PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of abdominal breathing on state anxiety, stress and tocolytic dosage for pregnant women in preterm labor. METHODS: The participants were 60 pregnant women in preterm labor who were hospitalized from April to July, 2009. Thirty participants were assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. None of them had any other complications except preterm labor. The modified Mason's breathing technique was used with the experimental group 3 times a day for 3 days. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire and chart review, and analyzed with the SPSS 13.0 WIN program. RESULTS: "State anxiety of the experimental group will be lower than that of the control group" was supported. "Stress of the experimental group will be lower than that of the control group" was supported. "The Ritodrine dosage for the experimental group will be lower than that of the control group" was supported. "The Atosiban dosage for the experimental group will be lower than that of the control group" was supported. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that abdominal breathing is an effective nursing intervention for pregnant women in preterm labor.
Adult ; Anxiety/*prevention & control ; *Breathing Exercises ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Obstetric Labor, Premature/*drug therapy ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Ritodrine/therapeutic use ; Stress, Psychological/*prevention & control ; Tocolytic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Vasotocin/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use

The occurrence of malignancies during pregnancy has increased over the last decades. Risks of cancer surgery during pregnancy include spontaneous abortion and preterm labor. Radiation therapy especially during the first trimester generally is not offered because it poses high risks : teratogenecity, induction of childhood malignancies and hematologocal disorders. All chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of breast cancer are pregnancy category D, meaning that teratogenic effects have occurred in humans. We report a baby of a 33-year-old pregnant woman with breast cancer. She was treated with modified radical mastectomy one month before the pregnancy and full-dose adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and taxol since the first trimester, and 5,400 cGy of radiation therapy in the second trimester. The infant was delivered at 33+6 weeks of gestation and showed no evidence of malformation or abnormalities and developed normally until 8 months of corrected age.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Adult ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Paclitaxel ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnant Women*

OBJECTIVE: Psychotropic drugs use in pregnant mothers with psychiatric disorders raises issues of safety not only with the mothers but also with fetal development and the postpartum prognosis of the neonate. Several studies have reported on the harmful effects of antenatal exposure to psychotropic drugs. However, debatable disregard of the psychiatric disorder itself and issues of necessary and useful pharmacotherapy clouds the results. Hence, the purpose of this study was to retrospectively examine the association between prenatal psychotropic exposure and clinically evident fetal adverse effects. METHODS: From January 1994 to December 2011, a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder from the department of psychiatry and who also had a history of giving birth at the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Ajou University Hospital was conducted. Participants were divided into two groups: those taking psychotropic drugs during pregnancy were designated to the case group and the control group consisted of those not on psychotropics during pregnancy. Psychotropics included antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines used in clinical dosages. Then the two groups were compared on factors such as gestational age, the offspring's birth weight, bitemporal diameter, and Apgar scores. After then, we analyzed relatively risk potential to the preterm labor in such variables (old age pregnancy, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and exposure psychotropics in pregnancy). T-test and logistic regression analysis of the data was performed. RESULTS: Demographic and clinical characteristics did not differ significantly between the groups. Also, there was no significant difference in gestational age, birth weight, bitemporal diameter and Apgar scores between the exposure and non-exposure groups. There was no significant relationship between psychotropic exposure during pregnancy, old age pregnancy, gestational diabetes and preterm labor. However, the relationship between gestational hypertension and preterm labor was significant. CONCLUSION: Psychotropic drugs are considered as significant clinical treatment options to control symptoms of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy. In the clinical setting there was no statistically significant relationship between psychotropic exposure and gestational age on fetal development. However the retrospective nature of the study limits the interpretation of the data and constant close monitoring of pregnant patients in the clinical setting is advised.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Benzodiazepines ; Birth Weight ; Diabetes, Gestational ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Fetus* ; Gestational Age ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Infant, Newborn ; Logistic Models ; Mothers ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Obstetrics ; Parturition ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Psychotropic Drugs ; Retrospective Studies

The incidence of acute leukemia in pregnancy is estimated to be about 1 per 75000 pregnancies, and the incidence of lymphocytic leukemia is known to be lower than myelocytic leukemia. Pregnancy dose not affect the course of acute leukemia, but thrombocytopenia, anemia and leukopenia resulting from leukemia may lead to hemorrhage, infection, and insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrition to fetus. The most important factor for chemotherapy is gestational age. Since no evidence on adverse effect of chemotherapeutic agents on fetus when given after the first trimester, aggressive chemotherapy is recommended during pregnancy. However, during chemotherapy, caution regarding risk of spontaneous abortion, intrauterine fetal growth retardation, teratogenicity, intrauterine fetal death, fetal immunosupression and preterm labor should be taken. Acute leukemia in pregnancy is extremely rare, so treatment and management of the pregnant mother bearing viable fetus in her 3rd trimester is not established clearly. We experienced a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia who was first diagnosed at 27 gestational weeks and immediately started with chemotherapy. But due to preterm labor and impending fetal distress, emergency cesarean section was performed at 28 gestational weeks. We present this patient along with past experiences of acute leukemia in pregnancy.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Anemia ; Cesarean Section ; Drug Therapy ; Emergencies ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Fetal Distress ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; Leukopenia ; Mothers ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Oxygen ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy* ; Thrombocytopenia