title: Total macular volume and foveal retinal thickness alterations in healthy pregnant women.
abstract: ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate whether there are alterations in total macular volume (TMV) and foveal retinal thickness (FT) values during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 60 healthy pregnant women in their first, second, and third trimester (groups 1, 2, and 3) and 20 nonpregnant women (group 4). TMV and FT values were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean TMV was 1.43 ± 0.56 mm(3), 1.88 ± 0.54 mm(3), 2.04 ± 0.66 mm(3) and 1.35 ± 0.41 mm(3) in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Mean FT was 199.20 ± 64.35 µ, 274.35 ± 67.45 µ, 287.95 ± 95.50 µ and 192.100 ± 58.61 µ in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. There was statistical significance among group 1-2 (p1 = 0.014, p2 = 0.001), group 1-3 (p1 = 0.003, p2 = 0.002), group 2-4 (p1 = 0.001, p2 = 0.001), and group 3-4 (p1 = 0.001, p2 = 0.001) for both TMV and FT, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase of fluid in the body, in particular in the second and last trimester, may cause an increase of TMV and FT.
authors: Universal Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Malatya, Turkey. cem_cankaya@yahoo.com
authors: Cem
authors: C
authors: Cankaya
authors: Murat
authors: M
authors: Bozkurt
authors: Ozkan
authors: O
authors: Ulutas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009929:Organ Size; D011247:Pregnancy; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology