Background: Maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States are higher than peer countries. These adverse events disproportionally affect Black women.
Local Problem: Rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among Black childbearing women in West Louisville, Kentucky are higher than rates in Kentucky and the United States.
Objective: We hypothesized that, as has been shown outside of pregnancy, endothelial dysfunction would be seen in a dose-dependent fashion among women who smoke in the midtrimester of pregnancy.
Study Design: Endothelial function in women with singleton pregnancies between 16 and 23 weeks was analyzed utilizing the Endo-PAT2000 device (Itamar Medical Ltd., Caesarea, Israel) and expressed as a reactive hyperemia ratio (RHI).
We examined the prevalence of cesarean delivery (CD) among women with morbid obesity and extreme morbid obesity. Using Kentucky birth certificate data, a cross-sectional analysis of nulliparous singleton gestations at term was performed. We examined the prevalence of CD by body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) using the National Institutes of Health/World Health Organization schema and a modified schema that separates extreme morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 50) from morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40 to < 50).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Violence against women (VAW), including intimate partner violence (IPV) in its various forms (sexual, physical, or stalking), and childhood violence (sexual or physical) are common and are associated with depressive symptoms. We examined the association between these violence exposures and self-reported history of postpartum depression (PPD).
Methods: Women from the Kentucky Women's Health Registry (KWHR) who reported at least one live birth were included in this study.
Purpose: The purpose of this article was to summarize scientific knowledge from an expert panel on reproductive health among adolescents with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Methods: Using a mental model approach, a panel of experts--representing perspectives on diabetes, adolescents, preconception counseling, and reproductive health--was convened to discuss reproductive health issues for female adolescents with T2D.
Results: Several critical issues emerged.