Pregnant Body Research Articles

Surgical Pathology During Pregnancy: Acute Cholecystitis, A Common Problem

Introduction: If left untreated, acute cholecystitis, a common illness that can develop during pregnancy, can cause major consequences for both the mother and fetus. It might be difficult to diagnose acute cholecystitis during pregnancy since its symptoms can resemble those of other abdominal disorders. For the first time in the history of the United States, the first time in the history of the United States. The production of gallstones and consequent inflammation are thought to be caused by hormonal changes, altered gallbladder function, and reduced gallbladder motility, which are all factors in the pathophysiology of acute cholecystitis during pregnancy. The clinical history, symptoms, physical examination, and diagnostic procedures, such as abdominal ultrasonography and assessment of bilirubin and liver enzyme levels, are used to make the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis during pregnancy. The severity of the symptoms and the woman's gestational age determine how to treat acute cholecystitis during pregnancy. Cholecystectomy, a laparoscopic procedure to remove the gallbladder, is typically the most successful therapy for acute cholecystitis during pregnancy. Yet, because of the physiological and structural changes in the pregnant woman's body, surgery may be more difficult. As a result, each patient's therapy should be customized, and the risks and benefits of surgery should be carefully weighed. The prognosis of acute cholecystitis during pregnancy is favourable if appropriately detected and treated. Pregnant women should be aware of symptoms and seek medical assistance right away if they think they may have acute cholecystitis. Most pregnant women may have a safe pregnancy and birth with prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Opportunities for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in severe COVID-19

Aim: to asses an opportunity for predicting an unfavorable perinatal and maternal pregnancy outcome in severe novel coronavirus infection (NCI) COVID-19. Materials and Methods. A retrospective comparative study of the course and outcomes of pregnancies was performed in 40 patients with a gestational age of 22–42 weeks who had severe and extremely severe COVID-19 in 2021. The main group included 21 cases with an extremely severe course of the disease resulting in maternal mortality; the comparison group consisted of 19 patients with severe COVID-19 who successfully completed pregnancy. The diagnosis of NCI COVID-19 was confirmed in all cases by identifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA by polymerase chain reaction in a nasopharyngeal swab. During the study, all patients (during hospitalization, at the peak of the disease and before death/discharge from the hospital) underwent a comprehensive anamnestic, clinical and laboratory-instrumental examination. There were analyzed clinical blood test, biochemical parameters – lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, glucose, total bilirubin, total protein; coagulation parameters – prothrombin level according to Quick and fibrinogen, activated partial thromboplastin time, international normalized ratio; the level of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, D-dimer, interleukin-6 (IL-6); ultrasound examination was performed during pregnancy (fetometry, placentometry), dopplerometry of uteroplacental blood flow and ultrasound of the pelvic organs, as well as pathomorphological placenta examination. Results. In patients who died from extremely severe NCI COVID-19 (main group), the course of the infection was accompanied by developing of respiratory distress (RD) degree III (χ2 = 12.84; p ≤ 0.05), and a progressive deterioration in mother's condition and/or fetal distress was an indication for emergency delivery by caesarean section (CS). The course of severe NCI COVID-19 in patients with a favorable outcome (comparison group), as a rule, was accompanied by the development of RD grade I and/or II; most of them were also delivered by CS on an emergency/urgent basis. Predictors of rapid progression of severe NCI COVID-19 in the main group were identified: subfebrile body temperature at the initial stages skewing to high fever during treatment instead of rapid temperature normalization (χ2 = 5.41; p ≤ 0.05; odds ratio (OR) = 5.0; 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.23–20.3); lack of leukocytosis at the initial stages (χ2 = 4.91; p ≤ 0.05; OR = 50; 95 % CI = 5.43–460.54) with rapidly increased leukocyte count with persistent stagnation in dynamics until death (χ2 = 19.79, p ≤ 0.05, OR = 50; 95 % CI = 5.43–460.54); severe lymphopenia (χ2 = 8.09; p ≤ 0.05; OR = 7.29; 95 % CI = 1.74–30.56), neutrophilia (χ2 = 10.17; p ≤ 0.05; OR = 10.29; 95 % CI = 2.21–47.84); high LDH values (χ2 = 17.99; p ≤ 0.05; OR = 31.88; 95 % CI = 5.09–199.49); increased IL-6 level at the peak of the disease (χ2 = 9.66; p ≤ 0.05; OR = 18; 95 % CI = 1.99–162.62) and in dynamics, as well as stably high D-dimer values (χ2 = 9.53, p ≤ 0.05; OR = 11.33; 95 % CI = 2.07–62.11). Conclusion. Significant changes observed in clinical and laboratory examination were identified, which reliably reflect the degree of patients' state, to be interpreted as predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes during NCI COVID-19 and as a potentially justified serious reason for making a decision in the light of timely delivery aimed at a favorable outcome for mother and child. Timely delivery, carried out within the time limits for enabling adequate compensatory capabilities of the pregnant woman's body, demonstrates a rapid normalization of the main laboratory parameters.

Body image and body mass index of pregnant woman do not affect the growth indicators of newborns. A Cross-Sectional Study

Aims: The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the body image and body mass index (BMI) of pregnant women with newborn growth indicators in selected hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 pregnant women over 17 years old, who were selected by consumptive sampling method, in the hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The research questionnaire was conducted through the multidimensional questionnaire of a person's attitude towards her body image (MBSRQ). Due to the large number of sample size, Pearson's inferential test was used and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the women was 29.52±6.04 year, mean BMI was 24.66±3.96 kg/m2, and mean score of body image was 249.86±22.27. The body image score was not significantly associated with newborn growth indicators (birthweight p=0.222, length p=0.534, head circumference p=0.537). Also, the women’s BMI was not significantly related to the newborn growth indicators (birthweight p=0.180, length p=0.577, head circumference p=0.720). The BMI was inversely related to satisfaction with different body parts (p<0.001), individual's attitude towards weight (p<0.001) and total score of women's body image (p<0.001). Conclusions: the body image in pregnancy had a significant relationship with the women's BMI. However, more comprehensive prospective studies are recommended to carefully examine the effects of pregnant women's body image on newborns growth (both term and preterm), because studies in this area are very limited.

'Putting all my eggs into the app': Self, relational and systemic surveillance of mothers' use of digital technologies during the transition to parenting.

This paper builds on thematic findings from a larger study that explored how digital technologies (e.g. smartphones, apps, search engines) shape expectant and new mothers' early parenting practices. An overarching theme that arose across these mothers' experiences which deserved deeper exploration was relational digital surveillance. In the context of this paper, relational digital surveillance describes how mothers evaluate their sense of preparedness, goodness or suitability for motherhood as they transition into parenting in relation to: their own use of digital technologies when caring for their pregnant bodies (self-surveillance), partners' and family members' commentary and/or judgement regarding their use of digital technologies to support their parenting and decision-making (familial surveillance) in addition to service/health care providers' commentary and/or judgement concerning their technology use (systemic surveillance). Mothers' use of digital technologies in this study not only provided others (partners, family members, health care providers) with means to watch over their actions and bodies as they transitioned into motherhood but offered a new evaluative dimension for others to scrutinize their behaviour as a new mother. Such understandings of relational digital surveillance within the transition to parenting context raise critical questions concerning the promotion and commercialization of digital self-surveillance technologies among expectant/new parents given the ways these technologies can further push the boundaries of hegemonic mothering practices and contribute to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. Alternatively, these insights offer avenues where health care providers can intervene to facilitate activities that enhance digital health literacy skills and mitigate parents' exposure to platforms that amplify anxieties.

A qualitative insight into women’s experience of their post partum body image

Pregnancy and the postpartum period can feel like puberty all over again for many women, as fluctuations in hormones, sleep, energy and appetite throw off the body’s reliable responses to mood and weight management. Body image perception of the Post partum women may vary, and it depends up on the strategies adopted by them. A discrepancy between women’s body image and this constructed ideal can cause body dissatisfaction, possibly leading to significant psychological distress. A Qualitative study was conducted with a goal to study regarding women’s experience of their post-partum body image. The purpose of the study was to explore the experience of women regarding their post-partum body image alteration and how it affects the physical and psychological wellbeing and to identify the ways of accepting or reducing any dissatisfaction. Purposive sampling techniques was used to select 15 samples from urban community. Most of the samples expressed they felt weak in their post-partum period. Participants were thinking that after delivery they will come back to pre-pregnant state within 1 month. “I have tried many things like dieting, walking, abdomen exercise even, I tried keto also “I lose my weight, but I will never come back to a pre pregnant body.

What To Perform When You're Expecting

This article reflects on two pregnancies spent in the rehearsal room and the academy. I reflect on my experiences in order to explore the institutional pressures and limitations placed on pregnant women and the ideological underpinnings of those pressures. It serves in part as a confessional and in part as an attempt to provoke conversations about the treatment of pregnant bodies in the theater. By folding together my own reflections on the ways I performed pregnancy and the ways I performed while pregnant with research from the social sciences on the ways in which institutions frame pregnancy as an illness, I hope to suggest possibilities toward reframing some of the discourse around pregnancy in the rehearsal room and the academy.

Psychological impact of hypnosis for pregnancy and childbirth: A systematic review

BackgroundThe use of hypnosis as a complementary therapy in the perinatal field is expanding, however, there is little research for its impact on perinatal mental health. Here, we review studies that evaluate the effect of hypnosis on women's mental health and subjective experiences. MethodsA systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA protocol for articles with experimental designs of hypnosis that measured their impact on several psychological variables, such as the presence of symptoms of anxiety, depression or fear of childbirth. Studies were evaluated according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Checklists (CASP), and analyzed for their designs and intervention themes. ResultsSeven studies were included and six themes emerged: preparation for birth and unexpected events; change in the perception and experience of pain; pregnant body as a natural process; connection with the baby during pregnancy; development of inner resources; and progressive relaxation and guided imagery. Although results were partly mitigated, most studies found positive effects of hypnosis in alleviating anxiety, depression, and fear towards birth, empowering women with a higher sense of confidence and improving the overall emotional experience. Two studies also indicate encouraging outcomes in postnatal wellbeing. ConclusionWhile it is still argued as to what extent hypnosis has positive effects on physical aspects of labor, the empowerment and the increase in confidence associated with hypnosis seem to bring a significant contribution to a more positive subjective experience of pregnancy and childbirth, and on women's overall wellbeing in the perinatal period.

How prepartum appearance-related attitudes influence body image and weight-control behaviors of pregnant Japanese women across pregnancy: Latent growth curve modeling analyses

A thin female physique is idealized in modernized societies, leading many pregnant women to experience body dissatisfaction and avoid weight gain, as pregnancy directs their body away from the sociocultural ideal of thinness. However, not all pregnant women report body dissatisfaction and/or weight-control behavior. We aimed to discern how prepartum weight-related attitudes—thin-ideal internalization, drive for thinness, and appearance comparison tendency—influence changes in negative attitudes toward a pregnant body, body image, and weight-control behavior across pregnancy. Data were longitudinally collected from 208 Japanese pregnant women (Mage = 27.0, SD = 1.74) across three pregnancy periods. Results indicated that overall, negative attitudes toward appearance change during pregnancy, weight-control behaviors, and restrained eating significantly changed across pregnancy. Moreover, those with higher prepartum thin-ideal internalization showed greater decreases in negative attitudes toward appearance change during pregnancy and greater increases in body dissatisfaction, whereas those with higher prepartum drive for thinness and appearance comparison tendency showed greater decreases in restrained eating across pregnancy. Our findings suggest that pregnant women with certain prepartum weight-related attitudes may experience an aggravation of body dissatisfaction while following dietary regimen during pregnancy. Thus, prevention programs may selectively help them reduce their negative body image during pregnancy.

MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSE ON PRENATAL EXERCISE: AN QUASI EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY

Despite the positive effects of exercise during pregnancy, only a small percentage of pregnant women choose to exercise because of concerns about fetal safety. The purpose of this study was to determine if the selected physiological functions of pregnant women increase or decrease to a limit that is still safe, and what effect this has on fetal heart rate and movement, depending on the type of exercise and physical activity of the pregnant women prior to pregnancy. An experimental study was conducted. Measurements of the pregnant women's heart rate, saturation, blood pressure, and body temperature, fetal heart rate, and fetal movements before and after exercise were collected. Exercises with two different levels of intensities (yoga-low and pilates-moderate) were compared. Thirty-one pregnant Slovenian women with gestational age between 20 and 37 weeks were included in the sample. When comparing pre and post exercise measurements, statistically significant differences were found in post exercise body temperature (p = 0.005) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.007) compared with pre-exercise measurements. When comparing the results between yoga and Pilates exercise sessions, no statistically significant differences were found. When comparing results related to pre-pregnancy physical activity, significant differences in pre-exercise saturation were found (p = 0.041). Despite small sample size, results indicate that moderate physical activity in pregnancy has no significant effect on the vital functions of the pregnant woman that could indirectly endanger foetus. Larger study should be performed, to confirm these preliminary results.

Analysis of the course of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in pregnant women under treatment in the Infection Department of Clinical Hospital no. 1 in Smolensk

BACKGROUND: The physiological features of the pregnant womans body include her in the risk group for a more severe course of the disease, therefore, the management and treatment of such patients requires the most careful monitoring, as well as the coordinated work of a gynecologist and an infectious disease specialist.
 AIM: To evaluate the variants of the course of the disease in pregnant women with confirmed coronavirus infection.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of patients who were treated in the infectious diseases department of the Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Smolensk from May 2020 to September 2021 were analyzed, the necessary data were included in the protocols of our study. Such indicators as the main diagnosis and severity of the course of the disease, complaints at admission, the presence and stage of fever, age, gestational age, the presence of concomitant pathology and a complicated obstetric and gynecological history were evaluated.
 RESULTS: Analysis of the course of the disease according to the medical history showed that a moderate form of a new coronavirus infection dominates pregnant women.
 CONCLUSIONS: A trend towards a moderate course of a new coronavirus infection COVID-19 has been established. The probability that this is due to the presence in most patients with a history of diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, as well as diabetes, obesity, anemia.

Unbinding Time: Pregnancy, Loss, and Narrative Time

I have been pregnant twice; one resulted in a birth, the other did not. Both times I felt, heavily, the push and pull of temporality upon my body. Pregnant bodies are poignant examples of the arbitrary nature of time because of the visceral and embodied nature of such an experience. I offer this autoethnography of my own experience with early pregnancy loss as an invitation to retrieve birth stories as meaningful while also exposing the many inconsistencies placed upon pregnant bodies through rigid constructions of time. To accomplish this, I rely on feminist phenomenology and narrative frameworks.

Pregnant Bodies, Physical Activity and Health Literacy

In this article, we study health literacy as entangled and situated processes of authorisation of pregnant women to become competent caretakers of their own physical activity and health based on the development of the practice of ‘learning to take notice’. Based on our ethnographic fieldwork in a randomised controlled trial on physical activity during pregnancy called FitMum, we develop a processual conceptualisation of health authorisation as multidirectional flows between participants, staff and technologies. Using the concepts of attunement and authorisation from Latour and Despret, we suggest that health literacy is not just something that can be acquired once and for all, but is processual and must be maintained, nurtured and developed through continuous negotiations, adjustments and adaptations to the constantly changing conditions of the health subject.

“If I Am Ready”: Exploring the relationships between masculinities, pregnancy, and abortion among men in James Town, Ghana

The ability to exercise full sexual and reproductive health and rights is shaped by the contextual environment, meaning that women and pregnant people must navigate patriarchal norms when seeking care. Despite growing evidence that men are able to influence pregnancy outcomes, there remains a paucity of research on how and why men are able to involve themselves in pregnancy and abortion decision-making.This study interrogates the mechanisms that drive men's involvement in pregnancies and abortions in James Town, Ghana. Data from a survey (n = 296) and in-depth interviews (n = 37) were collected between July 2020 and January 2021. The mixed-method analysis critically examined the relationship between men's support for a pregnancy or abortion and their constructions of masculinities.Findings framed sex and reproduction as both a facilitator and a threat to men's masculinity. Reproduction was an essential component of being a man. Men discussed the need to fulfil masculine ideals of being independent, provide financially, and be in an acceptable relationship in order to be ‘ready’ for fatherhood. However, men similarly operationalised the notion of ‘readiness’ as the driving force behind their involvement in abortion decision-making. As being a father without being ready could lead to social ostracism and derision, men discussed forcing their abortion desires onto their sexual partners and other pregnant people. Achieving masculine ideals, therefore, was a critical motivation for controlling women and pregnant people's bodies. Understanding the role of masculinities is critical in acknowledging the contextual and environmental factors that women and pregnant people navigate, which contribute to continued reproductive injustices.

Reclaiming the Maternal Metis Body

This article provides a contemporary feminist autoethnographical account of my lived experiences of reclaiming my pregnant, birthing, and maternal bodies through intimate abuse and coercive control and beyond. Drawing from contemporary and culturally diverse feminist perspectives, I unpack the over-medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth and how it operates on a continuum of the systematic, institutional, cultural, and patriarchal gaze, surveillance, and control of women’s bodies. The paper will unpack the Battered Woman’s Syndrome as a problematic example of this clinical and medical patriarchal gaze and control and its prevalence in contemporary medical, psychological, and legal discourses relating to women living with intimate abuse and coercive control, and their bodies. I draw from my own personal experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering through intimate abuse and coercive control, the practice of zuò yuè zi, and the mythology of the Goddess Metis as sites of resistance, resilience, and resourcefulness that challenge the Western patriarchal gaze, surveillance, and control over women’s bodies. The paper will offer three alternative and counternarratives and ways of rethinking, reframing, and reimagining the pregnant, birthing, and maternal body as sites of resistance and resourcefulness through the ancient Greek mythology of Metis, the ancient Chinese practices of zuò yuè zi, and homebirth.

Uncertainty, manageability and individuation: A longitudinal qualitative study of women's conceptualisations of risk from pregnancy to breastfeeding—the case of alcohol consumption

Alcohol use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is associated with diverse risks to infant health. As there is no known safe threshold of alcohol consumption, official guidelines advocate a precautionary approach and advise pregnant and breastfeeding women to abstain. Sociological research has shown that women's occasional drinking during pregnancy involves complex responses to risk messages and health recommendations. However, research on women's views on alcohol consumption during breastfeeding is mostly non-existent. Moreover, how and whether women's understandings of the risk change from one period to the next has not been investigated. Based on longitudinal qualitative interviews, this article aims to understand how women make sense of the risk of alcohol consumption from pregnancy to breastfeeding. Using thematic data analysis, we identify three key conceptualisations of alcohol use as a risk. The first one relates to risk discourses emphasising scientific uncertainty about low alcohol consumption, strict abstinence as shaped by discourse on “good motherhood” and representation of the pregnant body as permeable. The second conceptualisation focuses on the risk as manageable and refers to strategies for controlling consequences of occasional drinking and to representation of woman's body as a filter. The third conceptualisation highlights individuation as the way women regard their foetus or infant as a vulnerable and concrete being. By examining the continuity and change of women's views of the issue of alcohol consumption, this article addresses the transition to motherhood through the lens of the risk issue and contributes to the understanding of risk perception over time.

The treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome and systematization of knowledge - literature review

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a known disease among endocrinologists and gynecologists. The aforementioned disease entity affects up to six to twelve percent of women of reproductive age. [1] In 2017, the incidence among women of childbearing age was 82.44 per 100,000 population. A decade ago, it was 1.45% lower.[2] PCOS is a disease in which we have abnormal hormone levels. The result may be a problem with regular menstruation, problems with becoming pregnant, acne or excessive body weight. [3] Most often, patients arediagnosed only when complications occur. It is closely related to asignificant reduction in living standards. There are problems such as hair loss, acne and infertility.

Kelas Ibu Hamil untuk Meningkatkan Kesejahteraan Ibu dan Janin di Posyandu

Pregnant Women Class is a study group for pregnant women with a gestational age of between 4 weeks and 36 weeks (before delivery). Pregnancy is one of the stages of life that must be prepared by a woman, in the process of pregnancy physiological and psychological changes occur due to an increase in estrogen and progesterone. The risk factors for maternal death during childbirth began from under-monitored pregnancy. One of the efforts to reduce maternal mortality is through classes for pregnant women. This class for pregnant women is a means to learn together about health for pregnant women, in the form of face-to-face in groups that aims to increase the knowledge and skills of mothers regarding pregnancy, pregnancy care, childbirth, postpartum care, newborn care, myths, diseases. infection and birth certificates. The objectives of implementing this community service are: Increasing interaction and sharing experiences between participants (pregnant women and pregnant women) and between pregnant women and health workers/midwives, Increasing understanding, attitudes and behavior of pregnant women about classes for pregnant women, body changes and complaints, treatment pregnancy and preparation for delivery. To be able to improve the knowledge and skills of mothers regarding pregnancy, pregnancy care, childbirth, community service can be carried out in the form of maternal and child health counseling that can be carried out through pregnant women classes. From the results of the activity, it can be concluded that the activity went smoothly, the participants were enthusiastic in participating in the counseling and question and answer session and were active in doing pregnancy exercise, most of the participants said they felt relaxed and excited after participating in the pregnancy exercise and were also ready to wait for the delivery process.

The frequency of pregnancy recognition across the gestational spectrum and its consequences in the United States

The frequency of pregnancy recognition across the gestational spectrum and its consequences in the United States

‘Her own and her children's share’: luck, misogyny and imaginative resistance in twentieth-century Irish folklore

AbstractIn twentieth-century Irish folklore, luck had much to do with women. While women were rarely seen as legitimate possessors of good fortune, luck was frequently perceived as being communicated through women's bodies and lost as a result of their actions. A caul, an intact amniotic membrane over a newborn's head and by-product of a pregnant woman's body, was believed to convey luck and health to either the mother or the child but not to both. The emphasis in this tradition on women's corporeality cast women and their maternal by-products as appropriable familial and communal resources. This and additional lore reveal that women were constructed as dangerous, ‘object-like others’ whose mere presence could threaten men's safety. Twentieth-century Ireland's folk and political cultures each operated within frameworks of supporting ideological systems. Despite being easily distinguishable in articulation, these cultures were frequently in concert with one another, especially relating to prescriptive gender roles. In numerous instances, lore about luck bolstered legislative, social and religious policies of the Irish Free State and the early Irish Republic regarding women. However, narrow divergences allowed women limited space to contest gender hierarchy in folk communities. Some women found opportunities for subversion in the very cultural fabric that restricted them, resorting to imaginative resistance to reject and counter misogynist discourse and assert female subjectivity.

Close Relationships as Sources of Pregnancy-Related Weight Stigma for Expecting and New Mothers.

Experiencing weight stigma during pregnancy is detrimental to psychosocial health outcomes, including increasing maternal stress and undermining engagement in health behaviors. Guided by a recent socioecological framework, close interpersonal relationships are integral in pregnancy to facilitate healthy behaviors and protect maternal mental health, but they may also be sources that project weight stigma. The purpose of this study was to characterize weight stigma experienced during pregnancy and postpartum from close relationships including partners, immediate family, extended family, and friends. Women who were pregnant or up to 1year postpartum completed a survey that assessed sources of weight stigma since becoming pregnant. A thematic analysis was performed to code open-ended responses to understand the lived experiences of pregnancy-related weight stigma experienced from close relations. Of the 501 women who completed the online survey, 157 indicated experiencing weight stigma from close relations. Average frequency of weight stigma from close relations was 1.83 ("less than once a month" to "a few times a month"). Weight-stigmatizing examples from close relations during pregnancy included negative assumptions about maternal or fetal health and maternal lifestyle behaviors based on weight gain; comparing women to pregnant body ideals; and making comments that resulted in women judging themselves poorly as a pregnant individual or mother. Close relationships can be sources of pregnancy-related weight stigma. This may not only increase risk for adverse stigma-related consequences, but also could cut off the important benefits of maternal social support resulting in poor mental health outcomes and health behaviors.