True knots in the umbilical cord are rare, affecting approximately 1% of all pregnancies. The diagnosis may be missed antenatally during routine ultrasonography. Many known predisposing factors are associated with true knotting. In the majority of cases, it has no bearing on foetal outcome, but may rarely be linked to intra-uterine foetal death.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the commonest among the specific dermatoses of pregnancy. The disease is characterised by intense pruritus and specifically by elevated bile acid levels and owing to the rarity of data published in this context, the disease carries a great challenge in both diagnosis and management. The disease is associated with significant maternal as well as perinatal adverse effects, hence, this article aims at improving the knowledge of the women\'s health carers with the up-to-date and evidence-based, whenever possible, recommendations while managing patients with ICP.

UNASSIGNED: Our main goal was to evaluate whether a treatment protocol based on the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol for second-trimester foetal loss was more effective than misoprostol monotherapy.
UNASSIGNED: This was an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional two-centre study of women receiving treatment for second-trimester pregnancy loss. Patients were recruited in two centres that used different treatment protocols: combined mifepristone-misoprostol treatment or misoprostol monotherapy.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 99 patients were included in the study: 41 in the mifepristone-misoprostol combined treatment group and 58 in the misoprostol monotherapy group. The combined treatment group had shorter times to expulsion and shorter hospitalisations, as well as higher rates of hospital discharge within 24 h and complete abortion within the first 6 h and 12 h. There were no differences regarding secondary effects and complication rates.
UNASSIGNED: A combination of mifepristone and misoprostol appears to be a feasible option for the treatment of second-trimester pregnancy loss.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 is responsible for a worldwide increase in morbidity and mortality. The relationship of this infection to mother-to-child vertical transmission has not been elucidated yet. However, recent reports indicate a foetal death rate of up to 3%.
METHODS: We report a case of sudden pre-term foetal demise in a woman positive for SARS-CoV-2 but asymptomatic, with physiological course of pregnancy.
RESULTS: One of the possible explanations of sudden foetal death may be acute placental insufficiency caused by a SARS-CoV-2 placental infection or the development of foetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS).
CONCLUSIONS: Considering the potential risk of foetal demise, questions remain regarding foetal monitoring and the timing of labour and delivery in the second and third trimesters, particularly in asymptomatic or mild maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. A relevant multidisciplinary team must also be aware of these risks associated with possibly fatal consequences.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to evaluate the pathological changes of the placenta in foetal death and foetal growth restriction and to find correlation of the findings with clinical causes.
METHODS: Prospective study at a tertiary care hospital.
METHODS: Gross and histopathological examinations of the placentae were carried out in pregnancies with foetal demise (IUD) and Foetal Growth Restriction (FGR).
METHODS: SPSS, version 11.5.
RESULTS: Placentae of twenty seven women with foetal demise and of equal number of women with foetal growth restriction were studied. Placental weight was less than 10(th) percentile in 61.5% women in IUD group and in 93% women in the FGR group. Gross examination of placentae showed abnormalities in 12 (44%) women of IUD group and in 16 (59%) women of FGR group. Histopathological abnormalities were observed in 74.1% women of the IUD group and in 66.7% women of FGR group. Placental histopathology correlated with clinical risk factors in 60% women of IUD group and in 40% women of FGR group. Among the women with no clinically explainable cause for IUD and FGR, 86% and 57% had placental histopathological abnormalities respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The histopathological abnormalities of the placenta can be used to document the clinical causes of foetal demise and growth restriction; it may explain the causes in cases of clinically unexplained foetal demise and foetal growth restriction.