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A recent study shows that mothers exposed to moderate to high levels of caffeine during pregnancy may give birth to infants that gain excess weight in early childhood. Plus: How does ART affect risk of stillbirth? Also: A study found that obese African-American women have significantly lower energy expenditure per kilogram of mass compared to obese white women with similar energy intake and physical activity levels.

Maternal chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with a 16% increase in risk of preterm birth (PTB), with substantial heterogeneity, according to an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The fetal fibronectin (fFN) test alone had a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 97.2% in predicting spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) in symptomatic twin pregnancies, according to a small pilot study of 40 women.

In 2012, a Virginia woman began receiving prenatal care for her seventh pregnancy, during which she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and obesity. During the delivery, shoulder dystocia was encountered. The baby's right arm was noted to be limp and she was diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury. The woman sued those involved with the delivery, claiming that during the course of her care, the history, physical examinations, and tests showed she had an increased risk for encountering shoulder dystocia during a vaginal delivery.

In the United States, 1% to 2.5% of pregnant women are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), which carries an approximately 5% risk of transmission from mother to infant. HCV can be transmitted to an infant in utero or during the peripartum period.

Providers should be discussing Zika with their patients and educating them about preventive strategies as well as offering screening and testing to relevant populations of pregnant women.

Since hormonal contraception was introduced in the 1960s, the risks and benefits of the drugs have been the subject of considerable, and at times acrimonious, debate.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are among the leading contributors to maternal mortality worldwide. This review describes hypertension-related maternal mortality in the United States and key strategies to improve outcomes.

A study from Belgium has found that women with typical symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI) may still be infected with the uropathogen Escherichia coli despite a negative culture result.

Shoulder dystocia is a known complication of vaginal delivery that can be extremely challenging to manage, mostly because it is unpredictable and unpreventable. Hence, shoulder dystocia needs to be remedied with the maneuvers that the obstetrician is already trained in, according to a presentation at the 2018 Annual ACOG Meeting in Austin.

Results of a recent extended study of prolapse surgery  showed that in 60% of women, two common procedures failed within 5 years, but patients still reported a higher quality of life than before the surgery. Plus: ACOG has released a revised Committee Opinion to emphasize the idea of the “fourth trimester” in an attempt to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality numbers. Also: A recent study suggests that entering menopause later in life may be associated with a small boost in memory performance years later.

The following board members - both past and current - authors and collaborators will be appearing in Austin at the ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in April. Here is a rundown on where you can find them, the programs they will be participating in, plus links to their recent articles in Contemporary OB/GYN.

Enhanced recovery pathways (ERP) are rapidly gaining acceptance and use in gynecologic surgery. These handouts from the ERAS Society provide the physician and patient with valuable information for both pre- and post-operative care.

Analysis of data from more than 50 million pregnancy-related hospitalizations shows that more needs to be done to identify new mothers at high risk for heart failure (HF) before they leave the hospital. Plus: Incidence of occult cancer during benign gynecology surgery is low but not insignificant. Also: According to a recent study, nearly 5% of non-pregnant women of childbearing age experience major depression, but less than half of those patients use antidepressants.

ERPs may take a year or two to get gong but the benefits to patients and the healthcare system can be significant.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an order restricting sales and distribution of the contraceptive device Essure. Plus: Can a Pap test one day be used to diagnose ovarian, endometrial cancers?

A collection of standards, guidelines, tools and articles for further reading on maternal mortality. ACOG guidelines for emergencies and adverse effects; resources for coping with the death of a patient. Plus, news from Haiti about using mobile technology to save mothers.