Antenatal depression and drug use among deaf and hard-of-hearing birthing parents: results from a U.S. National Survey.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate antenatal depression and drug use among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) birthing parents who use American Sign Language (ASL), spoken English, or bilingually both ASL and English.

Methods: DHH participants in the United States responded to the Survey on Pregnancy Experiences of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Women. Respondents self-reported their antenatal depression diagnoses and drug use (i.

Barriers and facilitators to home blood pressure monitoring in women with pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders: a qualitative study.

Background/objective: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the US. Improved diagnosis and treatment of HDP may be achieved through home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM). However, there are challenges to effective HBPM during pregnancy.

Fellowship for Academic Generalists in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Is It Overdue?

Academic specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology are clinicians practicing the full breadth of the specialty while also contributing to medical education and scientific discovery. Residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology provide exposure to research training that is variable but frequently limited. This creates challenges for junior faculty and in many cases limits their research productivity, typically measured by published original research articles and grant funding.

Comparing the effect of two systems-level interventions on perinatal generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Background: The Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms and PRogram In Support of Moms are designed to help obstetric practices address perinatal depression. The PRogram in Support of Moms includes the statewide Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms program, plus proactive implementation support.

Objective: The goal of this study was to understand the impact of these programs on perinatal generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among individuals screening positive for depression.

Plasma soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio of 11.5 multiples of median predicts preeclampsia with severe features within 2 weeks of testing.

Background: Angiogenic imbalances, characterized by an excess of antiangiogenic factors (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) and reduced angiogenic factors (vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor), contribute to the mechanisms of disease in preeclampsia. The ratio of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor has been used as a biomarker for preeclampsia, but the cutoff values may vary with gestational age and assay platform.

Objective: This study aimed to compare multiples of the median of the maternal plasma soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, placental growth factor, and conventional clinical and laboratory values in their ability to predict preeclampsia with severe features.

Cesarean birth and adverse birth outcomes among sub-populations of deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

Background: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) people are at higher risk than their non-DHH counterparts of experiencing adverse birth outcomes. There is a lack of research focusing on social, linguistic, and medical factors related to being DHH which may identify groups of DHH people who experience more inequity.

Objective: Examine difference in prevalence of cesarean and adverse birth outcomes among diverse sub-groups of DHH people.

Interest in an Instagram-delivered gestational weight gain intervention among pregnant women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity.

Background: Barriers to attending in-person lifestyle interventions are common during pregnancy. The majority of young adults use Instagram, and pregnancy-related content abounds on this social media platform. The aims of this study were to assess interest in an Instagram-delivered gestational weight gain (GWG) intervention, examine characteristics associated with program interest, describe interest in specific program components, and to explore perceived advantages of and concerns about the proposed intervention.

Association of perinatal depression and postpartum contraception intent, choice, and actual use.

Objectives: Depression is common during pregnancy and the year following childbirth (the perinatal period). This study assessed the association of depressive symptoms and contraception decisions in perinatal individuals.

Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the PRogram in Support of Moms (PRISM) study, a cluster randomized controlled trial of active interventions which aimed to address perinatal depression.

Increasing Access To Perinatal Mental Health Care: The Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program Model.

Perinatal psychiatry access programs offer a scalable approach to building the capacity of perinatal professionals to identify, assess, and treat mental health conditions. Little is known about access programs' implementation and the relative merits of differing approaches. We conducted surveys and semistructured interviews with access program staff and reviewed policy and procedure documents from the fifteen access programs that had been implemented in the United States as of March 2021, when the study was conducted.

Examining racial/ethnic inequities in treatment participation among perinatal individuals with depression.

Objective: A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of two interventions for addressing perinatal depression treatment in obstetric settings was conducted. This secondary analysis compared treatment referral and participation among Minoritized perinatal individuals compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

Methods: Among perinatal individuals with depression symptoms, we examined rates of treatment 1) referral (i.

Development and validation of an electrocardiographic artificial intelligence model for detection of peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Background: This study used electrocardiogram data in conjunction with artificial intelligence methods as a noninvasive tool for detecting peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an artificial intelligence-based heart failure detection model for peripartum cardiomyopathy detection.

Study Design: We first built a deep-learning model for heart failure detection using retrospective data at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Frequency of Prenatal Care Visits: A Core Outcome Set for Prenatal Care Schedules.

The aim of this study is to develop a core outcome set for the frequency and modality of prenatal care visits. A consensus development study was conducted in the United States with participants, including 31 health care professionals, 12 public policy members or public health payers, and 18 public members, representing 24 states. A modified Delphi method and modified nominal group technique were utilized.

Phenanthroline relaxes uterine contractions induced by diverse contractile agents by decreasing cytosolic calcium concentration.

Uterine contractions during labor and preterm labor are influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including hormones and inflammatory mediators. This complexity may contribute to the limited efficacy of current tocolytics for preterm labor, a significant challenge in obstetrics with 15 million cases annually and approximately 1 million resulting deaths worldwide. We have previously shown that the myometrium expresses bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) and that their activation leads to uterine relaxation.

Screening, Assessment, and Treatment of Perinatal Mental Health in Obstetrical Settings.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are common, yet obstetricians receive little training prior to independent practice on screening, assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients with depression and anxiety. Untreated PMADs lead to adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes. Obstetricians are in a unique position to address PMADs.

The Pressing Need to Integrate Mental Health into Obstetric Care.

Mental health and substance use conditions are prevalent among perinatal individuals. These conditions have a negative impact on the health of perinatal individuals, their infants, and families, yet are underdiagnosed and undertreated. Populations that have been marginalized disproportionately face barriers to accessing care.

Bitter taste receptors in the reproductive system: Function and therapeutic implications.

Type 2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs), traditionally known for their role in bitter taste perception, are present in diverse reproductive tissues of both sexes. This review explores our current understanding of TAS2R functions with a particular focus on reproductive health. In males, TAS2Rs are believed to play potential roles in processes such as sperm chemotaxis and male fertility.

Effectiveness of two systems-level interventions to address perinatal depression in obstetric settings (PRISM): an active-controlled cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Perinatal depression is a common and undertreated condition, with potential deleterious effects on maternal, obstetric, infant, and child outcomes. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of two systems-level interventions in the obstetric setting-the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms and the PRogram In Support of Moms (PRISM)-in improving depression symptoms and participation in mental health treatment among women with perinatal depression.

Methods: In this cluster-randomised, active-controlled trial, obstetric practices across Massachusetts (USA) were allocated (1:1) via covariate adaptive randomisation to either continue participating in the MCPAP for Moms intervention, a state-wide, population-based programme, or to participate in the PRISM intervention, which involved MCPAP for Moms plus a proactive, multifaceted, obstetric practice-level intervention with intensive implementation support.

Nulliparous Women's Expectations and Experiences of Early Labor.

Purpose: To describe the expectations of early labor by nulliparous pregnant women in their third trimester and first-time mothers' experiences of early labor after they had given birth.

Study Design And Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach involving semi-structured, video-call interviews conducted between September 2020 and April 2021. Data were analyzed using content analysis.

Understanding Perinatal Depression Care Gaps by Examining Care Access and Barriers in Perinatal Individuals With and Without Psychiatric History.

Depression affects one in seven perinatal individuals and remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Individuals with a psychiatric history are at an even greater risk of perinatal depression, but it is unclear how their experiences with the depression care pathway may differ from individuals without a psychiatric history. We conducted a secondary analysis evaluating care access and barriers to care in perinatal individuals who screened positive for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale ( = 280).

Changes in postpartum contraception utilization rates during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with restricted access to reproductive care including delayed abortion and female sterilization procedures, in addition to altered maternity care experiences. Given high rates of unintended and short-interval pregnancies in the United States in general and negative obstetric outcomes specifically associated with COVID-19, access to all effective pregnancy prevention methods during the pandemic was crucial.

Objectives: To investigate changes in contraception utilization rates prior to delivery discharge, at outpatient postpartum visits, and at 10 weeks' postpartum, at the largest healthcare system in Central Massachusetts, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (15 March to 15 May 2020), compared to the same period in 2019.

Labor and Delivery Clinician Perspectives on Impact of Traumatic Clinical Experiences and Need for Systemic Supports.

Objectives: Few studies have elucidated the impact of work-related trauma on labor and delivery clinician or considered whether it may be a cause of burnout. This study aims to elicit labor and delivery clinician perspectives on the impact of exposure to traumatic births on their professional quality of life.

Methods: Labor and delivery clinicians (physicians, midwives, nurse practitioners, and nurses; n = 165) were recruited to complete an online questionnaire on experiences with traumatic births.

Frequency of Prenatal Care Visits: Protocol to Develop a Core Outcome Set for Prenatal Care Schedules.

Background: Prenatal care, one of the most common preventive care services in the United States, endeavors to improve pregnancy outcomes through evidence-based screenings and interventions. Despite the prevalence of prenatal care and its importance to maternal and infant health, there are several debates about the best methods of prenatal care delivery, including the most appropriate schedule frequency and content of prenatal visits. Current US national guidelines recommend that low-risk individuals receive a standard schedule of 12 to 14 in-office visits, a care delivery model that has remained unchanged for almost a century.

The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care.

The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022 reversed precedent which had previously protected abortion prior to fetal viability as a universal right within the United States. This decision almost immediately led to abortion restrictions across 25 states.