Clinical Keys for This Chapter ▪ Prematurity is the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth (PTB) is defined as deliveries occurring from 20 weeks up to 37 weeks of gestational age. When preterm birth occurs either spontaneously…
Clinical Keys for This Chapter ▪ Normal and effective spontaneous labor is dependent upon normal uterine physiology and careful watchful waiting without overly aggressive obstetric management. Dystocia is dysfunctional labor that often has complex origins, and may develop after the…
Clinical Keys for This Chapter ▪ Antepartum hemorrhage can be a very serious complication of pregnancy. Hemorrhage may be painless or painful, and the source of the bleeding is usually maternal, but it can rarely be from the fetus. The…
Clinical Keys for this Chapter ▪ The most important principle of both fetal and maternal surveillance during labor is that childbirth is a normal process, and the majority of laboring women and their fetuses will have a safe journey. Obstetricians…
Clinical Keys for This Chapter ▪ Knowledge of the characteristics of the fetal head and maternal pelvis is necessary to understand the dynamic relationship between these two anatomic structures during labor. The fetal head, through a process of molding and…
Clinical Keys for this Chapter ▪ Preconception counseling is an important component of preventive care for couples that are considering pregnancy. It can identify risks related to family history, maternal medical conditions, and fetal and maternal chromosomal/genetic disorders that may…
Clinical Keys for this Chapter ▪ The hemodynamic changes associated with pregnancy begin at 6 weeks' gestation and are associated with sodium and water retention. The mechanisms for these changes are secondary to elevations in the production of aldosterone, prostaglandins,…
Clincal Keys for This Chapter ▪ The hormonal and nonhormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and parturition are regulated through a physiological mechanism referred to as the fetoplacental unit. A series of hormones and transmitters are produced by each of…
Clinical Keys for this Chapter ▪ The female reproductive cycle (menstrual cycle) may be viewed as four separate physiologic cycles (hypothalamic, pituitary, ovarian, and endometrial) but is actually a highly complex and integrated event. This 28 (±7) day cycle allows…
Clinical Keys for This Chapter ▪ The upper vagina, cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes are formed from the paramesonephric (müllerian) ducts. The absence of the Y chromosome leads to the development of the müllerian (female) system with virtual total regression…