Can the date of last menstrual period be trusted in the first trimester? Comparisons of gestational age measures from a prospective cohort study in six low-income to middle-income countries.

Objectives: We examined gestational age (GA) estimates for live and still births, and prematurity rates based on last menstrual period (LMP) compared with ultrasonography (USG) among pregnant women at seven sites in six low-resource countries.

Design: Prospective cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included data from the Global Network's population-based Maternal and Newborn Health Registry which follows pregnant women in six low-income and middle-income countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia). Participants in this analysis were 42 803 women, including their 43 230 babies, who registered for the study in their first trimester based on GA estimated either by LMP or USG and had a live or stillbirth with an estimated GA of 20-42 weeks.

Building a predictive model of low birth weight in low- and middle-income countries: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW, < 2500 g) infants are at significant risk for death and disability. Improving outcomes for LBW infants requires access to advanced neonatal care, which is a limited resource in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Predictive modeling might be useful in LMICs to identify mothers at high-risk of delivering a LBW infant to facilitate referral to centers capable of treating these infants.

Associations between ambient temperature and pregnancy outcomes from three south Asian sites of the Global Network Maternal Newborn Health Registry: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Growing evidence suggests that environmental heat stress negatively influences fetal growth and pregnancy outcomes. However, few studies have examined the impact of heat stress on pregnancy outcomes in low-resource settings. We combined data from a large multi-country maternal-child health registry and meteorological data to assess the impacts of heat stress.

Copy number variants and fetal structural abnormalities in stillborn fetuses: A secondary analysis of the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network study.

Objective: To examine the association of placental and fetal DNA copy number variants (CNVs) with fetal structural malformations (FSMs) in stillborn fetuses.

Design: A secondary analysis of stillbirth cases in the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) study.

Setting: Multicenter, 59 hospitals in five geographic regions in the USA.

Copy number variants and placental abnormalities in stillborn fetuses: A secondary analysis of the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network study.

Objective: To examine the association of fetal/placental DNA copy number variants (CNVs) with pathologic placental lesions (PPLs) in pregnancies complicated by stillbirth.

Design: A secondary analysis of stillbirth cases in the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network case-control study.

Setting: Multicenter, 59 hospitals in five geographical regions in the USA.

DLK1: A Novel Biomarker of Placental Insufficiency in Stillbirth and Live Birth.

Objective: Delta-like homolog 1 (DLK1) is a growth factor that is reduced in maternal sera in pregnancies with small for gestational age neonates. We sought to determine if DLK1 is associated with stillbirth (SB), with and without placental insufficiency.

Study Design: A nested case-control study was performed using maternal sera from a multicenter case-control study of SB and live birth (LB).

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy in 7 low- and middle-income countries: An observational trial from the Global Network for Women and Children's Health Research.

Objectives: We sought to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women regarding COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy in seven low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Design: Prospective, observational, population-based study.

Settings: Study areas in seven LMICs: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya and Zambia.

Health care in pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and pregnancy outcomes in six low- and-middle-income countries: Evidence from a prospective, observational registry of the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health.

Objective: To assess, on a population basis, the medical care for pregnant women in specific geographic regions of six countries before and during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in relationship to pregnancy outcomes.

Design: Prospective, population-based study.

Setting: Communities in Kenya, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, India and Guatemala.

Association between aspirin use during pregnancy and cardiovascular risk factors 2-7 years after delivery: The nuMoM2b Heart Health Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between aspirin use during first pregnancy and later maternal cardiovascular risk.

Study Design: In this secondary analysis of a prospective cohort, we included participants who carried their first pregnancy to 20 + weeks, had data regarding aspirin use, and attended a study visit 2-7 years following delivery. The exposure was aspirin use during the first pregnancy.

U-Shaped Association between Maternal Hemoglobin and Low Birth Weight in Rural Bangladesh.

Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with a higher risk of neonatal mortality and the development of adult-onset chronic disease. Understanding the ongoing contribution of maternal hemoglobin (Hgb) levels to the incidence of LBW in South Asia is crucial to achieve the World Health Assembly global nutrition target of a 30% reduction in LBW by 2025. We enrolled pregnant women from the rural Tangail District of Bangladesh in a Maternal Newborn Health Registry established under The Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research.

Rates and risk factors for preterm birth and low birthweight in the global network sites in six low- and low middle-income countries.

Background: Preterm birth continues to be a major public health problem contributing to 75% of the neonatal mortality worldwide. Low birth weight (LBW) is an important but imperfect surrogate for prematurity when accurate assessment of gestational age is not possible. While there is overlap between preterm birth and LBW newborns, those that are both premature and LBW are at the highest risk of adverse neonatal outcomes.

Characteristics of Stillbirths Associated With Diabetes in a Diverse U.S. Cohort.

Objective: To characterize stillbirths associated with pregestational diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a large, prospective, U.S. case-control study.

Growth from Birth Through Six Months for Infants of Mothers in the "Women First" Preconception Maternal Nutrition Trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether the fetal linear growth effects of maternal nutrition supplementation would be maintained through 6 months postnatal age.

Study Design: The Women First trial was a multicountry, individually randomized clinical trial that compared the impact of maternal nutrition supplementation initiated preconception (Arm 1) vs at ∼11 weeks of gestation (Arm 2), vs no supplement (Arm 3); the intervention was discontinued at delivery. Trial sites were in Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, and Pakistan.

Umbilical Cord Abnormalities and Stillbirth.

Objective: Umbilical cord abnormalities are commonly cited as a cause of stillbirth, but details regarding these stillbirths are rare. Our objective was to characterize stillbirths associated with umbilical cord abnormalities using rigorous criteria and to examine associated risk factors.

Methods: The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network conducted a case-control study of stillbirth and live births from 2006 to 2008.

Preconception nutrition intervention improved birth length and reduced stunting and wasting in newborns in South Asia: The Women First Randomized Controlled Trial.

South Asia has >50% of the global burden of low birth weight (LBW). The objective was to determine the extent to which maternal nutrition interventions commenced before conception or in the 1st trimester improved fetal growth in this region. This was a secondary analysis of combined newborn anthropometric data for the South Asian sites (India and Pakistan) in the Women First Preconception Maternal Nutrition Trial.

Stillbirth Associated With Infection in a Diverse U.S. Cohort.

Objective: To better characterize infection-related stillbirth in terms of pathogenesis and microbiology.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of 512 stillbirths in a prospective, multisite, geographically, racially and ethnically diverse, population-based study of stillbirth in the United States. Cases underwent evaluation that included maternal interview, chart abstraction, biospecimen collection, fetal autopsy, and placental pathology.

Findings in Stillbirths Associated with Placental Disease.

Objective: Placental disease is a leading cause of stillbirth. Our purpose was to characterize stillbirths associated with placental disease.

Study Design: The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network conducted a prospective, case-control study of stillbirths and live births from 2006 to 2008.

A multicountry randomized controlled trial of comprehensive maternal nutrition supplementation initiated before conception: the Women First trial.

Background: Reported benefits of maternal nutrition supplements commenced during pregnancy in low-resource populations have typically been quite limited.

Objectives: This study tested the effects on newborn size, especially length, of commencing nutrition supplements for women in low-resource populations ≥3 mo before conception (Arm 1), compared with the same supplement commenced late in the first trimester of pregnancy (Arm 2) or not at all (control Arm 3).

Methods: Women First was a 3-arm individualized randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Association of participation in a supplemental nutrition program with stillbirth by race, ethnicity, and maternal characteristics.

Background: Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has been associated with lower risk of stillbirth. We hypothesized that such an association would differ by race/ethnicity because of factors associated with WIC participation that confound the association.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network's population-based case-control study of stillbirths and live-born controls, enrolled at delivery between March 2006 and September 2008.

Stillbirth, Inflammatory Markers, and Obesity: Results from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network.

Background: Obesity is associated with increased risk of stillbirth, although the mechanisms are unknown. Obesity is also associated with inflammation. Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, and histologic chorioamnionitis are all markers of inflammation.

Smith-Lemli-Opitz Mutations in Unexplained Stillbirths.

Objective: Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is an autosomal recessive syndrome caused by a defect in cholesterol biosynthesis with mutations in 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7). A total of 3% of Caucasians carry DHCR7 mutations, theoretically resulting in a homozygote frequency of 1/4000. However, SLOS occurs in only 1/20,000 to 60,000 live births.

Potentially Preventable Stillbirth in a Diverse U.S. Cohort.

Objective: To estimate the proportion of potentially preventable stillbirths in the United States.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of 512 stillbirths with complete evaluation enrolled in the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network from 2006 to 2008. The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network was a multisite, geographically, racially, and ethnically diverse, population-based case-control study of stillbirth in the United States.