European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology最新文献

{"title":"Rectus muscle reapproximation at cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial","authors":"Berna Aslan Cetin ,&nbsp;Fitnat Topbas ,&nbsp;Kübra Keskin Toptas ,&nbsp;Merve Konal ,&nbsp;Gökalp Senol","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of rectus muscle reapproximation at cesarean delivery (CD) on postoperative pain and rectus muscle diastasis.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Our study was planned as a prospective, randomized study in our clinic between December 2019 and March 2021. The study group included women &gt;37 weeks of gestation, undergoing CD for the first time, with no prior history of pelvic or abdominal surgery, 18–40 years of age. Patients were randomly assigned to either the rectus muscle reapproximation group or the control group. Patients were evaluated at postoperative 1st day and 6th week. The primary outcome was the comparison of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and inter-rectus diatance (IRD) among the groups. Additionally, factors associated with rectus diastasis were also analyzed using logistic regression.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 306 women undergoing primary cesarean sections were randomized, and 296 were included in the final analysis. There was no significant difference in terms of VAS score and postoperative analgesia need among the groups. IRD 2 cm below umbilicus was significantly shorter in rectus muscle reapproximation group at postoperative 6th week. The logistic regression analysis showed that rectus muscle reapproximation had a negative impact on the development of rectus diastasis below umbilicus (OR = 2.830, p = 0.013).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Rectus muscle reapproximation during CD resulted in less rectus diastasis below umbilicus. On the other hand it did not affect postoperative VAS score.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113966"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the induction of labour services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: A retrospective cohort study","authors":"Megan Wright ,&nbsp;Faris Karouni ,&nbsp;Francis Barton ,&nbsp;Habiba Kapaya","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To assess the impact of introducing standardised electronic booking and multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings on provision of Induction of labour (IoL) at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>A retrospective cohort study.</div></div><div><h3>Setting</h3><div>Two tertiary maternity hospitals in the UK.</div></div><div><h3>Population</h3><div>Women and birthing people who gave birth between 01/01/2023 and 31/07/2024.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study period was divided into three-time frames: before, during and after implementation of the MDT and electronic booking service. Data were extracted from the electronic booking system (CAREFLOW) and maternity BADGERNET records and analysed with descriptive statistics followed by multinomial regression analysis of trends.</div><div>Main Outcome Measures: Overall and early term IoL rates before, during, and after implementation of quality improvement measures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Overall IoL rate was 38.9 % prior to implementing the electronic IOL service and MDT, increasing to 39.1 % during change implementation and reducing to 36.8 % post implementation. Early term (37 + 0 to 38 + 6 weeks) IoL saw a consistent fall, from 20.9 % to 19.2 % to 18.7 %. Unplanned caesarean section rates were higher for IoL than spontaneous labour at 32 % and 25 % respectively. Whilst IOL requests for post-dates were higher compared to other indications, the most common reason for performing IOL was for women presenting with reduced fetal movements (RFM).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Successful implementation of the IoL MDT and electronic booking service has enabled standardised care provision and better utilisation of resources, for an optimal maternal and perinatal outcome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113975"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Prevalence and sociodemographic distribution of endometriosis symptoms and indicators in Denmark” [Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 307 (2025) 109–120]","authors":"Marie Josiasen ,&nbsp;Eeva Liisa Røssell ,&nbsp;Tong Zhu ,&nbsp;Anna Melgaard ,&nbsp;Lucky Saraswat ,&nbsp;Andrew W. Horne ,&nbsp;Karina Ejgaard Hansen ,&nbsp;Dorte Rytter","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113953","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113953"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global burden of ectopic pregnancy from 1990 to 2019: A tendency, forecasted trend and inequality analyses based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019","authors":"Wenwen Chen ,&nbsp;Yuanzhi Zhou ,&nbsp;Xu Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinyu Xu ,&nbsp;Yan Yin ,&nbsp;Shuixiang He","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a dangerous obstetric condition that can occur anywhere throughout the world. This study explored the burden, health inequality analysis, and future trends related to EP to assist in formulating the next steps of public health policies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The epidemiological characteristics of EP classified by age, year, and socioeconomic level were assessed in global, regional, and national groups based on Global Burden of Disease 2019. This study analyzed incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-standardized rate (ASR); average annual percentage change (AAPC), and<!--> <!-->estimated annual percentage change (EAPC).<!--> <!-->The article further predicts its change over the next 30 years and quantifies cross-national health inequalities.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In 2019, the global number of new cases was 6,692,404.75 (95 % UI = 5,225,400.95–8,598,569.75), a decrease from 7,453,267.43 (95 % UI = 5,738,984.72–9,557,077.85) in 1990; and the age-standardized deaths rate (ASDR) was 0.16 (95 % UI = 0.14–0.19), a slight decrease from 0.22 (95 % UI = 0.19–0.24) in 1990.<!--> <!-->The EAPC for ASDR showed an average annual decrease of −0.91 (95 % CI = -1.04 − -0.78). In addition, ASR DALYs of EP decreased from 12.46 (95 % UI = 11.09–13.91) in 1990 to 9.69 (95 % UI = 8.27–11.31) in 2019. Projections indicate that by 2049, the ASIR will rise to 149.91 (95 % UI = 11.77–288.05) and the ASDR will rise to 0.18 (95 % UI = 0.05–0.31). Concentration indices of EP death and DALYs increased between 1990 and 2019. Health inequalities show that the concentration index for the EP DALY ratio decreased from -0.46 (95 % CI = -0.55 to -0.38) in 1990 to -0.61 (95 % CI = -0.70 to -0.52) in 2019 and the concentration index for EP death decreased from -0.47 (95 %CI = -0.56 to -0.39) in 1990 to -0.62 (95 %CI = -0.71- -0.53) in 2019.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study emphasizes the significant burden of EP, especially for low socio-demographic index countries. Addressing health inequality is crucial for developing effective intervention policies to improve global maternal health outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113957"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The performance of first-trimester combined screening in liver graft recipients is inferior to that in the general population- a brief communication","authors":"Natalia Mazanowska,&nbsp;Przemysław Kosiński,&nbsp;Patrycja Jarmużek,&nbsp;Anna Cyganek,&nbsp;Zoulikha Jabiry-Zieniewicz,&nbsp;Bronisława Pietrzak","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113970","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143977529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strain ratio elastography of the uterine cervix and prediction of successful labor induction","authors":"Maria Strandbo Schmidt Jensen ,&nbsp;Christine Rohr Thomsen ,&nbsp;Mogens Hinge ,&nbsp;Niels Uldbjerg ,&nbsp;Puk Sandager","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Before labor induction, the uterine cervix is often evaluated by the Bishop score, or a modified Bishop score, to predict the duration and success of induction. However, more objective methods are wanted. Strain ratio elastography is a technique that evaluates the elastic modulus of a tissue. Using strain ratio elastography in combination with a reference material enables quantitative elastography of the uterine cervix.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate the associations between the apparent elastic modulus of the cervical tissue assessed by strain ratio elastography and the cervical dilation time after labor induction.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twenty-two nulliparous pregnant women admitted for labor induction were included. A Bishop score, a cervical length measured by ultrasound and an elastic modulus evaluated by strain ratio elastography were obtained from all participants. Primary outcomes were cervical dilation time from labor induction to active labor and from active labor to full cervical dilation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The strain ratio was not associated with the time from labor induction to active labor R²: 0,024 (P = 0.492), but there was a small association between strain ratio and time from active labor to full cervical dilatation R²: 0.180, however not significant (<em>P</em> = 0.063). The cervical length was associated with time from labor induction to active phase R²: 0.134 (<em>P</em> = 0.003), but not with time from active labor to full dilatation R²: 0.015 (<em>P</em> = 0.610).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results indicate a possible importance of the elastic modulus for predicting time from active labor to full cervical dilatation, whereas the cervical length seems to be of greater importance for time from labor induction to active labor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113972"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143825480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hybrid closed loop insulin therapy versus standard therapy in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Sohaira Tahir ,&nbsp;Shafia Naeem ,&nbsp;Izzah Nayyab ,&nbsp;Aafia Batool ,&nbsp;Sameer Emeish ,&nbsp;Ilma Hasan ,&nbsp;Arjun Dhir ,&nbsp;Jawad Shahid ,&nbsp;Muhammad Sheraz ,&nbsp;Jaskaran Singh ,&nbsp;Amandeep Kaur ,&nbsp;Mohammad Umer ,&nbsp;Antonio Simone Laganà","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113969","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113969","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems compared to standard care (SC) in pregnant women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), pooling results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).</div></div><div><h3>Data sources</h3><div>We searched through multiple databases like PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and <span><span>Clinicaltrials.gov</span><svg><path></path></svg></span> etc. from inception to September 2024 and found six relevant studies after screening.</div></div><div><h3>Study eligibility criteria</h3><div>We included studies that were (1) RCTs; with patient population (2) pregnant patients with type 1 diabetes; intervention group receiving (3) HCL and control group receiving (4) SC; while reporting (5) outcomes of interest (endpoints). We pooled results pertaining to primary outcomes; time in range (TIR), nocturnal time in range (nTIR), and HbA1c; and relevant secondary outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Study appraisal and synthesis methods</h3><div>We used Rob 2: A revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials for quality assessment of the included RCTs. We employed the DerSimonian-Laird random effects model using review manager 5.4 to analyze the pooled estimates and reported results as risk ratio; for dichotomous outcomes; or mean difference; for continuous outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Five RCTs (n = 274) with disparate populations were narrowed down for analysis. Pooled estimates for TIR (MD 4.95 %;−0.56 to 10.49)and HbA1c% (MD 0.09; −0.44 to 0.63) were statistically non-significant, while estimates for nTIR (MD 11.16 %; 7.15 to 15.15), % time &lt; 63 mg/dL (MD –0.78; −1.36 to −0.20), % of time &lt; 54 mg/dL (MD –0.22; −0.40 to −0.03), low blood glucose index (LBGI) (MD –0.30; −0.54 to −0.06), and glucose standard deviation (MD −3.05; −6.06 to −0.04) favored HCL over SC. No significant between-group differences were found in other secondary outcomes: % of time &gt;140 mg/dL, % of time &gt;180 mg/dL, mean glucose level, rate of serious adverse events, cesarian delivery, and severe hypoglycemia.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>HCL systems can improve glycemic control in pregnant women with T1DM with a tolerable adverse event profile, however more research is needed to draw a definitive conclusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113969"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sociodemographic characteristics of women with endometriosis: A Danish register-based case-control study","authors":"Eeva-Liisa Røssell ,&nbsp;Anna Melgaard ,&nbsp;Lucky Saraswat ,&nbsp;Andrew W. Horne ,&nbsp;Marie Josiasen ,&nbsp;Dorte Rytter","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To describe sociodemographic characteristics of women with hospital diagnosed endometriosis in Denmark and compare them with women without endometriosis.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>Case-control study using Danish national registers. Cases were identified as women aged 14–84 years receiving a first-time hospital-based diagnosis of endometriosis in 1991–2021 (n = 37.709). Each case was matched based on date of diagnosis and birth year to five controls without endometriosis (n = 188.545). Information on diagnosis of endometriosis and sociodemographic factors was obtained from Danish registers. Descriptive statistics and unadjusted and adjusted conditional logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between a diagnosis of endometriosis and sociodemographic factors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>For family-based socioeconomic status, women in all groups other than the employed category (both higher and lower socioeconomic status) had lower odds of receiving a diagnosis (ORs ranging from 0.78 to 0.91). Women with primary education, master or equivalent, and PhD had lower odds of a diagnosis (ORs 0.79–0.93) compared to upper secondary education. Compared to couples, singles and “other” had slightly lower odds of a diagnosis (ORs 0.91–0.94). Women of Danish origin and immigrants had similar odds of a diagnosis whereas descendants had lower odds (0.85 (95% CI: 0.76–0.95)) when compared to the two other groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Sociodemographic factors were found to be associated with receiving a hospital diagnosis of endometriosis. However, only smaller differences and a mixed pattern were found.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113968"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Participation of general practitioners and therapeutic patient education in the care of infertile couples","authors":"Gaelle Bernot ,&nbsp;Laure Lallemand ,&nbsp;Christel Le Menager ,&nbsp;Rene Ecochard","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Fertility treatment pathways are complex and lengthy. The current prevalence of infertility makes it a public health issue. The involvement of general practitioners and the training of fertility instructors to provide therapeutic education have been suggested as ways of involving patients in the process and improving the therapeutic trajectory of these patients, who often have co-morbidities.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To describe the activity of trained fertility instructors; to assess the interest of doctors in the fertility chart provided by women; and to describe the outcomes of their fertility care pathway.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>66 French fertility instructors were interviewed in June 2024. The 15 general practitioners who had received additional training were also interviewed. The records of all couples who received fertility counselling and treatment between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023, the study cut-off date, were analysed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Doctors declared that the women had gained a clear understanding of their menstrual cycle, which was useful for diagnosis and treatment follow-up. The chart was particularly useful for diagnosing the causes of infertility and identifying when in the cycle to take medication. Only 4 of the 551 women were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 547 women, 204 (37%) became pregnant. Of these, 75% had a live birth or an ongoing pregnancy at study cut-off.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The involvement of fertility instructors and general practitioners improved the couple’s ability to interact with doctors and to adhere to infertility treatment. The fertility chart provided by the women proved to be useful in the diagnosis and treatment process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113956"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of folic acid/folates use in the preconceptional period and during pregnancy in Italy: results from a cross-sectional observational study","authors":"Fabio Parazzini ,&nbsp;Paola Agnese Mauri ,&nbsp;Giovanna Esposito ,&nbsp;Annalisa Agangi ,&nbsp;Sara Iannantuoni ,&nbsp;Mariarosaria Motta ,&nbsp;Chiara Murolo ,&nbsp;Francesca Navarra ,&nbsp;Ilenia Nobile ,&nbsp;Claudio Santangelo ,&nbsp;Laura Sarno ,&nbsp;Luigi Stradella ,&nbsp;Cristina Stradella ,&nbsp;Roberta Ventrone ,&nbsp;Irene Verdoscia ,&nbsp;Francesco Tarsitano ,&nbsp;Giuseppe Maria Maruotti","doi":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.113967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Preconceptional folic acid/folates supplementation is an important preventive measure to reduce the risk of neural tube defects and adverse pregnancy outcomes. To provide an estimate of the frequency and the determinants of folic acid/folates use in the preconceptional period and during pregnancy in Italy, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>Women aged 18 years or older who gave birth on randomly selected days in the participating hospitals during the study period were eligible for the study. After obtaining informed consent, the women were interviewed by a qualified interviewer during their stay in hospital after giving birth. The questionnaire included general information such as age, education, previous pregnancies, and maternal diseases. Furthermore, the questionnaire specifically collected information on the use of folic acid/folates in the preconceptional period and during pregnancy.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 958 women were interviewed. The 5.4% (95%CI: 4.1–7.1) of participants declared to use folic acid/folates from three months or more before conception to the end of the first trimester, 34.3% (95%CI: 31.3–37.5) from three months or more before conception to the end of pregnancy, 6.1% (95%CI: 4.6–7.8) from conception to the end of first trimester, 47.3% (95%CI: 44.1–50.5) from conception to the end of pregnancy, and 2.4% (95%CI: 1.5–3.6) only after the first trimester of pregnancy. Preconceptional use was more common in older women than in younger ones. Similarly, women who were trying to get pregnant were more likely to report preconceptional use of folic acid than women who were not.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study highlights the need for information campaigns to promote the preconceptional use of folic acid/folates for the prevention of neural tube defects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11975,"journal":{"name":"European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 113967"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143820408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}