Postterm Pregnancy
FIGURE 43-1 Rates of induction by gestational age among non-Hispanic white singleton livebirths ≥ 37 weeks from 1992 through 2003. (Redrawn from Zhang, 2010, with permission.) There are contradictory findings…
Fetal Disorders
Red Cell Alloimmunization There are currently 30 different blood group systems and 328 red cell antigens recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (Storry, 2011). Although some of these…
Placental Abnormalities
NORMAL PLACENTA Placental abnormalities are better understood with knowledge of placental implantation, development, and anatomy presented in Chapter 5 (p. 88). At term, the “typical” placenta weighs 470 g, is…
Puerperal Complications
Puerperal Fever A number of factors can cause fever—a temperature of 38.0°C (100.4°F) or higher—in the puerperium. Most persistent fevers after childbirth are caused by genital tract infection. Using this…
Induction and Augmentation of Labor
Indications Induction is indicated when the benefits to either mother or fetus outweigh those of pregnancy continuation. The more common indications include membrane rupture without labor, gestational hypertension, oligohydramnios, nonreassuring…
Amnionic Fluid
Physiology Early in pregnancy, the amnionic cavity is filled with fluid that is similar in composition to extracellular fluid. During the first half of pregnancy, transfer of water and other…
Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
FIGURE 20-1 Complete hydatidiform mole. A. Gross specimen with characteristic vesicles of variable size. (Image contributed by Dr. Brian Levenson.) B. Low-magnification photomicrograph shows generalized edema and cistern formation (black…
Fetal Therapy
Arrhythmias Fetal cardiac rhythm disturbances may be broadly categorized as tachyarrhythmias, heart rates > 180 beats per minute (bpm); bradyarrhythmia, heart rate < 110 bpm; and ectopy, typically premature atrial…
Connective-Tissue Disorders
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Lupus is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease with a complex pathogenesis that results in interactions between susceptibility genes and environmental factors (Hahn, 2012; Tsokos, 2011). Immune system abnormalities…
