Knowledge, perception, and protective measures of Turkish pregnant women towards COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on anxiety levels.

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of pregnant women regarding COVID-19 while evaluating the ability of protective measures and their effects on the level of anxiety during this pandemic. Using a prospective cross-sectional survey, 304 pregnant women attending prenatal polyclinics were included in our study between June 10 and July 10, 2020. The mean age of participants was 29.2 ± 6.0 years. The median gestational week was 25, ranging from 25 to 40 weeks of gestation. There was no significant correlation between a gestational week or complicated pregnancy and anxiety. Most participants possessed adequate knowledge and practical skills concerning Covid-19. Women with adequate knowledge were found to be statistically related to a high practice skills score and lower anxiety levels. Good knowledge levels are related to good practice skills and lower anxiety levels. Although pregnancy is not currently considered a risk factor, we believe it is vital to inform pregnant women about COVID-19 since they are naturally prone to mental problems and respiratory infections during pregnancy. Therefore, healthcare professionals should be encouraged to play an active role in this issue, replacing social media, a common source of misinformation for this target demographic.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? The prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant women increased significantly after the declaration of human-to-human transmission and the increasingly rapid spread of COVID-19.What do the results of this study add? Pregnant women with good knowledge of COVID-19 were found to have adequate practice skills and lower anxiety levels.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The act of informing pregnant women is essential in reducing anxiety levels and taking more accurate measures against COVID-19 because high levels of anxiety and depression can have long-term effects on maternal and foetal health. To minimise the potential for information pollution on social media, health professionals must play a more significant role in informing pregnant women and provide evidence-based information to pregnant women about the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy.

The effects of progesterone treatment on nuchal translucency in women with threatened miscarriage.

This study aims to investigate the effects of progesterone on the possible changes in nuchal translucency (NT) levels for patients diagnosed with threatened miscarriage. The study group was composed of 125 patients diagnosed with threatened miscarriage and taking 400 mg/day micronized orally progesterone at least for two weeks, the control group was composed of 160 healthy pregnant women not taking any progesterone. Crown rump length (CRL) NT thickness, Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), free beta human chorionic gonadotropin (Beta-HCG) levels of patients were measured for assessment of aneuploidy risk. Both of the groups were divided into four subgroups to determine the relationship between thickness of NT and progesterone use for specific CRL measurements. CRL in the first, second, third and fourth group was 45-55 mm, 55-65 mm, 65-75 mm, 75-84 mm, respectively. The two groups were age and BMI matched. In all groups of CRL there were no significant difference in Mom levels of NT thickness, PAPP-A and free Beta-HCG between the study and control groups. There havent been any relation between NT thickness and progesterone use.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known about this subject? Recently some studies have claimed that progesterone use might have caused atypical blood flow pattern on foetal circulation, which could possibly increase NT. If the NT thickness is affected by the use of progesterone, then the false positive rate of detecting Down Syndrome screening tests would increase.What the results of this study add? In this study we did not found any relation between NT thickness and progesterone use.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Using orally progesterone due to threatened miscarriage do not change NT thickness levels. Further studies have to be done with a large number of participants.

Effects of laparoscopic cystectomy on ovarian reserve in patients with endometrioma and dermoid cyst.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of laparoscopic cystectomy on ovarian reserve between women with endometrioma and dermoid cyst. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients were diagnosed as having endometrioma (group A) and 32 patients with dermoid cyst (group B) using ultrasonography. Preoperative anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels were measured and unilateral antral follicle counts (AFC) were calculated for the ovary side containing the cyst. Laparoscopic cystectomy was performed using the stripping technique for all participants. After 3 months, all participants were re-evaluated between the third and sixth day of their menstrual cycle to determine AFC and AMH levels. RESULTS: The mean serum preoperative AMH level and AFC level were significantly lower in group A than in group B (p=0.001, p=0.002), respectively. At 3 months after the surgery, serum AMH levels decreased significantly in group A from 2.04±0.68 to 1.47±0.55 (p=0.001), and from 2.60±0.57 to 2.17±0.56 in group B (p=0.001). In group A, unilateral (operated side) AFC levels decreased significantly from 4.05±1.24 to 2.16±0.94 (p=0.001), and in group B, it decreased significantly from 4.93±0.94 to 3.40±0.87 (p=0.001). The decrease in AMH levels was significantly higher in group A than in group B (p=0.033). The decrease in AFC levels was also significantly higher in group A than in group B (p=0.044). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic stripping has destructive effects on serum AMH levels and the operated side AFC levels after surgery for patients with endometrioma and dermoid cysts, and laparoscopic excision of endometrioma has more destructive effects on ovarian reserve than dermoid cysts.

Effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on obstetric outcomes within 12 months after surgery.

AIM: To determine the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of pregnant patients having undergone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in the previous 12 months. METHODS: This retrospective and observational study included 144 pregnant women: 48 had pregnancies within 12 months after LSG (Group A), 42 became pregnant more than 1 year after surgery (Group B) and 54 obese pregnant women who had a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 , were categorized as the control group because they did not undergo surgery (Group C). The participants' early gestational BMI, predelivery BMI and gestational weight gain were determined and the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of the groups were compared. RESULTS: The time interval from surgery to conception was 7.8 ± 3.4 months and 25.8 ± 13.4 months for Groups A and B, respectively (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the rates of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and cesarean section between the groups. The number of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in Group C than in Groups A and B (P = 0.004). The number of large-for-gestational-age infants was higher in Group C than in Groups A and B (P = 0.046). The number of small-for-gestational-age infants was significantly higher in Group A than in Groups B and C (P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy within one year after LSG is related to an increased risk of small-for-gestational-age infants. LSG decreases the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus independent of the time interval between surgery and conception.