Pregnancy and Birth

A universal standard for monitoring fetal growth can better detect which fetuses are at risk for intrauterine growth restriction.

Challenge your diagnostic skills: Is everything normal in this fetal abdomen?

Being overweight can affect fertility, and now there is evidence that maternal weight at conception impacts how a fertilized egg divides and grows.

New technology-inspiring jealousy and one-upmanship everywhere. (Who said pregnant women weren't competitive?)

Women who receive the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) may not be at increased risk of preterm birth or other adverse birth outcomes, according to a new study in JAMA.

Antibiotics should not be routinely used for pregnant women with ruptured membranes prior to labor at term, unless there are signs of an infection.

Challenge your diagnostic skills: What's the diagnosis and prognosis based on these images of the fetal brain in a third trimester pregnancy?

CNMs, CMs, CPMs . . . Elaine Germano of the American College of Nurse-Midwives explains the credentials and how they may affect collaboration efforts.

Whooping cough can equal hospitalization for a baby, so why aren't more hospitals promoting Tdap vaccines and offering preventive measures on their websites?

Women who perceive being pressured by clinicians to have a labor induction or c-section are more likely to undergo the intervention even if medically unnecessary.

The 7th annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card shows that in 2013, the preterm birth rate fell to its lowest in 17 years-11.5%--meeting Healthy People 2020 goals. That number, however, still earns a “C” grade from the organization, which has set a goal of 9.6% of all live births by 2020.

In this blog, one OB/GYN discusses her move from a hospital staff physician to a solo private practice, a decision that hasn't come without costs.

PTSD and preterm birth are associated, so knowing your patients' mental health history, particularly when symptoms were last present, is important.

Challenge your diagnostic skills: Is everything fine with this third trimester pregnancy?

A patient handout prepared by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine to aid in understanding of periviable rupture of membranes.

A common epilepsy medication is not safe during pregnancy and could lead to developmental problems in children.

There are all kinds of babies in this world.

Voters in North Dakota sent a clear message that health care decisions, from pregnancy to end-of-life care, must involve only patients and their physicians.

Challenge your diagnostic skills: What's causing this woman's pelvic discomfort?

The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa rightly has become a world health crisis. But there are other casualties of the outbreak that we don't hear much about.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) made an unexpected finding when evaluating racial disparities in dying from childbirth.

A consequence of Measure 1, which may or may not be a "personhood" amendment, is that IVF and other infertility services in North Dakota will end.

Women with high dairy diets have higher live birth rates after IVF; maternal diets high in butterfat can ameliorate effects of BPA exposure on embryos in rats.

There is little research on preserving fertility in transgendered men. Research from Sweden provides some evidence on reproductive counseling in these patients.

A recent population-based study showed a lack of correlation between Joint Commission indicators of elective delivery at 39 weeks’ gestation and cesarean delivery and rates of maternal and neonatal complications in deliveries at New York City hospitals in 2010.

A study of nearly 1.5 million births in the United States shows that while rates of cesarean delivery vary widely from hospital to hospital, identifying the underlying cause with existing data is difficult. The findings underscore a need for collection by hospitals of comprehensive patient data in order to fully understand and optimize use of cesarean delivery.

The use of an intravaginal incubation device in IVF is found to be a safe and effective alternative to lab incubation of embryos, and it may reduce costs.

More and more OB/GYNs are eliminating obstetric care from their practice. So who will deliver all the babies if not for midwives?

Exposure to air pollution during a specific period in a pregnancy is associated with a significant risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks.

To better understand the best dosing practices for oxytocin to induce labor, researchers conducted a meta-analysis. Will their findings surprise you?