Pregnancy and Birth

Evidence shows that acupuncture seems to be the most effective intervention for preventing and treating pregnancy-related pelvic and back pain.

What is your diagnosis in this 3rd trimester fetus? Choose one from the following:

Mobile healthcare apps and devices are expected to grow at a rate of 61% a year, with 50% of healthcare professionals using at least one app. Ob/gyns are leading the charge, and these 8 apps are helping MDs and HCPs manage patients and stay current on everything happening in the field.

There is no evidence that intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) provides subfertile patients an additional benefit over the standard intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

From these images, what would you diagnose in this patient?

Use of the newer Global Reference for fetal-weight and birthweight percentiles increases the identification of infant deaths by improved classification of abnormal newborn size at birth.

Depression over an extended period may make it more difficult for women to get pregnant.

Our malpractice lawyer counsels on a complicated case involving a delivery with an unexpected outcome and multiple health care providers involved.

What is the correct diagnosis based on these images?

The risk of stillbirth in uncomplicated monochorionic twin pregnancies is severalfold higher than that for dichorionic twin pregnancies throughout the third trimester, concluded a systematic review and meta-analysis.

With 64% of pregnant women in the U.S. taking at least one medication during pregnancy, experts are arguing that it’s unethical not to include them in the testing of new drugs.

Ultrasound images of the fetal face and eyes are shown below. What is your diagnosis?

Implantation rates in unstimulated IVF cycles compared favorably with those in stimulated IVF cycles in a retrospective analysis.

Use of a partogram had no effect on rates of cesarean section or on other aspects of care during labor, according to a Cochrane review.

An ob/gyn neglects to follow a molar pregnancy to its conclusion and the patient develops choriocarcinoma. A jury found in favor of the plaintiff.

In his August 2013 editorial, editor in chief Dr. Charles Lockwood discusses recent findings that obese women have a higher risk of extremely early preterm delivery.

A commentary on some of the best research in this field published in the past year

When this 32-year-old woman went for an ultrasound at 27-weeks into her pregnancy, a rare anomaly was found. Can you diagnose it?

What is your diagnosis based on these images?

The introduction of liquids and solids within 6 to 8 hours after cesarean delivery improves the return of GI function without increasing the occurrence of GI complications, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Of the available treatments for obstetric cholestasis, one of them is associated with the greatest improvements in the symptom of pruritus. Do you know which one?

This middle-aged woman has a history of dysmenorrhea. What is your diagnosis based on these images?

After minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, gum chewing has beneficial effects on bowel motility when used as an adjunct treatment in postoperative care, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial.

The common practice of clamping an umbilical cord within a minute of birth to reduce the possibility of maternal hemorrhaging may need to be revised, according to a new paper published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The study authors searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register to find 15 trials involving a total of 3911 mother and infant pairs. The risk of bias in the trials was considered by the paper’s authors to be moderate in nature.

Prevention of maternal influenza during pregnancy may reduce the risk of bipolar disorder, suggest new study findings published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The current treatment of mild gestational diabetes mellitus results in fewer cases of preeclampsia, shoulder dystocia, and macrosomia but seems to have no effect on neonatal hypoglycemia or future poor metabolic outcomes, concluded a systematic review and meta-analysis.

After rising steadily for nearly a decade, the rate of cesarean deliveries appears to have stabilized, according to a new report (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db124.pdf) from the National Center for Health Statistics. New guidelines and policies encouraging longer gestations have led to a trend of cesarean deliveries occurring more frequently at 39 weeks than at 38 weeks.

While long-acting beta2-agonists (LABAs) and low to moderate doses of inhaled corticosteroids for asthma in pregnancy were not associated with an increased prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes in a recent cohort study, there was a slight trend toward increased prevalence of low birthweight, premature birth, and small for gestational age infants when mothers were exposed to inhaled corticosteroids at high doses.