Introduction: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a serious complication of pregnancy involving nausea and vomiting which affects all facets of the lives of many women. Helicobacter pylori infection has been linked to HG in some regions of the world. However, the prevalence of H. pylori in Saudi Arabian pregnant women and its link to HG has not been the subject of previous research. Detecting and treating H. pylori infection in women early in their pregnancies may lower the likelihood of adverse maternal outcomes. This study aims to assess the connection between the pathogenesis of HG and H. pylori infection in this population. Methods: Forty-five pregnant women with HG were recruited from the outpatient clinic for antenatal care in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Forty-five pregnant women without HG were matched as controls. Both groups underwent testing for the H. pylori antigen in stool samples. Results: A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between the cases and controls in terms of the occurrence of H. pylori. Thirty-eight women in the HG group (84.4%) tested positive for H. pylori, while the same was true of only 20 of the controls (44.4%). The mean level of blood hemoglobin in positive cases was significantly lower than that in negative cases (9.56 ± 1.29 vs. 11.90 ± 1.18 g/dl, P = 0.012). Conclusion: H. pylori may play a contributing role in the presence of HG in the study population. It may be included with other investigations of HG, especially with cases that do not respond to conventional management and continue into the second trimester. Women with H. pylori were also more likely to suffer from anemia compared to those without the infection. For this reason, those working with pregnant women should pay close attention to those infected with H. pylori. Additional large case–control studies are necessary to better understand the part H. pylori plays and the pathogenesis of HG.

Obstetrical hemorrhage contributes significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality. Assessment of blood loss while undergoing cesarean sections (CS) is essential in lowering the morbidity and mortality, however this amount is commonly underestimated by the surgeon and probably the anesthetist too. This study addresses this issue by comparing three separate ways of assessing blood loss during cesarean sections. For each of 97 full-term pregnant women undergoing elective CS, blood loss was measured by the following: visual estimation by both the obstetrician and the anesthetist, weighing surgical pads pre operatively and post operatively and by calculations (multiplying the difference of pre-operative and postoperative hemoglobin values by the patient's estimated blood volume). The results of this study indicated that the lowest estimated value for blood loss came from visual estimation, while the highest value came from the mathematical formula. Anesthetists were more accurate in their visual estimation of blood loss than were obstetricians. This study found the amount of blood loss during CS to be overestimated by the mathematical calculation and underestimated by obstetricians. However, the estimate given by anesthetists was close to that obtained by weighing pads. This underscores the need for more accurate methods of blood loss estimation in cesarean sections to be adopted.

Perceptions of an integrated curriculum among dental students in a public university in Saudi Arabia

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder experienced by women of reproductive age and is marked by insulin resistance (IR) and menstrual cycle abnormalities. In this study, we set out to assess how the level of menstrual abnormalities relates to the degree of IR in women with PCOS. The participants in this study were 93 women diagnosed with PCOS and 100 controls with regular vaginal bleeding. Data was collected through blood samples, physical examinations, and medical histories. The primary outcome measures were body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR), and hormonal parameters. Values for BMI and HOMA-IR were higher in PCOS cases than in controls [(28.6 ± 1.9 vs. 23.7 ± 2.3) and (2.29 ± 2.87 vs. 1.48 ± 1.02), respectively]. Oligomenorrhea was documented in 79.4% of women with PCOS, with the others experienced vaginal bleeding intervals under 45 days. The greater the menstrual irregularity, the higher the levels of luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone. Among the PCOS group, those with vaginal bleeding intervals of above 90 days had a higher HOMA-IR values (2.46 ± 2.77), after adjustments for age and BMI, than the participants who went<45 days between periods (2.01 ± 2.14) and those whose interval was 45–90 days (2.09 ± 2.43). Most of the participants with PCOS had obvious oligomenorrhea of at least 6 weeks between episodes of vaginal bleeding and had significantly higher insulin resistance than did the controls. This suggests that insulin resistance in PCOS cases may be predicted by the presence of clinically overt menstrual dysfunction.

Babies to women eligible for trial of labor after a cesarean (TOLAC) are sometimes delivered by cesarean section (CS). To obtain clinicians’ attitudes and beliefs about TOLAC, this study was designed to investigate the views of clinicians when advising TOLAC-eligible pregnant women about TOLAC, and to explore their reasons in favor of or against TOLAC. Interviews were carried out individually (face-to-face) with clinicians using a specially designed questionnaire to collect data from obstetricians in the Western Region of Saudi. Regression analysis was used as appropriate. Among the 183 obstetricians included in the current study, approximately 79.2% were against offering TOLAC. However, most of the physicians (89.1%) were in favor of offering TOLAC to patients who had had a successful vaginal birth after CS. significant associations were found between physicians’ opposition to TOLAC and medical and most non-medical factors. Clinicians should recognize that the critical role they play in the delivery decision-making process and in boosting women’s confidence in TOLAC may be key to increasing the rate of TOLAC.