Characterization of potentially avoidable cases in a 1-year series of consecutive cesarean sections in the tertiary maternity unit of Guadeloupe (French West Indies).

AIM: The global increase in the rate of cesarean sections (CS) is currently an issue. We aimed to assess the rate of CS locally and to identify cases in which this procedure may have been avoidable. METHODS: In this prospective consecutive series, we analyzed the 478 CS carried out in our unit in 2009. We analyzed the characteristics of each case, and classified each as potentially avoidable or unavoidable. RESULTS: The total rate of CS was 24.0%, including 1.7% that was scored as potentially avoidable. Parity, gestational age at birth, birthweight, cases requiring cervical ripening, cases of labor induction, and CS during labor were all significantly higher or more frequent among potentially avoidable CS. Multivariate analysis indicated that the risk of potentially avoidable CS was positively associated with gestational age and tended to be negatively associated with parity. The main indications for potentially avoidable CS were cervical dystocia and abnormal fetal heart rate, and for unavoidable CS they were abnormal fetal heart rate and history of previous CS. CONCLUSION: Labor, especially when induced, seems to be the key period for the prevention of 'avoidable' CS. This is particularly important given that potentially avoidable CS are more frequently associated with uncomplicated pregnancies than are unavoidable CS. A woman's first CS increases the likelihood of CS for subsequent deliveries, so the prevention of the first CS is a key aim for reducing the overall rate of CS.

Monozygotic multiple pregnancies following IVF: a case report series of rare experience.

Monozygotic multiple pregnancies are three times more common after assisted reproduction (with or without IVF) than after spontaneous conception (1.2% versus 0.4%). These pregnancies are associated with multiple maternal and fetal risks. This article is a description of nine cases of monozygotic pregnancies following IVF at the OVO Clinic (Montreal) between January 2007 and August 2011 and a scientific review of the literature on monozygotic multiple pregnancies after assisted reproductive treatment found in the MEDLINE and Cochrane Databases. In this retrospective series, 3522 embryos were transferred and 1033 pregnancies were obtained, of which there were nine monozygotics (0.87%). The exact mechanism behind this increased frequency remains uncertain. Possible explanations associated with fertility treatments include alterations of the zona pellucida, transfers at the blastocyst stage, prolonged culture, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, ovarian stimulation and maternal age. Assisted reproduction treatment appears to increase monozygotic pregnancies; however, the rate is still low and therefore it is difficult to exactly conclude the real mechanism. There are two types of multiple pregnancy: the dizygotic (two different embryos) and the monozygotic (one embryo which splits to make two identical genetic embryos). We know the risk factors for dizygotic pregnancies, but the mechanism of monozygotic pregnancies remains unclear. Assisted reproduction treatment seems to increase the multiple monozygotic pregnancy rate to 3-times more than that in nature. Several possibilities could be suspected as responsible for these monozygotic multiple pregnancies - advanced maternal age, alterations of the zona pellucida, transfers at the blastocyst stage, prolonged culture and ovarian stimulation - but a absolute explanation is not yet defined. This article is a scientific review of the literature on monozygotic multiple pregnancies after IVF treatment and a description of nine cases following IVF treatment at the OVO Clinic in Montreal between January 2007 and August 2011. The bibliographic references were found in the Medline and Cochrane Database.