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Women who take multivitamins regularly around the time they become pregnant may have a lower risk of premature labor and giving birth to small-for-gestational-age (SGA) babies, a study of 35,897 women in the Danish National Birth Cohort suggests.

Women who smoke or who have smoked are more likely to experience bladder symptoms of urgency and frequency than women who have never smoked, according to a new study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2011;118[3]:643-648).

Asherman’s Syndrome is an extremely common and occasionally complicated disease entity. It takes many forms and can follow a routine D&C, a hysteroscopy, a delivery or even a surgical procedure such as a myomectomy or polypectomy. This case study from Dr. Alan Copperman reviews diagnosis and treatment options.

Compared to healthy women, the researchers found significantly higher serum mesothelin antigen levels in women with ovarian cancer, benign conditions, and unexplained infertility. Luborsky and colleagues further noted that mesothelin antibodies had a higher affinity in the infertility groups, especially premature ovarian failure and ovulatory dysfunction, than that in the healthy, benign, or ovarian cancer groups. Specifically, they found significantly higher positive sera in women with premature ovarian failure and ovulatory dysfunction as compared to normal sera.

A recent study by Katherine Roland and colleagues from the CDC has found that a majority doctors are still recommending yearly Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer.

Traditional open gynecologic surgery using a large incision for access to the uterus and surrounding anatomy has for many years been the standard approach to many gynecologic procedures. Yet, with open surgery can come significant pain, trauma, a long recovery process, risk of adhesions, risk of incision breakdown, and threat to surrounding organs and nerves. For women facing gynecologic surgery, the period of pain, discomfort, and extended time away from normal daily activities that usually follows traditional surgery can understandably cause significant anxiety.

Neena Agarwala, MD, MSc, FACOG, performs an endometriosis excision using robotic surgery.

Neena Agarwala, MD, Msc, FACOG performs a robotic supracervical hysterectomy on a 20-week uterus.

Neena Agarwala, MD, Msc, FACOG performs robotic hysterectomy in a patient with a large uterus.

The most lethal reproductive cancer in women, ovarian cancer, is estimated to affect 12.8 per 100,000 women in the United States. As such, researchers continue to look into novel ways to eradicate the disease. Armed with the knowledge that almost all (90%) ovarian cancers can be characterized by their expression of alpha-folate receptor, Dr De-Gang Song, postdoctoral investigator in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues attempted to engineer T cells to see if they would help shrink the cancer tumors.

Rates of asthma continue to rise in the general population, which translates to increased rates among women who are pregnant. When this happens, asthma not only affects the mother but the fetus as well. However, the specific effects are unclear. With that in mind, Dr Vanessa Murphy, postdoctoral research fellow school of medicine and public health at the University of Newcastle in Australia, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to determine if maternal asthma is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Are younger women with breast cancer more likely to develop another primary cancer later in life as compared to their older counterparts? According to some experts, younger women may have more unfavorable tumor characteristics. Others hypothesize this increase is observed because younger women can be observed for longer periods. To better understand this phenomenon, Dr Lene Mellemkjaer, senior researcher at the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology of the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues conducted a study of 304,703 women who received a diagnosis of breast cancer between 1943 and 2006 according to registries in Denmark, Norway, and Finland.

A coalition of expert organizations will meet in Washington, DC, on September 20 to give a progress report to the medical and scientific communities on their efforts to define the reproductive stages in a woman?s life from perimenopause to late menopause. The intent of the daylong symposium is to guide research toward eventually predicting the onset of the menopausal transition and menopause in individual women. MORE

"Vaginal-perianal cultures for group B streptococcal infections (GBS) during pregnancy yield results comparable to vaginal-rectal cultures and cause less patient discomfort, a new study from Riverside Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Research & Innovation Institute (Columbus, Ohio) reports. MORE "

"Many doctors screen women for cervical cancer every year rather than waiting the recommended 3 years after a normal test result, a recent study finds. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual screening offers no real advantage over less-frequent tests. MORE "

"Women whose babies are delivered by a provider who performs few deliveries are more likely to suffer childbirth complications than women whose providers have a higher volume of deliveries, according to a new study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2011;118[3]:521-527). MORE "

A new recommendation by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urges physicians to offer mammography screening annually to women beginning at age 40 years. The College previously recommended that women aged 40 years receive mammograms every 1 to 2 years and women aged 50 years have mammograms annually.

Advances in the treatment for breast cancer have allowed for better outcomes and decreased mortality rates. Tamoxifen, the oldest and most frequently prescribed selective estrogen receptor modulator approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, has shown great efficacy, and studies of tamoxifen treatment lasting 5 years now have follow-up efficacy data that go past one decade. To better understand the evidence, the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) conducted a meta-analysis of 20 trials to ascertain the protective effects of tamoxifen in reducing recurrence and death ratios.

Laparoscopic Myomectomy uses a small telescope placed through the belly button along with several small instruments to remove fibroids from the uterus. The technique of actually removing the fibroid from the uterus is similar to that of an abdominal myomectomy except we use small instruments placed through the abdominal wall. Once the fibroid is freed from the uterus it needs to be removed from the abdomen. In order to remove a large fibroid from a small incision we use an instrument called a morcellator, to cut it into pieces small enough to be removed through the small incisions.

In the United States, 20% of preschoolers are overweight and, of those, 50% are obese. Children who are obese are more likely to be obese in adulthood and thus are at greater risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. A baby’s risk of becoming overweight or obese is reduced with each month of breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy babies be given only breast milk for the first 6 months of life.

When an adverse outcome and missed diagnosis occur, problems in the organization of care and issues with communication between caregivers are frequently the true cause rather than an isolated error made by one practitioner. In recent years, seeking to capitalize on frustration with the health care delivery, plaintiff’s lawyers have sought to identify disagreements among providers in patient management and/or errors within the patient care management system. Allegations that nonphysician personnel should have recognized a problem with the care plan and accessed the “chain of command” in an effort to alter the clinical course are included in these types of claims.

What are echogenic intracardiac foci (EIF)? EIF are small, echogenic lesions seen (on sonography) inside the left or right ventricles of the fetal heart within the papillary muscles or chordae tendinae. These lesions are not attached to the wall of the ventricles.

Surgery in the medical office setting can confer benefits for both the physician and the patient, as it can control costs, allow for flexibility in scheduling, and increase overall convenience.

A faulty copy of the gene RAD51D significantly increases the likelihood of developing ovarian cancer, according to a study published online August 7 in Nature Genetics. MORE

Soy supplements may not alleviate menopausal symptoms or prevent loss of bone mineral density, a new study from the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Florida, suggests. MORE

A preoperative skin prep protocol that combines a 3-minute povidone iodine scrub with povidone iodine paint prevents postcesarean infectious complications such as endometritis and wound infections better than povidone iodine paint alone, a new study from the University of Pennsylvania reports. MORE

Pulse oximetry screening for arterial oxygen saturation can detect critical congenital heart defects in newborns that antenatal ultrasonography overlooks, British researchers report in a study published online August 5 in The Lancet. MORE

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was developed in 1987 for screening postpartum women in outpatient, home visiting settings, or at the 6-8 week postpartum examination. It has been utilized among numerous populations, including US women and Spanish-speaking women in other countries.