Main Causes Of Maternal Mortality Research Articles

Obstetric emergency simulation training course: experience of a private-public partnership in Brazil

BackgroundLack of skills on how to diagnose and manage obstetric emergencies contribute to substandard institutional care and preventable maternal deaths in Brazil. Simulation-based obstetric emergency team training can reduce adverse maternal outcomes. However, this type of training is expensive and not widely available, especially in low resource settings. We present the experience of a private-public partnership that offered a two-day obstetric emergency simulation-training course to hundreds of Brazilian professionals working in the public sector. We also present participants´ short-term learning outcomes (Kirkpatrick’s level 2) and satisfaction (Kirkpatrick’s level 1).MethodsThis was a non-experimental before-and-after study. The free 16-h course was held over a 14 months period in a large private hospital’s simulation center using multidisciplinary scenario and model-based training. The training sessions consisted of four (4-h) modules on pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, hemorrhage, sepsis and resuscitation. An anonymous questionnaire collected participants´ satisfaction at the end of each module. Learning outcomes were assessed by comparing differences in participants´ pre- versus immediate post-course test scores. Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests were used for statistical analyses. P < 0.05 was considered significant.Results340 professionals (117 doctors, 179 registered nurses-RN and 44 licensed practical nurses-LPN) working in 33 public Brazilian hospitals were trained. There was a significant increase in post-course test scores in all four modules. On average, scores increased 55% in the hypertension and 65–69% in the hemorrhage, sepsis and resuscitation modules (p = 0.019). Knowledge acquisition of RN and LPN was similar in the hypertension, hemorrhage and sepsis modules and significantly higher than doctors´ (p < 0.05). On a 0 to 10 scale, mean overall satisfaction ranged from 9.6 (for the hypertension module) to 9.8 (for the resuscitation module).ConclusionsThis successful experience of a private-public partnership to offer obstetric emergency simulation training required strategic organization and a strong commitment from both sides. This promising private-public partnership model could be replicated in similar settings. The training course obtained high satisfaction scores and significantly improved the knowledge of public-sector health professionals on how to manage the main causes of maternal mortality.

Mortalidad materna en Ambato, Ecuador. 2005-2014

Introducción. La mortalidad materna (MM) es uno de los indicadores sanitarios que evidencia con mayor claridad la inequidad de género para la toma de decisiones y la exclusión social, esto toda vez que demanda una intervención médica urgente encaminada a prevenir una muerte.Objetivo. Exponer la magnitud y la tendencia de la MM en el cantón Ambato entre los años 2005 y 2014.Materiales y métodos. Estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo y transversal de las muertes maternas ocurridas en Ambato entre los años 2005 y 2014. El universo de estudio estuvo conformado por las 46 muertes maternas ocurridas y 51 947 nacidos vivos.Resultados. Se evidenció un ascenso significativo de la natalidad (r=0.652, p=0.041) y en el número de nacidos vivos con asistencia profesional (r=0.894, p=0.000); la razón de MM acumulada en el periodo fue de 88.6, con una tendencia al descenso no significativa (r=0.12 p=0.743). La enfermedad hipertensiva del embarazo fue la primera causa directa de MM (n=17, 41.5%).Conclusiones. La natalidad ha ido en ascenso y la tendencia de la MM a lo largo de 10 años no ha mostrado cambios significativos. La enfermedad hipertensiva del embarazo ha sido la principal causa de MM.

Relationship between Knowledge, Attitude and Motivation among Midwives in the Normal Labour Care Implementation

Approximately, 350, 000 women died from pregnancy-related causes every year and majority of maternal mortality occurred in developing countries. main causes of maternal mortality included eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, obstructed labour, amniotic fluid embolism, obstetric haemorrhage, thromboembolism, anaemia, unsafe abortion, infection, ectopic pregnancy, embolism and anaesthesia complication. The study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes and motivation among midwives in the normal labour care implementation. The study was used an observational research with cross sectional approach. The data collection was conducted from January to February 2016. The study had been done in Sawerigading Palopo Hospital. The study population were all midwives who working in maternity room of Sawerigading Palopo Hospital on October 2015. The sample in this study was entire population of midwives in the maternity room of Sawerigading Palopo Hospital. The sample sizes were 25 respondents which obtained by sampling technique. The data was collected by using questionnaire. The statistical test in knowledge and normal labour care implementation was p=0.98, attitude (p=0.98) and motivation (p=0.174)

Uterine rupture in Segou#039;s Nianankoro Fomba hospital in Mali: About 62 cases

Aims: This study aimed to determine frequency, socioeconomic profile of the patients and maternal and fetal outcome of uterine rupture. Patients and Methods: It is about a forward-looking going study from January 1st, 2007 till June 1st, 2009 realized in the department of gynecology and obstetrics of the Segou&#039;s Nianankoro Fomba hospital. All the patients were included in our study having presented a uterine rupture during delivery or the immediate post-partum and the coverage of which was assured in the service. Data were analyzed on the EPI INFO 6.4 software with a threshold p = 0, 05. Results: During the period of study we recorded 4594 deliveries among which 62 uterine rupture or 1, 3 %. Uterine rupture was considered as iatrogenic in 72, 6 % of cases. The treatment was conservative in 57, 4 % of cases and operating consequences were good in 91, 8 % of cases. We recorded 5 cases of maternal death and 87, 1 % of fetal death. Conclusion: Uterine rupture is one of the main causes of maternal mortality. The premature and adequate care allows reducing considerably maternal and fetal mortality.

Efektivitas Salep Jintan Hitam (Nigella Sativa) Pada Proses Penyembuhan Luka Perineum Rupture Ibu Nifas

Background The main cause of maternal mortality in Indonesia in the bearing process is infection. Eleven per cent of the infection come from bad treatment of perineum rupturee. There are about 85% women bearing through spontaneuous pervaginam experience perineum trauma and 1% of them are infected. Perineum rupture needs serious attention since it can cause woman reproduction organ disfunction and dead as the consequence of bleeding or sepsis. The procedure of perineum treatment still uses desinfectant lotion Povidon Iodin 10%, herbal oinment as additional wound protector and perineum pain killer. Because of this, the researcher is interested in studying the effectiveness of nigella sativa 10% and 15% in curing perineum rupture of postpartum mothers at puskesmas Jekan Raya, Central Kalimantan. Method Using Randomised pre-post test control group design, the 21 women suffering from perineum rupture stadium II are grouped into three. The black cumin (nigella sativa) oinment is rubbed on the wound Perineum rupture everyday during seven days of postpartum ranging from treatment group. The evaluation is done in the day 1 (pre test), the day 3, 5 and 7 (post test) by using REEDA scale. Result The black cumin (nigella sativa) oinment is effective in fastening wound healing of perineum rupture compared to control group (p<0,05). Conclusion The black cumin oinment (nigella sativa) in the inflammatory phase until the proliferation phase and can be recommended as an adjunct to the treatment of postpartum maternal perineal rupture wounds.

Placenta percreta a case study and literature review

The placental acretism defined as the abnormal insertion of chorionic villi in the myometrium is one of the main causes of maternal mortality The key of the progress in the maternal foetal results is the prenatal diagnostic which is based fundamentally on the ultrasound scan to perform a multidisciplinary programming of the treatment conservative or surgical We present a case study of a pregnant woman in which conservative treatment was performed initially with embolization of hypogastric arteries leaving the placenta in situ after delivery but that days later the patient needed hysterectomy for sepsis due to necrosis tissue placenta

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS INFLUENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PREECLAMPSIA SCREENING PROGRAM AT PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN GRESIK REGENCY OF INDONESIA

ABSTRACT Background: District Health Office of Gresik Regency has made various efforts in reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality Rate, one of which is by establishing screening program of preeclampsia. Implementation of preeclampsia screening program is still not running optimally, it can be known from the case of preeclampsia is still the main cause of maternal mortality in Gresik Regency, in addition the number of preeclampsia events tend to increase during the last three years. This suggests that there are problems with the implementation of screening programs for preeclampsia. One factor which preeclampsia affect the implementation of the screening program is a health care provider. This study aims to analyze the effect of the quality of health care providers on the implementation of screening programs for preeclampsia. Materials and methods: This research was an observational analytic study with cross sectional design . The sample of research was 53 midwives who served in 19 primary health care in Gresik regency. Quality of healthcare providers data obtained using the interviews with questionnaire and direct observation, preeclampsia screening implementation data obtained by observating midwives when implementing the preeclampsia screening. Statistical test using logistic regression (α= 0.05). Result: The result of this study showed that the variables that affect the quality of health care providers in primary health care of Gresik Regency was the employment status (p=0.046), level of knowledge (p=0.05), training (p=0.041), recording of medical record (p=0.004). The variables that had no effect were age (p=0,190), period of work (p=0,355), and attitude (p=0,057). Conclusion: Employment status, level of knowledge, training, and recording and reporting affect the implementation of preeclampsia screening program. Implementation of preeclampsia screening program have still not optimally. Midwives and related parties are expected to improve the quality of service providers and the quality of services in the implementation of screening programs for preeclampsia. Keywords: preeclampsia, preeclampsia screening program, health care providers

The golden hour of sepsis: An in-depth analysis of sepsis-related maternal mortality in middle-income country Suriname.

BackgroundSepsis was the main cause of maternal mortality in Suriname, a middle-income country. Objective of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of the clinical and management aspects of sepsis-related maternal deaths with a focus on the ‘golden hour’ principle of antibiotic therapy.MethodsA nationwide reproductive age mortality survey was performed from 2010 to 2014 to identify and audit all maternal deaths in Suriname. All sepsis-related deaths were reviewed by a local expert committee to assess socio-demographic characteristics, clinical aspects and substandard care.ResultsOf all 65 maternal deaths in Suriname 29 (45%) were sepsis-related. These women were mostly of low socio-economic class (n = 23, 82%), of Maroon ethnicity (n = 14, 48%) and most deaths occurred postpartum (n = 21, 72%). Underlying causes were pneumonia (n = 14, 48%), wound infections (n = 3, 10%) and endometritis (n = 3, 10%). Bacterial growth was detected in 10 (50%) of the 20 available blood cultures. None of the women with sepsis as underlying cause of death received antibiotic treatment within the first hour, although most women fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of sepsis upon admission. In 27 (93%) of the 29 women from which sufficient information was available, substandard care factors were identified: delay in monitoring in 16 (59%) women, in diagnosis in 17 (63%) and in treatment in 21 (78%).ConclusionIn Suriname, a middle-income country, maternal mortality could be reduced by improving early recognition and timely diagnosis of sepsis, vital signs monitoring and immediate antibiotic infusion (within the golden hour).

Physical Responses Following Post-Partum Administration of Rectal Misoprostol in RSKIA Kota Bandung West Java, Indonesia

Background Postpartum haemorrhage is identified as one of main causes of maternal mortality especially in low income countries including Indonesia. The use of rectal misoprostol is a considerable intervention to prevent postpartum haemorrhage. However, administering misoprostol would cause various considerable responses that need intensive observation to prevent high risk condition of post-partum women. Limited studies in Indonesia assessed responses of post-partum women’s after misoprostol administration. This study aimed to identify physical responses of post-partum women after misoprostol administration. Methods, This descriptive quantitative study involved 30 post-partum women. They were chosen using consecutive sampling technique. The data collection instruments were an observation form and a semi-structured interview form. Using those instruments women’s physical responses observed on the minute of 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and the hour of 2, 3, and 4 after post- partum. The data were analysed using frequency distribution. Results The study found that there were different physical responses of women after rectal misoprostol administration including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and fever, especially in the minute of 15 and the hour of 2. The most prominent physical responses were nausea, and followed by headache and fever. Conclusion This study finding is a significant information for health professionals especially nurses. Nurses could develop an anticipatory guide in anticipating any effects that may risk to postpartum patients.

Desafios na redução da mortalidade materna no Município de São Paulo

Desde 1993 as causas da mortalidade materna vem sendo estudadas pelo Comitê de Mortalidade Materna do Município de São Paulo. Até o ano de 2016 acumulamos 3505 mortes maternas, sendo 2389 óbitos devidos a causas diretas ou indiretas. A principal causa da mortalidade materna é a hipertensão arterial, com 538 (22,5%) óbitos, seguida pelas complicações hemorrágicas de terceiro trimestre e puerpério com 330 (13,8%) ocorrências. As outras três causas responsáveis pelo óbito materno são as doenças cardiovasculares, complicações de aborto (incluindo os abortos inseguros) e a infecção puerperal. São feitas considerações sobre as cinco principais causas de morte materna e são disponibilizadas sugestões elaboradas pelo Comitê de Mortalidade Materna do Município de São Paulo para a redução desses eventos. As demais causas em menor número, mas não menos importantes, não serão objeto desse estudo.

A new candidate of calcium channel blocker in silico from Tectona grandis for treatment of gestational hypertension

Gestational Hypertension is one of the three main causes of maternal mortality in Indonesia. Nifedipine which blockes the Cav1.2 calcium channel has frequently been used to treat gestational hypertension. However the efficacy of nifedipine has not been established yet and the prevalence of gestational hypertension is still high (27.1 %). Indonesian herbal plants have potential to be developed as natural drugs. Molecular docking, a computational method, is very often used to depict interaction between molecules and target receptor This study was therefore to identify Indonesian herbal plants that could inhibit the calcium channel in silico. This was a bioinformatics study with molecular docking approach. Three-dimensional structure of human calcium channel Cav1.2 was determined by modelling with rabbit calcium channel (ID:5GJW) as template and using the SWISS MODEL software. Nifedipine was used as a standard ligand and obtained from ZINC database with the access code ZINC19594578. Active compounds of Indonesian herbal plants were registered in HerbalDB database and their molecular structure was obtained from PubChem. Binding affinity of human Cav1.2 model-ligand complexes were assesed using AutoDock Vina 1.1.2 software and visualization of molecular conformation used Chimera 1.10 and PyMol 1.3 softwares. The Lipinsky’s rules of five were used to determine active compounds which fullfilled drug criteria. The human Cav1-2 model had 72.35% sequence identity with rabbit Cav1.1. Nifedipine bound to the human Cav1.2 model with -2.1 kcal/mol binding affinity and had binding sites at Gln1060, Phe1129, Ser1132, and Ile1173 residues. A lower binding affinity was observed in 8 phytochemicals but only obtusifolin 2-glucoside (-2.2 kcal/mol) had similar binding sites as nifedipin did. In addition, obtusifolin 2-glucoside met the Lipinsky criteria and the molecule conformation was similar with nifedipine. From the HerbalDB database, obtusifolin 2-glucoside is found in Tectona grandis. Obtusifolin 2-glucoside computationally becomes a potensial candidate of calcium channel blocker. In vitro assays should be performed to evaluate the antagonist effect of obtusifolin 2-glucoside on calcium channel Cav1.2.

Life-threatening Complications in Pregnancy in a Teaching Hospital in Kolkata, India.

To test the application of a clinical definition of life-threatening complications in pregnancy and determine the level of near miss maternal morbidity and mortality. A prospective observational study was conducted in the obstetrics and gynaecology department, NRS Medical College, Kolkata, India, to identify life-threatening complications using a modification of the Mantel's criteria. The main outcome measures were validity of identification criteria, main causes and incidence of life-threatening complications in pregnancy, maternal near miss: case fatality rates, morbidity-mortality index and use rate of effective interventions. In total, 177 maternal near miss and 23 maternal deaths were identified in the screened 4400 women. The incidence of near miss was 4.02%. Main causes of maternal mortality were hypertensive disorders (43%) and renal failure (21%). Main causes of near miss were hypertensive disorders (55%), ectopic pregnancy (19%). Near miss mortality index was 7.7:1. A high proportion of women with life-threatening complications and all women who died were referred from peripheral hospitals. This signals that there may have been important failures in the referral system relating to maternal care and there is a need for further investigation.

Influence Perceived Benefit and Perceived Self Efficacy with Intention of Adolescent girls in Consuming Fe Tablet

Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Indonesia is relatively high when compared with ASEAN member countries. In 2012, MMR in Indonesia amounts to 359/100,000 live births. The main cause of maternal mortality in Indonesia is bleeding factor. The prevalence of iron ficiencyanemia among 15-24 year old girls in Indonesia is 18.4%.This study was conducted to determine the factors affecting the intention of adolescent girls in consuming Fe tablets as an effort to prevent anemia in Vocational High School (SMK) Wachid Hasyim 1 Surabaya. This research uses analytic observational method with cross sectional research design. Sampling technique using purposive sampling with the number of samples obtained as many as 63 students. The independent variables were perceived benefit and perceived self efficacy. The results showed that there was a significant influence perceived self efficacy (p-value= 0,041) and whereas perceived benefit did not have intention of adolescent girls in consuming Fe tablet. Factors that affect the intention of adolescent girls in consuming Fe tablets is perceived self efficacy.

Five types of personality and the locus of internal control in relation to preeclampsia pregnancy

Preeclampsia is one of the highest mortality factors for pregnant women. Hypertension, one of the main characteristics of preeclampsia, is the second main causes of maternal mortality at 27.1%. During pregnancy, they will face physical and psychological stressors. One of the factors related to stress management is the woman’s characteristics and the locus of control. This study aims to identify the relationship between the five types of personality and the locus of internal control in relation to preeclampsia in pregnancy. This study used a cross-sectional design. The population of this study consisted of pregnant women with preeclampsia who came to the independent midwifery practices in Jombang; 135 women total. The sample was selected using the total sampling method. The data was analysed by regression analysis. The independent variables related to preeclampsia included neuroticism (p=0.003; Exp(B)=11.234) and the negative internal locus of control (p=0.000; Exp(B)=11.387). It is expected that midwifery professionals can provide counselling services effectively and efficiently in relation to performing antenatal care services.

Caracterización de la mortalidad materna en comunidades indígenas colombianas, 2011 a 2013. Estudio de los registros de vigilancia epidemiológica de casos centinela

Objetivo: caracterizar la población que presentó mortalidad materna (MM) en las poblaciones indígenas colombianas durante el trienio 2011-2013.Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio con los registros de vigilancia epidemiológica de casos de mortalidad materna. La población de estudio incluyó todas las muertes maternas, directas e indirectas, y los nacidos vivos, reportadas en la población de la etnia indígena en el país; se excluyeron los casos de mortalidad coincidente con el embarazo, como las muertes por lesiones de causa externa, causas accidentales e incidentales. Se realizó la búsqueda de los casos de MM en las bases de datos del Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia en Salud Pública (SIVIGILA) del Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), y los registros de nacimientos y defunciones del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) de los años 2011 a 2013. Se midieron variables sociodemográficas, maternas y de la atención del parto, área y lugar de defunción, y causas agrupadas y específicas de la muerte materna. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de la información utilizando medidas de frecuencia absoluta y relativa para los datos.Resultados: en Colombia se presentaron 1.546 casos de muertes en mujeres embarazadas durante el trienio 2011-2013, de estos se seleccionaron 143 casos de MM en comunidades indígenas: 130 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión y 13 se excluyeron por causas incidentales o accidentales. La razón de mortalidad materna (RMM) para esta población fue 327,5 por 100.000 nacidos vivos durante el trienio, mientras que en la población no indígena fue de 60,9. El 22,3 % de las muertes maternas en indígenas fue en menores de 19 años, y el 29,2 % en mayores de 35 años. Las principales causas de MM fueron hemorragia posparto, eclampsia y sepsis puerperal.Conclusión: en las comunidades indígenas existe una mortalidad materna cinco veces mayor a la de la población no indígena del país. Se requieren intervenciones multisectoriales que tengan en cuenta la cultura de estos pueblos para reducir la inequidad que los afecta.

THE ROLE OF BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS IN THE RISK STRATIFICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PREECLAMPSIA: THE CLINICIAN’S VIEW

Preeclampsia is one of the main causes of maternal mortality and leads to 50-60 thousand deaths annually worldwide, its prevalence in the world is 5-8%. Moreover, this complication is associated with an increased risk of the development of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the mother and child. Preeclampsia is a multi-systemic syndrome including hereditary and environmental factors in its pathogenesis and pathophysiology, and the only effective method of the treatment is still delivery. Regardless of the time of debut, preeclampsia is often characterized by the relative well-being of a pregnant woman, right up to the development of severe pre-eclampsia. This review is devoted to biochemical markers of the high risk of pre-eclampsia. Of particular interest there is the balance of proangiogenic (PIGF) and anti-angiogenic (sFlt) growth factors at different gestational ages; both the correct interpretation of the sFlt/PIGF balance and the correlation with the history data already allow us to expand the criteria for the prevention of preeclampsia and open up prospects for optimizing obstetric tactics in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Puerperal sepsis caused by liver abscess: case report

Abstract Introduction: sepsis is a serious public health problem, affecting millions of people in the world each year, with a high mortality rate (one out of four patients) and an increasing incidence. Sepsis is one of the main causes of maternal mortality and an important cause of admission to obstetric intensive care units. Case description: In this study, the authors report the case of a woman having been submitted to cesarean section three days before presenting clinical signs of sepsis and septic shock caused by a liver abscess. The patient had a set of complications secondary to shock, such as thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, toe ischemia and acute kidney failure. The patient had cholelithiasis and recurrent pain in the right hypochondrium during pregnancy. During hospitalization, the mechanism involved in the development of hepatic abscess was infection of the biliary tract. The patient was treated in an obstetric intensive care unit with antibiotics and drainage of the liver abscess. Progress was favorable and the patient was discharged in good health. Discussion: pyogenic liver abscess during pregnancy and puerperium is a serious condition which represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, with few cases reported. The normally nonspecific clinical and laboratory findings can lead to a late diagnosis, which increases the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Prevention of obstetric hemorrhages

Obstetric bleeding is an urgent problem in modern obstetric. It remains one of the main causes of maternal mortality. The article presents a literature review of world dates on the management of the third stage of labor, measures taken to prevent postpartum hemorrhage.

Faktor Risiko Individu dan Masyarakat serta Gambaran Pelayanan Kesehatan terhadap Kasus Preeklampsia Berat di RSUD Manokwari Kabupaten Manokwari Provinsi Papua Barat (Periode September 2015-Februari 2016)

Background: The high rate of maternal mortality is still a health problem in Indonesia and also reects the uality of health care during pregnancy and childbirth. The main causes of maternal mortality in Indonesia is hypertension (32.4) and postpartum bleeding (28.3). Recently in Manowari eneral Hospital there is an increase trend cases of severe preeclampsia include 12 cases (September 2015), 14 cases (October 2015) and 14 cases (November 2015). Objective: To identify ris factors of the community and health care to cases of severe preeclampsia in the eneral Hospital of Manowari, Papua Barat Province period September 2015 - ebruary 2016. Method: The study was an observational descriptive study, cross sectional design with a retrospective approach. A total of 148 medical records of pregnant women who meet the eligibility criteria for inclusion in this study. Chi-suare test and isher eact was used for statistical analysis. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression with signicance p 0.05. Result and Discussion: A total of 148 medical records of pregnant women from September 2015 - ebruary 2016 met eligibility criteria which consisted of 74 pregnant women with severe preeclampsia and 74 pregnant women without preeclampsia. Chi-suare analysis showed a signicant association between gestational age 20-36 wees with severe preeclampsia cases (p 0.016; RR 1.8; CI 1.2 to 26.6) and a history of hypertension (p 0.000; RR 2.2; CI 3.1 to 21.2). Community ris factors had no signicant relationship with severe preeclampsia. The health care services regarding severe preeclampsia was well implemented and the second phase delay mainly due to geographic factors. Conclusion: There is a signicant association between gestational age 20-36 wees and a history of hypertension in cases of severe preeclampsia. Keywords: severe preeclampsia, gestational age, history of hypertension, ris factor of the community, second phase delay

Notch2 and Notch3 suppress the proliferation and mediate invasion of trophoblast cell lines.

ABSTRACTNotch signaling pathways play important roles in cell fate and many diseases, including preeclampsia, the dysregulation of which may be the main cause of maternal mortality. This study aimed to investigate the roles of Notch2 and Notch3 in proliferation and invasion in trophoblast cell lines (BeWo and JAR). Small hairpin RNAs targeting Notch2/Notch3 and Notch2/Notch3-overexpression vectors were designed, constructed and transfected into BeWo and JAR cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were then used to detect Notch2 and Notch3 mRNA and protein levels, and confirm the efficiency of silence and overexpression. Flow cytometry assays were conducted to evaluate the cell cycle of the two cell lines, and transwell assays were used to detect migration and invasion. Western blot analysis was also performed to show the alteration of the cell lines' physiological activities at protein level.When Notch2 was downregulated in BeWo cells, proliferation was dramatically promoted, while migration and invasion were significantly inhibited. When Notch2 was upregulated in JAR cells, proliferation was inhibited, but migration and invasion were promoted. After overexpression of Notch3 in BeWo cells, proliferation was downregulated, but migration and invasion were both upregulated. By contrast, the silencing of Notch3 expression in JAR cells significantly enhanced proliferation, but suppressed migration and invasion. These data indicated that Notch2 and Notch3 mediate the invasion and migration of BeWo and JAR cells, and may play a potential role in early onset severe preeclampsia.