Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Varma, Thankam R.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02308.xpmid: 4532535

Summary: Serial ultrasonic cephalometry and maternal 24‐hour urinary oestrogen assays were performed on 400 patients who were considered on clinical grounds to be at risk of having a small‐for‐dates fetus. It was found that serial cephalometry was a better indicator of fetal well‐being than urinary oestrogen assays. Serial cephalometry enabled dysmaturity to be predicted in 90% of patients, compared with 70% by serial oestrogen assays. The false positive and false negative diagnoses using serial cephalometry were 12% and 10%, respectively, compared with 22% and 30%, using oestrogen assays. It was also noted that serial cephalometry was significantly better than oestrogen assays in predicting perinatal asphyxia.

Teoh, Eng Soon; Dawood, M. Yusoff; Ratnam, S. S.; Ambrose, Anselm; Das, N. P.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02309.xpmid: 4532536

Summary: Progesterone was measured in 232 normal pregnancy sera by a competitive protein binding assay. The mean serum progesterone concentration increased gradually from 15.1 ng./ml. at 6 weeks of gestation to 22.5 ng./ml. at 8 weeks, dipped slightly to 18.8 ng./ml. at the ninth week and then rose steeply during the second and third trimesters to reach 180.5 ng./ml. at term. There was a 5.5‐fold difference between the lowest and highest concentrations of serum progesterone for any period of gestation. In 5 patients investigated for diurnal changes there were small, random fluctuations in the serum concentration. The mean umbilical venous serum progesterone concentration in 10 babies was 4.5 times higher than the corresponding maternal venous concentration.

Biggs, J. S. G.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02310.xpmid: 4532537

Summary: A review of papers in 4 selected obstetrical journals showed that oestrogen assays held a dominant place amongst methods of fetal assessment during 1971 and 1972. Plasma oestriol assays appear likely to increase in clinical importance. Ultrasonic studies have maintained their place in fetal assessment. Human placental lactogen assays appear to have been accepted as an adjunct to other tests. The phospholipid assay of fetal lung maturity showed the greatest rise in interest and activity amongst methods of fetal assessment in the past 2 years.

Morton, David C.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02311.xpmid: 4532538

Barham, K. A.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02312.xpmid: 4532539

Summary: Amnioscopy has been used in late pregnancy to monitor the amniotic fluid of the fetus at risk of intra‐uterine hypoxia. The test has been performed on more than 3,000 patients over a 7‐year period. Properly performed it is a worthwhile clinical procedure since it can improve the quality of antenatal care for the fetus who is at risk. Apart from this it has been of assistance in the induction of labour, the early detection of unsuspected abnormalities and research on membrane cytology.

Walters, William A. W.; Cain, Deirdre

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02313.xpmid: 4615701

Summary: Haemodynamic changes were monitored serially in 3 groups of healthy young women taking (i) a combined oestrogen‐gestagen oral contraceptive containing a low dose of oestrogen, (ii) an oestrogen alone and (iii) a gestagen alone. Similar significant increases in plasma volume occurred in those women taking the combined preparation and in those taking the oestrogen. A small but significant decrease in forearm blood flow occurred in subjects taking the combined oral contraceptive. Cardiac output, blood pressure, heart rate and hand blood flow did not alter significantly in any of the 3 groups of subjects, while body weight increased in the subjects taking gestagen alone. It is concluded that the combined oestrogen‐gestagen oral contraceptives containing 50 μg. of oestrogen result in minimal haemodynamic side effects, and hence are safer than the older combined preparations containing a higher dose of oestrogen. The increase in plasma volume observed was due to oestrogen rather than gestagen. No additional information was obtained concerning the site of sex steroid action in the cardio‐vascular system.

Jones, W. R.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02314.xpmid: 4532540

Summary: Results in 377 couples indicate that the sperm immobilization test provides a reliable means of detecting significant humoral anti‐sperm activity in infertile patients. Occlusion therapy in patients with sperm antibodies has proved disappointing when compared with the natural reproductive pattern in untreated patients. A continuing prospective study indicates a lower subsequent fertility rate, and a markedly higher abortion rate, in women with sperm antibodies compared with those without them. Notwithstanding this, patients with infertility of 3 or more years' duration achieved a subsequent pregnancy rate of 27%, even in the presence of sperm antibodies. The nature and significance of sperm iso‐immuniza‐tion requires much further elucidation.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02315.xpmid: N/A

Robertson, Struan

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02316.xpmid: 4532541

Summary: Investigation, assessment, and the results of treatment of 114 couples requesting donor insemination (A.I.D.) are reported. Where the male factor for infertility was the only recognisable one, 66% of patients became pregnant in an average of 3 months of treatment; where there was an additional female infertility factor, 32% of patients became pregnant in an average of 9 treatment months.

Ng, Allan Y. H.

doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.1973.tb02317.xpmid: 4532542

Summary: One hundred first trimester pregnancies were terminated by vacuum aspiration. The Vibrodilator and Hegar's dilators were used in alternate patients. The Vibrodilator was less painful and took less time to dilate the cervix than the Hegar dilators. However, there were 3 failures and 3 instances of cervical laceration when the Vibrodilator was used.