Sonographic Cervical Markers at the Second Trimester for the Prediction of Preterm Birth

Background: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of novel ultrasonographic markers, Anterior Uterocervical Angle (AUA), Cervical Consistency Index (CCI) and Cervical Glandular Area (CGA) in the Prediction of Preterm Birth (PTB), in a general population. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study on singleton gestations between 16 -24 weeks undergoing transvaginal sonography for Cervical Length (CL) screening. AUA, CCI and CGA were evaluated. The primary outcome was prediction of spontaneous PTB before 37 weeks’ gestation by UCA, CCI and CGA. The secondary outcome was evaluating performance of these markers alone and in combination with CL to predict PTB. Results: A total of 310 women were studied. The rate of PTB in this population was 10.6 % for delivery before 37 weeks. In the PTB group, the shorter CL, the wider AUA and the lower CCI were significant, but the CGA width and area were not significantly different in term and PTB groups. The optimal cut-off based on the ROC curve was 33.15 mm for CL (sensitivity: 57%; specificity: 68%), 102.5 degrees for AUA (sensitivity: 50%; specificity: 80%), and 60.3% for CCI (sensitivity: 43%; specificity: 68%). Conclusions: Our data indicate that the combination of CL and CCI (positive likelihood ratio:3; negative likelihood ratio:0.7) and the combination of CL and AUA (positive likelihood ratio:4.8; negative likelihood ratio:0.76) are better methods for the prediction of spontaneous PTB before 37 weeks; and can be used as a screening tool in the second trimester

Investigating the effect of Primrose Capsule (Primula Flower Oil) on cervix preparation and commencement of child delivery pains

Introduction: Oenothera biennis (primrose) oil is oneof the most common herbal medicines used for preparingcervix but its effectiveness is yet to be proved. Thereare limited articles on the effectiveness of this medicinein inducing delivery. The present study was designed andconducted with the objective of investigating the effectivenessof vaginal administering of evening primrose ininducing delivery.Study Method: the present study is a triple blind caseevidenceclinical trial. Out of the individuals featuring therequired qualifications for entering the study, 160 wererandomly selected and assigned into two equal groups.Following the acquisition of the consent letter, the participantswere subjected to clinical examinations. Theirpreliminary information was recorded. Then, two softprimrose capsules were placed in the posterior choledosacof the intervention group participants. Placebo capsuleswere used in control group. Next, the patients wereasked to leave a contact number for the future requiredfollow-ups in terms of the delivery pain commencementand labor duration and delivery time. In the end, the collectedinformation was analyzed using SPSS.Result: based on the analyses, the two groups were notfound significantly different in terms of the demographicdata. Moreover, no significant difference was observed interms of the interval between the primrose administrationand delivery pain initiation (T1) and the interval betweenprimrose use till delivery (T2) as compared to the controlgroup (P>0.05).Discussion: it seems that the vaginal application of primrosecapsule is not effective in cervix preparation. However,there is a need for further research in this area. Thecurrent studies on the effectiveness of the evening primroseis limited to two researchers that have also foundresults consistent with what has been found here and twoother studies with results not in accordance with the currentpaper’s findings. More comparative studies seem tobe useful in this regard

Investigating the effect of Primrose Capsule (Primula Flower Oil) on cervix preparation and commencement of child delivery pains

Introduction: Oenothera biennis (primrose) oil is oneof the most common herbal medicines used for preparingcervix but its effectiveness is yet to be proved. Thereare limited articles on the effectiveness of this medicinein inducing delivery. The present study was designed andconducted with the objective of investigating the effectivenessof vaginal administering of evening primrose ininducing delivery.Study Method: the present study is a triple blind caseevidenceclinical trial. Out of the individuals featuring therequired qualifications for entering the study, 160 wererandomly selected and assigned into two equal groups.Following the acquisition of the consent letter, the participantswere subjected to clinical examinations. Theirpreliminary information was recorded. Then, two softprimrose capsules were placed in the posterior choledosacof the intervention group participants. Placebo capsuleswere used in control group. Next, the patients wereasked to leave a contact number for the future requiredfollow-ups in terms of the delivery pain commencementand labor duration and delivery time. In the end, the collectedinformation was analyzed using SPSS.Result: based on the analyses, the two groups were notfound significantly different in terms of the demographicdata. Moreover, no significant difference was observed interms of the interval between the primrose administrationand delivery pain initiation (T1) and the interval betweenprimrose use till delivery (T2) as compared to the controlgroup (P>0.05).Discussion: it seems that the vaginal application of primrosecapsule is not effective in cervix preparation. However,there is a need for further research in this area. Thecurrent studies on the effectiveness of the evening primroseis limited to two researchers that have also foundresults consistent with what has been found here and twoother studies with results not in accordance with the currentpaper’s findings. More comparative studies seem tobe useful in this regard