To investigate pertussis vaccination rates during pregnancy and the routine recommendation rates by maternity healthcare professionals (HCPs), including influencing factors, in Korea. Two different questionnaires were developed and conducted anonymously for pregnant or postpartum women and maternity HCPs in 30 multi-centers. Maternal pertussis vaccination rates and maternity HCPs' recommendation rates were analyzed. Independent influencing factors were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis, respectively. The rate of pertussis vaccination during pregnancy among 466 women was 67%. Among 164 multiparous women, 35.5% received pertussis vaccinations during every pregnancy. However, 27.9% among all pregnant women did not receive information about pertussis and vaccination. The independent influencing factors for maternal pertussis vaccination, given as the tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap), were "getting informed" (OR 18.597, 95% CI 11.206-30.861), "informed by OBGYN doctors" (OR 4.426, 95% CI 2.144-9.267), and "metropolitan residence" (OR 3.048, 95% CI 1.419-6.548). Among a total of 373 maternity HCPs, 210 (56.3%) routinely recommended pertussis vaccination, but 21.7% of the total maternity HCP participants did not know the maternal Tdap guideline. The independent factors affecting routine recommendation were the awareness of guideline (OR 9.771, 95% CI 5.227-18.265, p < 0.001) and personal pertussis vaccination within 10 years (OR 3.108, 95% CI 2.377-10.329, p < 0.001). The barriers for routine recommendation were the lack of informational materials (29%), time (25%), and knowledge (23%). To increase pertussis vaccination coverage in pregnant women, more education for maternity HCPs, increase the personal pertussis vaccination rates of HCPs, and informational materials, are needed.

Background/Objectives: Maternal thrombocytopenia, affecting approximately 10% of pregnancies, may be physiological (e.g., gestational thrombocytopenia) or pathological (e.g., immune thrombocytopenic purpura, aplastic anemia, preeclampsia, systemic lupus erythematosus). While gestational thrombocytopenia is typically benign, its severity and etiology may impact maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study examined the association between severe and moderate thrombocytopenia during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, focusing on maternal hemorrhage and neonatal thrombocytopenia. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 182 pregnant women with thrombocytopenia who delivered at Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital between 2009 and 2019. Participants were classified into two groups: severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count <50 × 10⁹/L) and moderate thrombocytopenia (50–150 × 10⁹/L). Maternal hemorrhagic outcomes, transfusion needs, and neonatal platelet counts were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using univariate methods. Results: Severe thrombocytopenia was associated with greater blood loss during delivery, increased transfusion requirements, and elevated neonatal thrombocytopenia rates. Moderate to severe thrombocytopenia was more frequently identified in neonates delivered by mothers with immune thrombocytopenic purpura than in those delivered by mothers with gestational thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: Both the severity and etiology of maternal thrombocytopenia significantly affect the risk of maternal hemorrhage and neonatal thrombocytopenia. Careful prenatal assessment is essential to optimize management and reduce complications.

Cervical conization is the standard treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. However, its effects on pregnancy outcomes remain controversial. Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance System, this population-based retrospective cohort study evaluated the relationship between cervical conization and adverse pregnancy outcomes between 2006 and 2022. Altogether, 199,826 singleton primiparous women aged 19 years or older were included, of whom 18,602 had undergone conization prior to pregnancy. The adjusted odds ratios for obstetric complications were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Conization was associated with an elevated risk of cervical incompetence (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.01–3.30), preterm labor (aOR 1.44), preterm premature rupture of membranes (aOR 1.67), placenta previa, gestational diabetes, and intrauterine growth restriction. The subgroup analysis revealed that women who underwent both conization and cerclage had substantially higher risks of preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes than did those who did not receive cerclage. The results point to a heightened obstetric risk following cervical conization, emphasizing the need for tailored prenatal care and continued prospective investigation.

This study aimed to develop an early pregnancy risk scoring model for pregnancy-associated hypertension (PAH) based on maternal pre-pregnancy characteristics, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) or neither. The perinatal databases of seven hospitals from January 2009 to December 2020 were randomly divided into a training set and a test set at a ratio of 70:30. The data of a total pregnant restricted population (women not taking aspirin during pregnancy) were analyzed separately. Three models (model 1, pre-pregnancy factors only; model 2, adding MAP; model 3, adding MAP and PAPP-A) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) risk factors model were compared. A total of 2840 (8.11%) and 1550 (3.3%) women subsequently developed PAH and preterm PAH, respectively. Performances of models 2 and 3 with areas under the curve (AUC) over 0.82 in both total population and restricted population were superior to those of model 1 (with AUCs of 0.75 and 0.748, respectively) and the ACOG risk model (with AUCs of 0.66 and 0.66) for predicting PAH and preterm PAH. The final scoring system with model 2 for predicting PAH and preterm PAH showed moderate to good performance (AUCs of 0.78 and 0.79, respectively) in the test set. “A risk scoring model for PAH and preterm PAH with pre-pregnancy factors and MAP showed moderate to high performances. Further prospective studies for validating this scoring model with biomarkers and uterine artery Doppler or without them might be required”.