Changes in 13, 14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2alpha levels in saliva during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period.

AIMS: To examine changes in the levels of 13, 14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGFM) in saliva during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period, and to evaluate the relationship between cervical dilatation or contraction interval and salivary PGFM levels during labor. METHODS: This longitudinal study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics in a hospital in Japan that has approximately 500 deliveries per year. Maternal and neonatal data were obtained from medical records. Saliva samples were collected during pregnancy (from 35 to 36 weeks gestation), labor and the postpartum period. RESULTS: Sixty-four healthy pregnant women were recruited and data from 30 subjects were analyzed. Salivary PGFM levels were almost constant during pregnancy, increased as labor progressed and decreased after delivery. Salivary PGFM levels during contraction intervals of 1-2 min were significantly higher than those when contraction intervals were 7-8, 5-6 or 3-4 min. CONCLUSIONS: PGFM levels in saliva significantly increased with labor progression, remained at the highest level until delivery of the placenta, and decreased after delivery. Salivary PGFM levels are related not to cervical dilatation but to contraction interval. It was found that salivary PGFM levels reflected the contraction status of the uterus as delivery progressed.

Perceptions of women and health-care providers in Tokyo of appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.

A mother's underweight status and insufficient weight gain during pregnancy are risk factors for infant low birthweight. Concerns have been raised regarding whether pregnant women are provided with accurate information about weight gain. This study explored how and from whom pregnant women in Tokyo receive information related to body weight. Four focus groups were conducted with nine pregnant women, nine nurse-midwives, and eight obstetricians between March and June 2006. The recorded interviews were content-analyzed. Weight gain was a common concern among the participants, regardless of the women's body size, and sufficient weight gain was rarely mentioned. However, the health-care providers were aware of their lack of expertise and training in behavior modification. Pregnant women consistently expressed a desire for reassurance and praise from health-care providers, which might be a culture-specific phenomenon. The findings point to a need for culturally appropriate and accurate communication about weight gain during pregnancy.

Adapting the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire for Japanese pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychometric properties of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) for women who read and speak Japanese. DESIGN: This longitudinal study used a self-report questionnaire and quantitative biometric and instrumental measurements (actigraph) to assess the reliability and criterion validity. SETTING: A university hospital in Tokyo, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-nine pregnant women living in Tokyo and its suburbs were recruited. METHODS: The test-retest reliability of the Japanese version of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ-J) was evaluated through intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between PPAQ-J results administered three times (at recruitment, 7 and 14 days later). Criterion validity was assessed by comparing results to actigraph measures using Spearman's correlation coefficients. Participants wore the actigraph over the 2-week research period. Data from 58 participants were analyzed for test-retest reliability. The data of 54 participants were used to analyze criterion validity. RESULTS: The ICCs for the first and second and for the first and third PPAQ-J questionnaires were ≥0.56 for total activity and activities broken down by intensity and type (in metabolic equivalents [METs] × hours/day). To evaluate criterion validity, Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated between the first measurement of the PPAQ-J and three published cut-points used to classify actigraph data (minutes/day); correlations ranged from .02 to .35 for total activity, -.21 to -.25 for vigorous activity, -.09 to .38 for moderate activity, and .01 to .28 for light activity. CONCLUSION: The PPAQ-J is a psychometrically sound and comprehensive measure of physical activity in pregnant Japanese women.