First-trimester maternal serum alpha fetoprotein is associated with ischemic placental disease.

Background: While elevated second-trimester maternal serum alpha fetoprotein has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, the utility of first-trimester maternal serum alpha fetoprotein in predicting these outcomes is limited. Some laboratories have been including maternal serum alpha fetoprotein as part of the first-trimester analyte screening for aneuploidy and preeclampsia, offering its potential utility in predicting pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: Our primary objective was to determine the association between elevated first-trimester maternal serum alpha fetoprotein and preeclampsia as well as ischemic placental disease (a composite of preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and/or placental abruption).

Socio-cultural influences on the behaviour of South Asian women with diabetes in pregnancy: qualitative study using a multi-level theoretical approach.

Background: Diabetes in pregnancy is common in South Asians, especially those from low-income backgrounds, and leads to short-term morbidity and longer-term metabolic programming in mother and offspring. We sought to understand the multiple influences on behaviour (hence risks to metabolic health) of South Asian mothers and their unborn child, theorise how these influences interact and build over time, and inform the design of culturally congruent, multi-level interventions.

Methods: Our sample for this qualitative study was 45 women of Bangladeshi, Indian, Sri Lankan, or Pakistani origin aged 21-45 years with a history of diabetes in pregnancy, recruited from diabetes and antenatal services in two deprived London boroughs.