Early pregnancy challenges: study of caesarean scar pregnancy through a novel national surveillance platform and systematic reviews of priority questions in miscarriage management
Uncommon disorders are difficult to study because routine information sources are unreliable, and comprehensive studies would require a large collaboration to identify relatively few cases. This PhD developed a national network and research platform for the study of serious and uncommon disorders in early pregnancy: The UK Early Pregnancy Surveillance Service (UKEPSS). A national collaboration can enable high quality research to improve our knowledge and help us provide better care for women with rare early pregnancy conditions. Using the UKEPSS platform, with an early pregnancy network of 86 UK hospitals and Early Pregnancy Units (EPUs), nation-wide prospective cohort and case control studies of caesarean scar pregnancy were performed.
The second section of this thesis comprises of systematic reviews in priority questions in miscarriage management, exploring the effectiveness of progesterone to reduce miscarriage in women presenting with early pregnancy bleeding; the effect of ethnicity on miscarriage; and the effect of hydrosalpinx and its management on miscarriage risk
