially considering immediate responses to resistance exercise. The aim of the study was to examine blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and Rating of Perceived Exertion in healthy pregnant women during single sessions of continuous submaximal exercise in pregnancy week 21.

Material And Methods: A cross-over design was used.

Mighty Mums - An antenatal health care intervention can reduce gestational weight gain in women with obesity.

Background: overweight and obesity are growing public health problems and around 13% of women assigned to antenatal health care (AHC) in Sweden have obesity (Body Mass Index, BMI ≥30). The risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increase with increasing BMI. Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) among obese women further increases the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The efficacy of moderate-to-vigorous resistance exercise during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To assess the effect and safety of moderate-to-vigorous resistance exercise during pregnancy.

Design: Randomized controlled study.

Setting: Two antenatal clinics in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Experiences of exercise during pregnancy among women who perform regular resistance training: a qualitative study.

Background: Women who are pregnant and healthy are recommended to do 30 minutes or more of light to moderate exercise a day on most, if not all, days of the week. However, only 1 of 6 pregnant women in the United States and northern Europe follows these recommendations. Little attention has been given to the experience of exercise in pregnancy.

A comprehensive analysis of common genetic variation around six candidate loci for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Objectives: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) has a complex etiology with a significant genetic component. Heterozygous mutations of canalicular transporters occur in a subset of ICP cases and a population susceptibility allele (p.444A) has been identified in ABCB11.

Effects of craniosacral therapy as adjunct to standard treatment for pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women: a multicenter, single blind, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a disabling condition affecting 30% of pregnant women. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of craniosacral therapy as an adjunct to standard treatment compared with standard treatment alone for PGP during pregnancy.

Design: Randomized, multicenter, single blind, controlled trial.

Increasing participation in cervical cancer screening: telephone contact with long-term non-attendees in Sweden. Results from RACOMIP, a randomized controlled trial.

Non-participation is the foremost screening-related risk factor for cervical cancer. We studied the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intervention to increase participation in the context of a well-run screening program. Telephone contact with non-attendees, offering an appointment to take a smear, was compared with a control group in a population-based randomized trial in western Sweden.

Efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid in treating intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: a meta-analysis.

Background & Aims: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on pruritus, liver test results, and outcomes of babies born to women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

Methods: We performed a systematic review of 9 published, randomized controlled trials (3 double blinded) that compared the effects of UDCA to other drugs, placebo, or no specific treatment (controls) in patients with ICP. We analyzed data from 454 patients: 207 received only UDCA, 70 received only placebo, 42 received cholestyramine, 36 received dexamethasone for 1 week and then placebo for 2 weeks, 65 received S-adenosyl-methionine, and 34 received no specific treatment.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: Amelioration of pruritus by UDCA is associated with decreased progesterone disulphates in urine.

Unlabelled: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterized by pruritus, elevated bile acids, and, specifically, elevated disulphated progesterone metabolites. We aimed to study changes in these parameters during treatment with dexamethasone or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in 40 out of 130 women included in the Swedish ICP intervention trial (26 randomized to placebo or UDCA, 14 randomized to dexamethasone). Serum bile acid profiles and urinary steroid hormone metabolites were analyzed using isotope-dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electrospray-mass spectrometry.

Functional variants of the central bile acid sensor FXR identified in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Background And Aims: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterized by liver impairment, pruritus, and elevated maternal serum bile acids. It can cause premature delivery and intrauterine death. Bile acid synthesis, metabolism, and transport are regulated by the bile acid sensor FXR, and we hypothesized that genetic variation in FXR confers susceptibility to ICP.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial comparing dexamethasone and ursodeoxycholic acid.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterized by troublesome maternal pruritus, elevated serum bile acids (> or =10 micromol/L) and increased fetal risk. Recently we determined a cutoff level of serum bile acids, > or =40 micromol/L, to be associated with impaired fetal outcome. We have now studied the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and dexamethasone on pruritus, biochemical markers of cholestasis, and fetal complication rates in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: Relationships between bile acid levels and fetal complication rates.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), characterized by pruritus in the second half of pregnancy, entails an increased risk to the fetus. This study was designed to determine the incidence and fetal complication rates in ICP, and to define groups at increased risk. In an prospective cohort study conducted between February 1, 1999, and January 31, 2002, all 45,485 pregnancies in a defined region of Sweden (Västra Götaland) were screened for ICP, defined as otherwise unexplained pruritus of pregnancy in combination with fasting serum bile acid levels > or = 10 micromol/L.