Obstetric & Gynaecology forum
OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY FORUM is written by specialists in the field. It aims, primarily, to present articles on the practice of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in South Africa and is distributed to G.P’s and to Specialists concerned with the rendering of healthcare to women.
The views expressed in individual articles are the personal views of the Authors and are notnecessarily shared by the Editors, the Advertisers or the Publisher. No articles may bereproduced in any way without the writtenconsent of the Publisher.
VOLUME 32 I ISSUE 3
It can be argued that there are three colliding pandemics that are currently affecting the planet and its people: COVID-19, global inequities and climate change. Regrettably, these are all the result of human action or inaction and are preventable. Th e United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26), held in November 2021 in Glasgow, addressed some of these issues.
During the study period, 2430 babies were born, of which 239 had congenital malformations, making the prevalence 9.84%. Most of the women giving birth (49.79%) belonged to the age group 20 to 29 years. Congenital anomalies were seen more commonly (69.87%) in the multiparas in comparison to the primiparas (30.13%). The predominant system affected by congenital defects was the central nervous system (CNS) (40.60%) followed by multiple/gross congenital anomalies (18.83%) and the musculoskeletal system (12.98%).
Gastroschisis and omphalocoele represent the two most common anterior abdominal wall defects. Omphalocoele consists of evisceration of abdominal contents into a sac at the base of the umbilical cord while gastroschisis is a para-umbilical defect resulting in free floating loops of bowel and occasionally, organs in the amniotic fluid.
Since the introduction of the South African Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOP) in 1996, there has been a substantial decrease in maternal death due to unsafe Termination of pregnancies (TOPs). Mbele et al demonstrated a drop in mortality index for women in Pretoria West from 21.7% to 2.0% (p = 0.02, RR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.89) between the timeframes of 1997-1998 and 2003–2005.
A 34-year-old female (gravida 5; para 3; miscarriage 1) at 33 weeks, with dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twins was referred from a secondary-level hospital with upper gastrointestinal (GIT) bleeding based on a history of abdominal pain and coffee-grounds vomiting. An upper GIT endoscopy at the referring hospital found esophagitis with no active upper GIT bleeding, which did not explain the patient’s condition.
Zane Wilson Founder SADAG
- Neil Amoore,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Kevin Bolon,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Dr Jan Chabalala,
- Psychiatrist, Johannesburg
- Dr Lori Eddy,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Lee-Ann Hartman,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Dr Frans Korb,
- Psychiatrist/Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Professor Crick Lund,
- Psychiatrist, Cape Town
- Dr Rykie Liebenberg,
- Psychiatrist, Johannesburg
- Dr Colinda Linde,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Zamo Mbele,
- Psychologist, Johannesburg
- Nkini Phasha,
- SADAG Director, Johannesburg
- David Rosenstein,
- Psychologist, Cape Town
- Professor Dan Stein,
- Psychiatrist, Cape Town
- Professor Bernard van Rensburg,
- Johannesburg
- Dr Sheldon Zilesnick,
- Psychiatrist, Johannesburg