Preterm Labor Labor is the the presence of uterine contractions which are strong and frequent enough to expel the products of conception from the uterus. Preterm labor is labor which occurs between 20 and 37 weeks. This is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the United States. Risk … [Read more...]

Third Trimester Bleeding Placenta previa This is when the placenta has implanted over the cervical os. Previa comes comes from the Latin word praevia meaning “go before.” This can be either partial or complete. Do not do a digital exam on a patient with 3rd trimester bleeding. Risk factors … [Read more...]

Rh Incompatibility Mother is Rh (-) and baby is Rh (+). Mother has potential to create anti Rh (+) antibodies. RBC’s do not cross the placenta, but IgG antibodies do. There must be a traumatic event when the fetus’s blood comes in contact with the mother’s blood to trigger antibody … [Read more...]

Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) GTD is a group of problems where tumors grow in the placental tissue.  There may or may not be fetal tissue present.  Two presentations within this group are hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinomas. Hydatidiform mole (Molar pregnancy) A … [Read more...]

Spontaneous Abortion Abortion - termination of a pregnancy before the fetus develops sufficiently to survive Spontaneous - without medical or mechanical means of emptying the uterus Approximately 15% of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion. 80% occur in the first 12 weeks of … [Read more...]