Predictors of prenatal distress and fear of childbirth among nulliparous and parous women

Background

Prenatal distress and fear of childbirth negatively affect the health of the mother and the fetus. Sociodemographic and pregnancy related characteristics may influence prenatal distress and fear of childbirth.

Aim

This study aimed to explore the relationship between fear of childbirth and prenatal distress levels with accompanying factors.

Subjects and Methods

The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study and conducted in the outpatient clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, Turkey, between April 2017 and January 2018. Survey data were collected from 103 third-trimester pregnant women who had admitted to the hospital for routine prenatal examination. Sociodemographic Information Form, the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (NUPDQ), and the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) were used to collect data. Sociodemographics, obstetrics, and other variables were summarized by descriptive statistics. Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact test were used for comparison of data between groups.

Results

The mean score of NUPDQ was 7.58 (SD 4.09) in the nulliparous group and 8.17 (SD 5.16) in the multiparous group (P = 0.68). The mean W-DEQ score was 40.46 (SD 21.80) in nulliparous women and 45.55 (SD 26.72) in multiparous women (P = 0.38). The W-DEQ and NUPDQ scores were moderately correlated with a Spearman correlation co-efficient of 0.58 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The results of this study revealed that fear of childbirth and prenatal distress were moderately and positively correlated. NUPDQ and W-DEQ can be used during pregnancy to understand if pregnant women have fear or distress. This could help to give a better support to pregnant women.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS AND e-NOS GENE IN DOWN SYNDROME

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of three eNOS gene polymorphisms associated with congenital heart defects, between Down syndrome patients with and without cardiac anomalies. Transthoracic echocardiographic examinations and eNOS single-nucleotide polymorphisms were investigated on seventy-five patients, prospectively. The frequencies of mutant alleles in the eNOS promoter (the -786T/C polymorphism) and exon 7 mutant alleles (the 894G--->T polymorphism) were significantly higher in Down syndrome patients with and without cardiac anomalies. The frequency of the intron GIOT polymorphism did not significantly differ between patients with and without cardiac anomalies. We found a significant relationship between eNOS gene polymorphisms and the congenital heart defects in patients with Down syndrome. Screening for the presence or absence of eNOS polymorphisms may be useful to obtain preliminary data on the risk of congenital heart defects in patients with Down syndrome.

Does higher NORs expression affect the developmental stages of Down syndrome infants?

BACKGROUND

The nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are localized at the secondary constriction of the five pairs of acrocentric chromosomes (13, 14, 15, 21 and 22) in human.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To evaluate whether increasing AgNOR protein synthesis effects or not the development of babies/children, 25 Down syndrome patients were included in this study. Firstly, the Ankara Development Screening Inventory (AGTE) test was performed. Then the buccal epithelial cells of patients were taken via a sterile toothpick on clean glass slides and spreaded and AgNOR staining technique was applied to the slides of each individual. Mean NOR area/Total nucleus area (NORa/TNa) were evaluated for each nucleus using a special computer program.

RESULTS

The mean NORa/TNa was found to be 3.8+/-1.16. According to these data, a significant correlation was not evident between the NORa/TNa and developmental stages (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

There is no correlation between extra energy spending for NOR protein synthesis and developmental deficiency.