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A recap of social media updates from the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. #SMFM13

On January 18, 2013, the FDA announced its approval of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) for the treatment of overactive bladder in adults who cannot use or who do not respond adequately to anticholinergic medications.

Patients with pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy who had a cesarean section were more likely to experience persistent pain 6 months after delivery than patients who delivered vaginally, according to a new follow-up study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

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.

A registry-based study by researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) has shown an association between BRCA1/2 mutations and early menopause. The findings, published in Cancer, suggest that women who carry the genetic defect may be at risk of earlier infertility.

Living alone or being unmarried not only increases the risk of having a heart attack, but results in a worse prognosis after a heart attack in both men and women, according to researchers in Finland. Conversely, they say, especially among middle-aged couples, being married and cohabiting are associated with "considerably better prognosis of acute cardiac events both before hospitalization and after reaching the hospital alive."

New drugs, new research, new guidelines… there’s a lot for ob/gyns to look forward to in the coming year. Here, the leaders of seven ob/gyn societies share the most interesting, important, exciting things on their radar for 2013.

From ASRM’s removal of the ‘experimental’ label from the procedure of oocyte cryopreservation, to discoveries into the complex genetic processes involved in ovarian cancer, 2012 was another important year in ob/gyn research. Here, the leaders of seven major ob/gyn societies reflect on the most exciting research of the last year.

An independent panel convened by the NIH has concluded that the name “polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)” causes confusion and is a barrier to progress in the realms of both research and effective patient care.

This middle aged lady had a history of pelvic pain. She was previously diagnosed with a suspected fibroid. What’s your diagnosis based on these uterine images?

Continuous infusion of the NSAID ketorolac, a powerful nonopioid analgesic, is a safe therapeutic option for the management of postoperative pain, concludes a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

The FDA recently approved oxybutynin transdermal (Oxytrol for Women) treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) in women aged 18 years and older. It is the first anticholinergic drug to be made available over the counter (OTC) for treatment of OAB, according to manufacturer Merck.

A 2-step immunotherapy and combination chemotherapy protocol is feasible for patients with advanced, recurrent ovarian cancer, according to the results of a small pilot study by University of Pennsylvania researchers. Published in OncoImmunology and supported by the National Cancer Institute, the report documented response in women whose tumors previously had failed to respond to bevacizumab and cyclophosphamide.

Rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) are 7 times higher in women in the military than in those who are civilians. This alarming finding was published in an article that appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Journal of Women’s Health.

The symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome were most improved when patients used anticholinergic drugs either alone or in combination with bladder training exercises, according to the results of an intervention review and meta-analysis conducted by the Cochrane Incontinence Group.

What is your diagnosis based on these 3rd trimester fetal images?

Although many researchers have recommended cystoscopy as a universal screening tool to detect injury at the time of hysterectomy, new research recommends selective use of cystoscopy based on the low absolute risk of urinary tract injury.

Medicare spending on breast cancer screening exceeds $1 billion annually in the fee-for-service program, according to a recent study.

Looking at the legal issues surrounding a ruptured uterus, lack of a prompt diagnosis for placental abruption, uterine perforation during D&C, and what constitutes adequate fetal monitoring.

ACOG has recently updated their guidelines for preterm birth. One of the doctors on Contemporary OB/GYN's editorial board looks at what has changed in the past 12 years.

A look at why you need to determine whether twins are monochorionic or dichorionic.

More than half of postmenopausal women report low sexual desire. Hormonal and nonhormonal treatments vary in efficacy and continued studies are needed.

US obstetricians need to once again be concerned about maternal iodine deficiency.

Sobering statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that in 2011, 54.6% of high-school girls who consumed alcohol reported binge drinking.

A randomized UK study of menorrhagia shows that the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) is more effective than standard medical treatment in reducing the adverse effect of the menstrual problem on women's quality of life.

First know the anatomy and the risk factors, but don't forget to screen for and recognize injury as well.

Certain herbal and complementary medicines may be a valuable treatment option for women with postmenopausal symptoms, according to a new review outlining the advantages and limitations of the available treatments of postmenopausal symptoms.

A prospective U.S. cohort study of nearly 10,000 African-American women published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology indicates that child abuse-particularly sexual abuse-is an independent risk factor for uterine leiomyomata (UL).

Researchers in Taiwan have found that women with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are at a high risk for end-stage renal disease. The risk was much greater for women who had preeclampsia or eclampsia than for those who had only gestational hypertension.

Researchers in Scotland have found that although women whose first pregnancies are complicated by postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) do not have reduced fertility, they do have an increased risk of PPH in later pregnancies. Notably, they also found that women who have cesarean sections at the time of PPH are less likely to conceive again. The study was published January 23 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.