Background: Low birth weight (LBW or birth weight<2500g) is significantly related to reduce neonatal survival and postnatal morbidity. Prevention of LBW is the main concern of the public health sector in Iran. LBW neonates are sub-grouped according to the weight of the neonate after birth; neonates with a moderately low birth weight (MLBW) weigh 1500–2499g, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants weigh 1000–1500g and those with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) weigh<1, 000g. Fetal growth and weight of newborns are influenced by many factors. Gestational hypertension or pregnancy induced hypertension (hypertension without proteinuria or other signs/symptoms of preeclampsia that develops after 20 weeks of gestation, and should be resolved by 12 weeks postpartum) is a risk factor for LBW neonates. This study examined the prevalence pregnancy induced hypertension for LBW in Yazd, a central city of Iran.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated all births that were registered in all the maternity hospitals in one year in Yazd, Iran. LBW neonates were compared with neonates whose birth weight exceeded 2500 g.Findings: The overall prevalence of LBW was 8.8 percent and 1.5%, 7.5% and 91% were ELBW, VLBW and MLBW respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that pregnancy-induced hypertension was found to be risk factors for LBW (Odd Ratio=1.5, 95 percent CI=1.2–2.2).Conclusion: Screening for high-risk pregnancies, monitoring of blood pressure of pregnant women during pregnancy and making provisions for attentive prenatal care and facilities are essential to reduce the incidence of LBW.

This study aims to determine the effect of gestational hypertension on neonatal hemoglobin levels. This cohort study was performed on 150 pregnant women, 60 of whom had gestational hypertension and 90 were healthy. Participants were selected using sequential and quota non-probability sampling methods, respectively. The data were collected from interviews and examination forms. The newborns’ umbilical cords were clamped 30-60 sec after the delivery in both groups. Umbilical cord blood samples were taken to determine neonatal hemoglobin levels and sent to the laboratory immediately. Independent t-test was used to compare the two groups in terms of mean hemoglobin; general linear model with an identical link function was used to compare the two groups in terms of mean hemoglobin, considering the effect of confounding variables. SPSS software version 25 was used for the statistical analysis of the data. The statistical significance level in this study was considered to be 0.05. The mean neonatal hemoglobin level in women with gestational hypertension was significantly higher than that in the healthy group (16.73±1.81 gr/dl vs. 15.56±1.79, P<0.001). This difference remained significant after adjusting for demographic and background variables as well as medical records of the participants (P=0.008). The results revealed the hemoglobin level of newborns of mothers who had gestational hypertension, was higher than newborns of healthy mothers. Therefore, performing proper screening tests and knowledge of the hemoglobin level in these infants routinely helps the healthcare staff to prevent, decide and provide more and more useful services.

Background & Objective: Hypertension during pregnancy is associated with significant negative outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) on pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women with gestational and chronic hypertension.Materials & Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted on 60 pregnant women with a diagnosis of gestational hypertension and chronic hypertension. Women were randomly divided into the control (n=30) and the DASH diet (n=30) groups for 2 months and were followed until delivery. The outcomes of maternal pregnancy including the incidence of preeclampsia, placental abruption and preterm delivery (<37 weeks) were assessed during follow-up examinations. Birth weight and minute 1 and minute 5 Apgar score of the infant were also assessed.Results: After 1 and 2 months of intervention, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the DASH diet group was significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of preeclampsia (P=0.035), preterm delivery (P=0.020) and placental abruption (P=0.007) in the DASH diet group was significantly lower than the control group. The mean gestational age at the time of termination of pregnancy was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.467). There was no significant difference between minute 1 and minute 5 Apgar scores of the infants and the mean birth weight of the infants was not significantly different between the DASH and control groups (P = 0.756, P = 0.115 and P = 0.101, respectively).Conclusion: The DASH diet could be used as an effective strategy to improve the clinical outcomes of pregnant women with gestational and chronic hypertension.

Background & Objective: Gestational hypertension (GH) is considered as one of the important health-related issues of pregnant women. One of the raised problems in the pathogenesis of GH is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to evaluate associated factors of OSA among an employed pregnant population. Materials & Methods: In this study, 200 employed pregnant women with GH as the case group and 200 healthy pregnant ones as the control group were enrolled. Blood pressure >140/90 after 20 weeks of gestational age without proteinuria was defined as GH. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were applied for statistical analysis. Results: Mean ±,SD of age and body mass index (BMI) were 32. 85 ±,5. 45 (years) and 31. 85±, 5. 97 (kg/m2) among the case group, respectively. Participants with GH had higher mean BMI, neck circumference, and more frequency of snoring than the control group, which was statistically significant (P<0. 012, P<0. 025, and P<0. 007, respectively). Sales and service occupations consisted the group with the highest frequency of GH. Conclusion: Participants with GH had higher BMI, snoring, observed apnea, and neck circumference. This observation warrants comprehensive assessment of OSA and related risk factors among patients with GH.

Background: Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis are two methods for prenatal diagnosis. The goal of this study was to compare amniocentesis and CVS‑ related complications in a large sample of Iranian women. Methods: Medical records of 1624 women who underwent amniocentesis or CVS due to medical indications between 2008 and 2016 were reviewed. Data regarding age, gravidity, parity, gestational age, type of procedure, neonatal weight (and percentile), trisomia, abortion, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), severe IUGR, preeclampsia, and gestational hypertension were recorded. Results: Finally, 1215 cases were evaluated. Mean maternal age, gravidity, and gestational age were significantly different between two groups. Preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, IUGR, severe IUGR, and intrauterine fetal death were not significantly different between two groups. Trisomy 18 and 21 were common in cases underwent amniocentesis. Conclusions: Women who underwent CVS are not at higher risk for developing hypertensive disorders than women underwent amniocentesis.