News

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced that the children of mothers who took medications including or related to valproate sodium during pregnancy show decreased IQ scores, and that these drugs are now contraindicated for pregnant women.

The FDA has approved an application to market the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step for use without a prescription by women 15 years of age and older.

The findings of a new systematic review have shown that serial transabdominal amnioinfusion may decrease morbidity and mortality rates associated with preterm premature rupture of membranes.

An intrauterine device (IUD) is an effective tool in the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer in certain patients, according to the results of a small study presented at the International Gynecological Cancer Society’s 14th biennial meeting.

Poor communication is a leading cause of medical errors in this era of collaborative care. Effective communication strategies can help facilitate the continuity of care, prevent errors, and provide a safe environment for the patient.

With common and overlapping symptoms and subjective patient reporting, interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and bladder oversensitivity can be difficult to distinguish, making diagnosis and treatment recommendations tricky.

Modern society has witnessed great improvements in everyday products, often thanks to advances in chemical compounds that make products better, stronger, and the like. Unfortunately, these advances may come at a cost, as prenatal exposure to some chemical compounds may have deleterious effects on offspring.

More than one third of women in the United States will experience some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The consequences of IPV can be lifelong and include emotional trauma, long-term physical impairment, chronic health problems, and even death.

While tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) is and single-incision mini-sling result in similar subjective cure rates for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence, the mini-sling is still inferior, according to a randomized study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective tool in reducing menopause-related symptoms in women with a history of breast cancer, according to new research published in The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers have found that proper maternal serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations are crucial to fetal development. Dr. Andrew J. O. Whitehouse, associate professor at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia, and colleagues published their work in a recent issue of Pediatrics.

Women over the age of 50 who achieve a viable pregnancy via donor-egg in vitro fertilization (D-IVF) have no greater incidence of adverse outcomes than younger women,according to a new study published in the American Journal of Perinatology.

Bipolar radiofrequency endometrial ablation is more effective than hydrothermablation in the treatment of menorrhagia at five years, according to research published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Misoprostol is a safe and effective alternative to titrated intravenous for addressing abnormalities of the active phase of labor, according to new research published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Ulipristal is a safe and effective option for women with uterine fibroids, according to two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In both studies, the oral selective progesterone receptor modulator was well-tolerated, rapidly reduced excessive bleeding, and decreased the size of uterine fibroids.

A woman’s diet before pregnancy can affect her risk of developing gestational diabetes, according to researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Laparoscopic staging of uterine cancer is associated with only a small increased risk of recurrence, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Oral contraceptives have long been considered an option for relieving symptoms of dysmenorrhea, but a 2009 Cochrane review cast doubt on that claim. Now, a new study out of Sweden offers contradictory evidence.

A new blood test may safely reveal the gender of a fetus in the first trimester, according to new research published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

According to research published in the Annals of Family Medicine, midstream urine testing effectively detects Chlamydia trachomatis.

ObGyn.net blogger Richard Chudacoff, MD, FACOG, responds to the news that new health care laws will require pharmaceutical companies to disclose all payments to doctors.

Persistent pulmonary hypertension, which affects as many as 2 per 1,000 liveborn infants, is a life-threatening condition. While there are many risk factors, research has linked the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in late pregnancy with increased risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Over the past few years, there has been great concern over the presence of alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) in consumer products and their link to breast cancer. These compounds have been found in human blood, milk, urine, and breast tissue.

Statin use in postmenopausal women is associated with an increased risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Fetal movement counts, a simple, inexpensive, and easily accessible tool a pregnant mother can use to help monitor the wellbeing of her fetus, have been used to identify potential problems in a timely manner, allowing for prompt interventions. However, the practice has been disputed among health care professionals for lack of conclusive evidence that counting reduces perinatal morbidity and mortality. Now, new research shows that counting has a positive impact.

Findings published in the latest issue of Cancer Prevention Research suggest that antiestrogen supplements help decrease the risk of subsequent melanoma in patients with breast cancer.

Although previous studies of a new genital herpes vaccine were encouraging, it failed to protect women in a recent large clinical trial.

Two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine point to the importance of using bevacizumab in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Bevacizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the vascular endothelial growth factor, has shown single-agent activity in women with recurrent tumors.

Women with diabetes can bring a host of medical complications to their pregnancy. Recently, research has shown that cesarean section rates are higher in women with diabetes, and some estimates note that more than half of those C-sections are emergency operations and not elective procedures.

Foley catheter or vaginal prostaglandin E2 gel—which is the better option for induction in pregnant women with unfavorable cervix at term? According to new research, the Foley catheter may be a better choice.

There are a variety of complications that can occur during laparoscopic surgery. In this tutorial learn some of the complications and tips to avoid them.

Review information on low molecular weight heparin in recurrent miscarriages in this educational tutorial.