Anisha Gandhi1, Dr Alexa Seal11. The School of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame Australia Background: Suicide continues to be a leading cause of maternal death in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024). National guidelines for Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) emphasise the...

Ashley McMurray, Chantelle Burl, Dr Kate Levett, Dr Ekavi Georgousopoulou Background : Ovarian cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality and the second most lethal gynaecological cancer affecting Australian women. Poor prognosis for advanced ovarian cancer necessitated development of novel drug therapies...

Emily Smelt Introduction: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, which can present with vascular thrombosis and obstetric complications. In its obstetric form (OAPS), morbidity includes recurrent miscarriage, unexplained fetal death, premature birth, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Despite...

Valentina Buay, Belinda Anderson, Debra Betts, Claudia Citkovitz, Lisa Conboy, Sandro Graca, Kathleen Lumiere,  Rosa Schnyer, Lisa Taylor-Swanson, Kate Levett Introduction: Acupuncture shows promise in improving women’s health, but clinical trial findings are often limited by small sample sizes, inconsistent methodologies, and varied outcome...

Emma Kellock, Mikayla Sheahan, Dr Robyn Ramadan Background: With the closure of many maternity units in rural Australia over the past two decades, many women face the challenge of travelling longer distances for maternity care. To mitigate these issues, Midwifery Group Practices (MGPs) have...

Bethany Grice, Annelies L. Robijn, Mark Chambers , Hayden McRobbie, Alys Havard Introduction The safety of e-cigarettes in pregnancy remains uncertain, however, many e-cigarettes contain nicotine and other chemicals which may have important implications for fetal health. With 30% of pregnancies unplanned, regular e-cigarette...

Olivia G Taylor, Tessa L Weir, Sarah J Glastras Background Obesity in pregnancy presents significant health risks for both the mother and child, with increased rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia, caesarean section and large-for-gestational-age (LGA)1. The current WHO classification of obesity2 does...

Thomas Douglas and Peter Sheeran Introduction Maternal alcohol consumption (MAC) and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a significant public health concern within the Australian context, with FASD the leading cause of preventable brain damage and developmental disability nationwide. Whilst reported MAC rates have...

T. Bemand, C. Mok, M. Lennon Background Pre-eclampsia is a disease of abnormal placentation with definitive treatment requiring delivery of the placenta. However in the absence of maternal or foetal indications for delivery, expectant management to promote foetal maturity may be pursued. Options for...

Adele Evans Abstract Currently, 47% of pregnant Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander women smoke during pregnancy, compared to 9.8% of the general population, this rate is higher in rural communities. Cigarette exposure during pregnancy leads to a multitude of pregnancy complications including lifeline...