Levels of Maternal Care

Number 9, August 2019

Replaces Obstetric Care Consensus Number 2, February 2015

ABSTRACT: Maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, particularly among women of color, have increased in the United States. The leading medical causes of maternal mortality include cardiovascular disease, infection, and common obstetric complications such as hemorrhage, and vary by timing relative to the end of pregnancy. Although specific modifications in the clinical management of some of these conditions have been instituted, more can be done to improve the system of care for high-risk women at facility and population levels. The goal of levels of maternal care is to reduce materna...

Pregnancy and Heart Disease

Practice Bulletin Number 212, May 2019

Critical Care in Pregnancy

Practice Bulletin Number 211, May 2019

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 170, October 2016)

Obstetric Analgesia and Anesthesia

Practice Bulletin Number 209, March 2019

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 177, April 2017)

Emergent Therapy for Acute-Onset, Severe Hypertension During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Committee Opinion Number 767, February 2019

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 692, September 2017)

ABSTRACT: Acute-onset, severe systolic hypertension; severe diastolic hypertension; or both can occur during the prenatal, intrapartum, or postpartum periods. Pregnant women or women in the postpartum period with acute-onset, severe systolic hypertension; severe diastolic hypertension; or both require urgent antihypertensive therapy. Introducing standardized, evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of patients with preeclampsia and eclampsia has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of adverse maternal outcomes. Individuals and institutions should have mechanisms in place to...

Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth

Committee Opinion Number 766, February 2019

(Replaces Committee Opinion No. 687, February 2017)

ABSTRACT: Obstetrician–gynecologists, in collaboration with midwives, nurses, patients, and those who support them in labor, can help women meet their goals for labor and birth by using techniques that require minimal interventions and have high rates of patient satisfaction. Many common obstetric practices are of limited or uncertain benefit for low-risk women in spontaneous labor. For women who are in latent labor and are not admitted to the labor unit, a process of shared decision making is recommended to create a plan for self-care activities and coping techniques. Admission during the la...

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery

Practice Bulletin Number 205, February 2019

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 184, August 2010)

Placenta Accreta Spectrum

Number 7, December 2018

(Replaces Committee Opinion No. 529, July 2012)

ABSTRACT: Placenta accreta spectrum, formerly known as morbidly adherent placenta, refers to the range of pathologic adherence of the placenta, including placenta increta, placenta percreta, and placenta accreta. The most favored hypothesis regarding the etiology of placenta accreta spectrum is that a defect of the endometrial–myometrial interface leads to a failure of normal decidualization in the area of a uterine scar, which allows abnormally deep placental anchoring villi and trophoblast infiltration. Maternal morbidity and mortality can occur because of severe and sometimes life-threaten...

Labor and Delivery Management of Women With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Committee Opinion Number 751, September 2018

(Replaces Committee Opinion No. 234, May 2000)

ABSTRACT: This Committee Opinion is being revised to provide updated guidance on the management of pregnant women during pregnancy and delivery to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Prevention of transmission of HIV from the woman to her fetus or newborn is a major goal in the care of pregnant women infected with HIV. Continuing research into mother-to-child transmission of HIV has suggested that a substantial number of cases of perinatal HIV transmission occur as the result of fetal exposure to the virus during labor and delivery. The precise mech...

Use of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Labor and Delivery

Practice Bulletin Number 199, September 2018

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 120, June 2011)

Prevention and Management of Obstetric Lacerations at Vaginal Delivery

Practice Bulletin Number 198, September 2018

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 165, June 2011)

Group Prenatal Care

Committee Opinion Number 731, March 2018

ABSTRACT: Individual prenatal care is intended to prevent poor perinatal outcomes and provide education to women throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period through a series of one-on-one encounters between a woman and her obstetrician or other obstetric care provider. Concerns regarding increasing health care costs, health care provider availability, dissatisfaction with wait times, and the minimal opportunity for education and support associated with the individual care model have given rise to interest in alternative models of prenatal care. One alternative model, group pre...

Prelabor Rupture of Membranes

Practice Bulletin Number 188, January 2018

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 172, October 2016)

Hospital Disaster Preparedness for Obstetricians and Facilities Providing Maternity Care

Committee Opinion Number 726, December 2017

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 555, March 2013)

ABSTRACT: Large-scale catastrophic events and infectious disease outbreaks highlight the need for disaster planning at all community levels. Features unique to the obstetric population (including antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal care) warrant special consideration in the event of a disaster. Pregnancy increases the risks of untoward outcomes from various infectious diseases. Trauma during pregnancy presents anatomic and physiologic considerations that often can require increased use of resources such as higher rates of cesarean delivery. Recent evidence suggests that floods an...

Vaginal Seeding

Committee Opinion Number 725, November 2017

(Reaffirmed 2019)

ABSTRACT: Vaginal seeding refers to the practice of inoculating a cotton gauze or a cotton swab with vaginal fluids to transfer the vaginal flora to the mouth, nose, or skin of a newborn infant. The intended purpose of vaginal seeding is to transfer maternal vaginal bacteria to the newborn. As the increase in the frequency of asthma, atopic disease, and immune disorders mirrors the increase in the rate of cesarean delivery, the theory of vaginal seeding is to allow for proper colonization of the fetal gut and, therefore, reduce the subsequent risk of asthma, atopic disease, and immune disorde...

Postpartum Hemorrhage

Practice Bulletin Number 183, October 2017

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 76, October 2006) (Reaffirmed 2019)

Guidelines for Perinatal Care

Methods for Estimating the Due Date

Committee Opinion Number 700, May 2017

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 611, October 2014) (Reaffirmed 2019)

ABSTRACT: Accurate dating of pregnancy is important to improve outcomes and is a research and public health imperative. As soon as data from the last menstrual period, the first accurate ultrasound examination, or both are obtained, the gestational age and the estimated due date (EDD) should be determined, discussed with the patient, and documented clearly in the medical record. Subsequent changes to the EDD should be reserved for rare circumstances, discussed with the patient, and documented clearly in the medical record. A pregnancy without an ultrasound examination that confirms or revises...

Shoulder Dystocia

Practice Bulletin Number 178, May 2017

(Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 40, November 2002) (Reaffirmed 2019)

Management of Suboptimally Dated Pregnancies

Committee Opinion Number 688, March 2017

(Reaffirmed 2019)

ABSTRACT: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers first-trimester ultrasonography to be the most accurate method to establish or confirm gestational age. Pregnancies without an ultrasonographic examination confirming or revising the estimated due date before 22 0/7 weeks of gestation should be considered suboptimally dated. This document provides guidance for managing pregnancies in which the best clinical estimate of gestational age is suboptimal. There is no role for elective delivery in a woman with a suboptimally dated pregnancy. Although guidelines for indicated...