Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine

OBJECTIVES: Use of ultrasonography has been suggested as an accurate adjunct to clinical evaluation of fetal position and station during labor. There are no available reports concerning its actual use in delivery wards. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the current practice regarding the use of ultrasonography during labor. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to members of the Italian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology employed in delivery wards...

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The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) acknowledges gun violence as a public health crisis in the United States, with a significant impact on pregnant and postpartum people. We recognize the urgent need for a robust, equitable, data-driven approach to mitigate the impact of access to firearms and accompanying violence on pregnant and postpartum individuals and communities. As such, SMFM endorses the following policy principles: - SMFM calls on relevant government agencies and public funders to support and finance anti-violence and firearm safety research, public health surveillance activities, education, and other initiatives...

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) supports the right of all individuals to access the full spectrum of reproductive health services, including abortion care. Reproductive health decisions are best made by each individual with guidance and support from their healthcare providers.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine supports federal and state policies that expand Medicaid eligibility and extend Medicaid coverage through 12 months postpartum to address the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis and improve health equity. Access to coverage is essential to optimize maternal health following pregnancy and childbirth and avoid preventable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality that extend throughout the first year postpartum. The Society opposes policies such as work requirements or limitations on coverage for undocumented individuals that unnecessarily impose restrictions on Medicaid eligibility for beneficiaries...

OBJECTIVE(S): The recommended mode of delivery following pelvic ring fractures with surgical fixation is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess expert opinions from orthopaedic surgeons and obstetrician gynecologists on their recommended delivery recommendations for pregnant individuals with a history of pelvic ring injury, and to see if there was any difference in recommendations between the two specialties, and what factors influenced recommendations. STUDY DESIGN: An electronic, web-based survey was administered to a convenience sample of orthopaedic surgeons and obstetrician gynecologists, via advertisement to members of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, and querying obstetrician gynecologists practicing within the Military Health System...

IMPORTANCE: In pregnancy, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) represents short fragments of placental DNA released into the maternal blood stream through natural cell death. Noninvasive prenatal screening with cfDNA is commonly used in pregnancy to screen for common aneuploidies. This technology continues to evolve, and laboratories now offer cfDNA screening for single-gene disorders. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to review cfDNA screening for single-gene disorders including the technology, current syndromes for which screening may be offered, limitations, and current recommendations...

OBJECTIVE: To describe international surveillance and treatment strategies for managing anti-SSA/Ro autoantibody positive pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: An electronic REDCap questionnaire was distributed to Fetal Heart Society and North American Fetal Therapy Network members which queried institution-based risk stratification, surveillance methods/frequency, conduction abnormality treatments, and postnatal anti-SSA/Ro pregnancy assessment. RESULTS: 101 responses from 59 centers (59% US, 17% international) were collected...

Prednisone, a widely used glucocorticoid drug in human and veterinary medicine, has been reported to cause developmental toxicity. However, systematic studies about the effect of prednisone on fetal liver development are still unclear. We investigated the potential effects of maternal exposure to clinically equivalent doses of prednisone during different gestational stages on cell proliferation and apoptosis, cell differentiation, glucose and lipid metabolism, and hematopoiesis in the liver of fetal mice, and explored the potential mechanisms...

BACKGROUND: Accurately identifying cases of hepatitis C virus has important medical and public health consequences. In the setting of rising hepatitis C virus prevalence and highly effective treatment with direct-acting antivirals, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidelines recently changed to recommend universal screening for hepatitis C virus during pregnancy. However, there is little data on the influence of this policy change on case identification and management. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the influence of universal hepatitis C virus screening on our patient population...

Guidelines for management of first-trimester spontaneous and induced abortion vary regarding RhD testing and Rho(D) immune globulin administration. These existing guidelines are based on limited data that do not convincingly demonstrate the safety of withholding Rho(D) immune globulin for first-trimester abortions or pregnancy losses. Given the adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes associated with RhD alloimmunization, prevention of maternal sensitization is essential in RhD negative patients who may experience subsequent pregnancies...

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasonographic examination is the first-tier test to detect abnormal development of central nervous system (CNS). In optimal conditions, neurosonography can detect all important hallmarks of CNS development. It is, however, not known how the performance of this modality is in a routine setting. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of neurosonography in a time-limited routine setting. STUDY DESIGN: We have performed a prospective study in which we have included a group of pregnant women carrying a fetus with an isolated congenital heart defect (CHD), and a control group of fetuses without structural anomalies...

OBJECTIVE:  The Italian Association of Preeclampsia (AIPE) and the Italian Society of Perinatal Medicine (SIMP) developed clinical questions on maternal hemodynamics state of the art. STUDY DESIGN:  AIPE and SIMP experts were divided in small groups and were invited to propose an overview of the existing literature on specific topics related to the clinical questions proposed, developing, wherever possible, clinical and/or research recommendations based on available evidence, expert opinion, and clinical importance...

Purpose These recommendations issued by the AGG (Section Maternal Diseases in Pregnancy) were developed as a rapid orientation on maternal rheumatic diseases for counselling and disease management in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Methods The standard literature, consensus and position papers, guidelines and recommendations by other specialist associations were evaluated by a task force of the Section and summarized in these recommendations following a joint consensus process. Recommendations This paper provides an orientating overview of the physiology, pathophysiology and definitions of rheumatic diseases which is relevant for gynecologists and obstetricians...

BACKGROUND: Based on single case reports, the COVID-19 Related Obstetric and Neonatal Outcome Study (CRONOS) registry, sponsored by the German Society for Perinatal Medicine (DGPM), investigated the likelihood that SARS-CoV-2 infections of the mother in (early) pregnancy cause embryopathies and/or fetopathies. MATERIAL/METHODS: The CRONOS registry enrolled a total of 8032 women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy at more than 130 participating hospitals from April 2020 to February 2023...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide with peak hospitalization rates for RSV-mediated illnesses between 2 and 3 months of life. Until very recently, prevention strategies for RSV involved primarily passive immunization of neonates at high risk with monoclonal antibodies and promotion of breastfeeding. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommends passive immunization of all neonates with monoclonal antibodies during RSV season, and the American Association of Pediatrics has endorsed this practice...

INTRODUCTION: Saving Babies' Lives Care Bundle Version 2 highlights the importance of correct identification and reporting of echogenic bowel to improve maternal and newborn outcomes. Yet there is no national consensus to guide sonographers in identifying and reporting fetal echogenic bowel. This two-phase study aims to develop a national consensus to guide sonographers on the identification, classification and reporting of fetal echogenic bowel during the Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) second trimester anomaly scan...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) throughout the world continue to increase associated with the increasing rates of obesity. Given this epidemiologic burden, the importance of proper screening, diagnosis, and management cannot be understated. This review focuses on the current screening guidelines utilized throughout the world and new data recently published regarding the most optimal screening techniques and future directions for research. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite unanimous opinion that GDM warrants screening, the optimal screening regimen remains controversial...

BACKGROUND: The investigation of the fetal umbilical-portal venous system is based on the premise that congenital anomalies of this system may be related to adverse perinatal outcomes. Several small retrospective studies have reported an association between umbilical-portal-systemic venous shunts and intrauterine growth restriction. However, the prevalence of portosystemic shunts in the fetal growth restricted population is yet to be determined. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of fetal umbilical-portal-systemic venous shunts in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction and (2) to compare the perinatal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction with and without umbilical-portal-systemic venous shunts...

With all the current misinformation on social media platforms about the COVID-19 vaccine and its potential effects on fertility, it is essential for healthcare providers to have evidenced-based research to educate their patients, especially those who are trying to conceive, of the risks to mothers and fetuses of being unvaccinated. It is well known that COVID-19 infection puts pregnant women at higher risk of complications, including ICU admission, placentitis, stillbirth, and death. In February of 2021, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) released a statement denying any link between COVID vaccination and infertility...