Obstetrics

FDA advised healthcare professionals not to use magnesium sulfate injection for more than 5-7 days to stop preterm labor in pregnant women, according to a May 30 drug safety communication.

Doing nothing is no longer an option, say the authors. Cervical length assessment should be provided to a larger population of women to identify and treat those with cervical shortening.

The guidance you need for coding cervical screening from the SMFM Coding Committee.

A study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found that the risk of bipolar disorder may be quadrupled among children whose mothers contracted influenza in pregnancy.

Women with high levels of antibodies related to celiac disease are more likely to deliver low birthweight (LBW) babies, according to a large Belgian study published in Gastroenterology.

Medical management of early pregnancy failure is an appropriate and safe option for many women who want to avoid surgical intervention or expectant management.

Two physicians discuss the pros and cons of universal assessment for ob/gyns and their patients.

Total delivery costs are lower-and rates of vaginal delivery higher-when external cephalic version (ECV) is done with versus without neuraxial anesthesia. So say the results of a study by Stanford University researchers published online in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Women in early pregnancy and those attempting conception are often concerned with altering their lifestyles to achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy. Patients often ask ob/gyns for recommendations about caffeine intake, exercise, alcohol consumption, and use of artificial sweeteners. In addition to quantity, the question of timing arises: When is the appropriate time for a woman to alter her lifestyle-before conception or after pregnancy is established?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) taken by a woman during pregnancy do not impact her infant's growth during the first year of life, reports a new small study.

Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health for a Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) have proposed maintaining the current 2-step approach to diagnosis rather than a 1-step process. The panel, comprising 15 experts and 19 speakers, met March 4-9 in Bethesda to examine a report prepared through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Evidence-based Practice Centers program. The assessment was sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Office of Disease Prevention.

When a patient’s pregnancy test is positive but ultrasound is inconclusive, a stepwise approach is essential to make an accurate-and timely-diagnosis.

Women whose pregnancies are complicated by hyperemesis gravidarum in the second trimester are at a much higher risk of placental dysfunction disorders such as placental abruption and small-for-gestational age (SGA) babies, according to a study appearing in the January 30, 2013, issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

A study presented on February 16 at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) annual meeting in San Francisco, California, found that around-the-clock labor and delivery (L & D) coverage decreased the odds of cesarean delivery in certain populations of patients in California.

A new American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) committee opinion (no. 554) addresses the detection and prevention of sexual coercion and violence within women’s relationships. The opinion was developed by the Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women.

Interventions intended to help pregnant women lose weight may not prevent large-for-gestational-age (LGA) newborns, a study of 2618 women has found.

Healthcare providers aren't giving overweight women proper advice on healthy gestational weight gain and physical activity.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) are not only highly effective, they are appropriate under a variety of conditions. Here, the authors present 3 scenarios in which patients would benefit from LARC methods.

Rh disease may get all the headlines, but immunologic reactions to the Kell antigen can be just as lethal to a K1-positive fetus-if not more so.

Once a common cause of perinatal death, Rhesus (Rh) disease is now quite rare in pregnant women, thanks in large part to advances in ultrasound and DNA technology. But the fact that roughly 7 out of every 1,000 liveborn infants are delivered by Rh-sensitized women emphasizes the need for more vigorous preventive efforts and up-to-date management skills.