The Impact of COVID-19 on Postpartum Depression and the Responsibility of the Healthcare System.

Peripartum depression is a common complication of pregnancy with the potential for dangerous consequences to maternal and infant health if left untreated. The disorder was previously classified as a global public health issue due to the high prevalence of the disorder and the mismatch between available treatment options and successful completion of those options. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased the incidence of mental health disorders globally, with an even greater effect on peripartum mothers. A preliminary study on fetal implications suggests the resulting increased maternal stress and depressive mood symptoms correlates to worsened fetal brain development. The pandemic highlighted existing barriers to the treatment of peripartum mood disorders. The drastic increase in the use of telemedicine as a modality of treatment in response to the public health crisis has the potential to address some of these barriers. Future global disasters are inevitable with peripartum mothers highly susceptible to worsened mental health outcomes. We are thus highlighting the responsibility of clinicians, professional organizations, and policymakers to support, identify, and facilitate the treatment of postpartum depression for this vulnerable population to prevent short-term and long-term repercussions.

Derivation and assessment of a sex-specific fetal growth standard.

PURPOSE: To derive a prescriptive sex-specific fetal growth standard and assess clinical management and outcomes according to sex-specific growth status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b), a prospective observational study of 10,038 nulliparas from eight U.S. centers who underwent ultrasounds at 14-20 and 22-29 weeks with outcomes ascertained after delivery. From these, we selected a nested cohort of lower risk participants (excluded those with chronic hypertension, pre-gestational diabetes, suspected aneuploidy, and preterm delivery) to derive a sex-specific equation for expected fetal growth using fetal weights by ultrasound and at birth. We compared the male-female discrepancy in the rate of weight <10th (small for gestational age [SGA]) and >90th (large for gestational age [LGA]) percentiles between the sex-specific and sex-neutral (Hadlock) standards. Using the full unselected cohort, we then assessed outcomes and clinical management according to sex-specific SGA and LGA status. RESULTS: Overall, 7280 infants in the lower risk nested cohort were used to derive a sex-specific equation with fetal sex included as an equation intercept. The sex-neutral standard diagnosed SGA more often in female newborns (21% vs. 13%, p < .001) and LGA more often in male newborns (5% vs. 3%, p < .001). The sex-specific standard resolved these disparities (SGA: 9% vs. 10%, p = .23; LGA: 13% vs. 13%, p = .58). To approximate an unselected population, 1059 participants initially excluded for risk factors for abnormal growth were then included for our secondary objective (N = 8339). In this unselected cohort, 39% (95% CI 37.0-42.0%) of the 1498 newborns classified as SGA by the sex-neutral standard were reclassified as appropriate for gestational age (AGA) by the sex-specific standard. These reclassified newborns were more likely to be delivered for growth restriction despite having lower risk of morbidity (females) or comparable risk of morbidity (males) compared to newborns considered AGA by both methods. Of the 6485 newborns considered AGA by the sex-neutral standard, 737 (11.4%, 95% CI 10.6-12.2%) were reclassified as LGA by the sex-specific standard. These reclassified newborns had higher rates of cesarean for arrest of descent, cesarean for arrest of dilation, and shoulder dystocia than newborns considered AGA by both methods. None were reclassified from LGA to AGA by the sex-specific standard. CONCLUSION: The Hadlock sex-neutral standard generates sex disparities in SGA and LGA at birth. Our sex-specific standard resolves these disparities and has the potential to improve accuracy of growth pathology risk stratification.

Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity (AWARE) Faculty Seminar Series: Program Design and Implementation.

INTRODUCTION: In the wake of George Floyd's murder, White faculty in our department began to express the desire to gain a greater understanding of structural racism and racial inequity. To facilitate this learning, support allyship, and mitigate the emotional labor and taxation that frequently falls on faculty of color to respond to these appeals, we developed AWARE (Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity), a faculty seminar series primarily designed for and led by a majority White faculty to tackle the topics of structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racist action. METHODS: We developed a 6-session seminar series, identifying 5 White faculty as lecturers and a cadre of Black and White volunteer facilitators, to lead 60-minute sessions comprised of lecture, facilitated small group reflection, and large group sharing, that reviewed key topics/texts on structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism. RESULTS: Attendance ranged from 26 to 37 participants at each session. About 80% of faculty participated in at least 1 session of the program. The majority of participants (85%) felt "more empowered to influence their current environment to be more inclusive of others" and were "better equipped to advocate for themselves or others." Most (81%) felt "more connected to their colleagues following completion of the program." Ultimately, faculty thought highly of the program upon completion with 26/27 (96%) stating they would recommend the program to a colleague. DISCUSSION: We offer a reproducible model to improve departmental climate by engaging in the shared labor of educating our colleagues and communities about structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism to create a point of entry into reflection, dialogue, and deliberate actions for change.