Fetal Superior Vena Cava Blood Flow and Its Fraction of Cardiac Output: A Longitudinal Ultrasound Study in the Second Half of Pregnancy.

In the fetus, a large proportion of the superior vena cava blood flow (Q) comes from the brain. To provide the possibility of using this blood flow as a representation of fetal brain circulation, we aimed to determine the fetal Q and its fraction of cardiac output during the second half of physiological pregnancies. This was a prospective longitudinal study specifically designed for studying fetal hemodynamic development.

Persistent organic pollutants and the size of ovarian reserve in reproductive-aged women.

Industrial chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been associated with reduced fertility in women, including longer time-to-pregnancy (TTP), higher odds for infertility, and earlier reproductive senescence. Fertility is highly dependent on the ovarian reserve, which is composed of a prenatally determined stock of non-growing follicles. The quantity and quality of the follicles decline with age, thereby eventually leading to menopause.

Reference ranges of fetal superior vena cava blood flow velocities and pulsatility index in the second half of pregnancy: a longitudinal study.

Background: Fetal superior vena cava (SVC) is essentially the single vessel returning blood from the upper body to the heart. With approximately 80-85% of SVC blood flow representing cerebral venous return, its interrogation may provide clinically relevant information about fetal brain circulation. However, normal reference values for fetal SVC Doppler velocities and pulsatility index are lacking.

Volume blood flow-based indices of fetal brain sparing in the second half of pregnancy: A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and umbilicocerebral ratio (UCR) are clinically used as a measure of fetal brain sparing. These are calculated as the ratios between the pulsatility indices (PIs) of middle cerebral (MCA) and umbilical (UA) arteries, and are an indirect representation of the balance between cerebral and placental perfusion. Volume blood flow (Q)-based ratios, ie Q-CPR or Q-UCR, would directly reflect the distribution of fetal cardiac output to the placenta and brain.