The effects of gestational diabetes on lower urinary tract symptoms of pregnant women: a case-control study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common health problems in pregnant women. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate the effects of GDM on LUTS in pregnant women. This study was conducted with 44 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM and 44 pregnant without GDM. Patients with GDM had significantly lower likelihood of experiencing urgency (7.069-fold lower likelihood); whereas they had significantly greater likelihoods for urinary incontinence (UI) during sexual intercourse (OR: 0.185; 5.4-fold higher), need for clothing change due to UI (OR: 0.268; 3.7-fold higher), and adverse effects on daily life due to UI (OR: 0.338; 2.9-fold higher) compared to women without GDM (p < .05 for all). Although pregnant women with GDM appear to have a lower likelihood of urgency, this may be associated with the adverse effects of GDM since the likelihoods for UI-related outcomes were increased and quality of life was reduced among pregnant women with GDM compared to those without GDM.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are very common among pregnant women, and negatively affect social, sexual and working life. There are many risk factors that affect the development of LUTS in pregnant women. It is stated that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may be a predisposing factor in the development of LUTS in women.What do the results of this study add? Women with GDM experienced storage symptoms at a lower frequency (especially urgency) compared to the control group. In addition, we determined worse quality of life among women with GDM who experienced a greater frequency of urinary incontinence.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? It may be beneficial to provide training on the prevention and management of LUTS to all pregnant women, especially women with GDM, and to increase the sensitivity of health professionals on the subject.

Comparison of elasticity values in normal and gestational diabetic pregnancies in the third trimester.

Placental elasticity was compared by using Shear wave elastography (SWE) in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with and without insulin to non-diabetic controls. Three groups were created as follows: Group 1 (n = 79, GDM with insulin therapy), Group 2 (n = 90, GDM with only diet) and Group 3 (n = 150, healthy controls) All patients were above 36 gestational weeks with anterior placenta. Clinical trial number was also received (NCT04455880). Group 1 had higher BMI while group 3 had lowest rate of C/S. Birthweight in GDM groups was statistically significantly higher than controls (p = .001). Although there was no significant difference between APGAR scores, Group 1 had higher rates of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. SWE values were significantly higher in GDM patients treated with insulin or diet than controls. SWE may be an alternatively supplementary management modality in GDM.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Shear wave elastography (SWE), is one of the types of sono elastography methods that are used to measure the stiffness and elasticity of soft tissues. Recently, it became popular for screening the stiffness and elasticity of the placenta in high-risk pregnancies like preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and placental dysfunction.What the results of this study add? All SWE velocities on the maternal side were statistically significantly different between groups. Regarding foetal side velocities, GDM groups had statistically significantly higher values (stiffer tissue) compared to controls.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? SWE may be a Supplementary method in the diagnosis and management of GDM. Placental SWE should be measured at 24-28 weeks of gestation in patients with GDM and diagnosis confirmation and their responses to the treatment should be examined.

Clinical characteristics and hematological parameters associated with disease severity in COVID-19 positive pregnant women undergoing cesarean section: A single-center experience.

AIM: The study aimed to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 undergoing cesarean section, and evaluated the association of blood values at admission with severe COVID-19 disease in this group of patients. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 110 patients infected with COVID-19 who underwent cesarean section at Adana City Education and Research Hospital in Turkey. The COVID-19 severity of the patients was classified as either severe or nonsevere disease according to World Health Organization of COVID-19 clinical management guidance. We compared blood values, clinical characteristics, and outcomes between severe and nonsevere patients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analyses and area under the ROC curve (AUC) value was calculated to evaluate the predictive value of blood parameters on the COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: Of the 110 women, 12 were severe cases. Severe patients had higher ferritin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and procalcitonin levels on admission (p < 0.05). The ROC analysis demonstrated AUC of NLR, LDH, AST, ALT, ferritin, and procalcitonin was 0.757, 0.856, 0.840, 0.771, 0.821, and 0.698, respectively. The LDH had a maximum specificity (90.8%), with the cutoff value of 365. The O-blood group was more likely to have severe illness than the non-O-blood group (relative risk: 3.6; 95% confidence interval; 1.2-10.4). CONCLUSION: This study shows that LDH values at admission are an early and powerful predictor of severe infection for pregnant women with COVID-19 who will undergo a cesarean section.

Homocysteine and C-reactive Protein Levels in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in infertile women characterized by both reproductive and metabolic dysfunctions of different degrees. Furthermore, it has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and related long-term health sequela. The aim of this study is to evaluate serum homocysteine (Hcy) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in women with PCOS and to evaluate their relationship with clinical and laboratory parameters in women with PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prospective single-center study included 45 women with PCOS (study group) and 41 control subjects. Demographic variables and Hcy, CRP, fasting blood glucose, insulin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, total and free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, and lipid profiles of the subjects were recorded. homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) indexes were calculated. RESULTS: Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, free and total testosterone levels, and clinical hirsutism were significantly higher in the study group. There was no statistically significant difference in lipid profile between groups. Hcy and CRP levels were higher in the study group, which was not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Some of the parameters that are correlated with CVD risk were found to be higher in women with PCOS, although the difference for Hcy and CRP did not reach statistical significance. However, the current study reveals that the CVD risk associated with PCOS deserves more comprehensive prospective studies with long-term outcomes.

Adiponectin and leptin levels in normal weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Since polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is prevalent in reproductive women with obesity and insulin resistance, adipocytokines are often accused and investigated for pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adiponectin and leptin levels in normal-weight women with PCOS. METHODS: Forty women with PCOS and 40 age and body mass index (BMI) matched controls were included in the study. Adiponectin and leptin levels in addition to other biochemical parameters were measured. RESULTS: Leptin levels were statistically significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (6.53 ± 2.670 vs 3.37 ± 2.002 ng/mL, p < 0.001 respectively). Although Adiponectin levels were lower in the study group compared to the control group (28.89 ± 16.124 µg/mL vs 31.05 ± 20.507, p = 0.714 respectively) the difference did not reach statistical significance. Leptin levels were positively correlated with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, free testosterone levels and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values. Adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin and leptin have been suggested to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Different adipocytokine levels in the normal weight PCOS group compared to age and BMI matched controls support the idea that adipose tissue in this group of women has some distinctive features not only in high BMI subgroup but also in normal weight subgroup.

The effect of increased amnion volume severity on fetal Doppler indices and perinatal outcomes in idiopathic polyhydramnios.

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between polyhydramnios severity and alterations in Doppler indices and perinatal outcomes in idiopathic polyhydramnios.Methods: This prospective case control study was conducted in a tertiary hospital with 173 singleton pregnancies between 29 and 41 weeks gestational age between May 2015 and December 2016. Polyhydroamnios is classified as mild (amniotic fluid index 25-30 cm), moderate (30.1-35 cm), and severe (>35 cm) and the number of the patients in mild, moderate, and severe groups were 55, 39, and 26, respectively. The results were compared with 53 healthy controls. Fetal echocardiography and Doppler measurements of the groups were made and the perinatal outcomes from each group were noted. The relationship between the results and the severity of polyhydramnios was analyzed statistically.Results: The myocardial performance index was significantly higher in the fetuses of women with severe polyhydramnios compared to the other groups (p = .006). There were statistically significant differences among the groups in terms of first and fifth minutes according to the Apgar scores (p = .011, p = .016 respectively). In the severe polyhydramnios group compared with other groups, the middle cerebral artery pulstatility index was significantly lower (p = .002), while middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity and umbilical artery pulstatility index values were significantly higher (p = .0001, p = .045).Conclusions: Our study showed an increase in myocardial performance index and middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity values and a decrease in middle cerebral artery pulstatility index values, especially in the severe idiopathic polyhydramnios group. Idiopathic polyhydramnios were associated with low first and fifth minute Apgar score. Additionally, the increase in umbilical artery pulstatility index value and the decrease in middle cerebral artery pulstatility index value became more apparent with the increase in amniotic fluid volume. It should be taken into consideration that brain sparing effect may develop especially in cases with severe polyhydramnios.

Prediction of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome via pulmonary artery Doppler examination.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed with this study to evaluate the role of pulmonary artery acceleration time to ejection time ratio (PATET) in the prediction of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 105 singleton pregnant women with no congenital abnormalities and pregnancy complications who delivered before 37 weeks of gestational age were included. All the patients underwent ultrasound examination to obtain fetal pulmonary artery Doppler. 15 patients were excluded from the study as they did not give birth within 3 days subsequent to ultrasound examination, or inadequate Doppler measurements. After delivery the neonates were grouped according to diagnosis of RDS as RDS + and RDS-. RESULTS: One hundred five women met the inclusion criteria. Regarding the Doppler findings; only the PATET ratio was significantly different between the groups (0.2965 ± 0.042 versus 0.386 ± 0.068 p < .001, Z = -5.206). There was an inverse correlation between the diagnosis of RDS in the neonates and the PATET values, even after adjusted for gestational age estimated fetal weight and fetal gender (r = -0.52 and p = .0017). A cut-off value of 0.327 provided optimal specificity of 77.1%, a sensitivity of 90.9%, a negative predictive value of 95.4%, and a positive predictive value 52.7%. CONCLUSIONS: In consideration of these results fetal PATET ratio is a promising noninvasive tool to predict RDS in cases of preterm deliveries.

Saline Infusion Sonography Can Improve Outcome in Subsequent ICSI Cycles When No Intrauterine Pathology Is Detected.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the benefits of saline infusion sonography (SIS).due to its endometrial injury effect on outcomes of subsequent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. STUDY DESIGN: This study is a retrospective anal- ysis of 398 patients under- going ICSI cycles. The bio- chemical and clinical preg- nancy rates of 45 patients who underwent SIS prior to starting an ICSI cycle were compared to those of controls. RESULTS: Endometrial thickness was significantly higher in patients who underwent SIS (p=0.016). The biochemical pregnancy rate was statistically significant- ly higher in the SIS group than in the control group (p=0.040). The clinical pregnancy rate was 55.56% in patients who underwent SIS, while it was only 39.09% in the control group. The difference was statistically sig- nificant (p=0.037). CONCLUSION: .SIS can be used to assess the endome- trial cavity prior to ICSI cycle; moreover, SIS might be associated with improved outcomes when no intrauterine pathology is detected. Confirmation of this finding via future robust randomized trials is needed and would be useful to further guide clinical practice.

Prematurity: is it a risk factor for striae distensae?

BACKGROUND: Although the causes of striae distensae (SD) remain to be elucidated, the condition is known to relate to changes in the structures that provide the skin with its tensile strength and elasticity. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate whether premature birth is a risk factor for SD. METHODS: A total of 15,475 parous women ranging in age from 18-45 years were interviewed between January 2007 and June 2009. After exclusion criteria were applied, a total of 1336 women were included in the study. Group 1 consisted of 1231 women of reproductive age who had been born at term. Group 2 included 105 women of reproductive age who had been born prematurely. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of SD. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of SD was 34.6% (462/1336). Mild SD was significantly more common (P < 0.01) in women who had been born prematurely (49.5%) than in women who had been born at term (31.8%). A multivariate analysis using backward stepwise logistic regression analysis identified that height, weight, gravidity, parity and abortion were found to be significantly associated with SD. CONCLUSIONS: Striae distensae was significantly more common in women who had been born prematurely than in women who had been born at term.