Hysterectomy: The most cost-effective solution for heavy menses
June 1st 2011Using available evidence on effectiveness, cost and utility values, hysterectomy is a more cost-effective solution for heavy menstrual bleeding than first- or second-generation endometrial ablation techniques or the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system, according to a new UK analysis.
Pelvic Pain and Urinary Symptoms in Women with Cesarean Versus Vaginal Delivery
June 1st 2011Pelvic pain and urinary symptoms can present following delivery, but how does delivery method impact these symptoms? Dr Daniel G. Kiefer, physician in the division of maternal-fetal medicine/obstetrics in Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and colleagues conducted a prospective observational cohort study to further explore this question.
The Cost of Healthcare and the Ob/Gyn
May 30th 2011The cost of health care has been a major topic in the news of late. The growth in public debt is due in no small part to inflation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. As physicians, we always wish to do what we can to maximize our patient’s health. But is there any way to do this without increasing the price-tag of medicine?
Addressing Health Service Needs of Mothers With Infants in the NICU
May 29th 2011Along with the excitement and joy of a new baby come stresses, increased health concerns for mom and the newborn, and other health service issues. Women with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) often experience more distress than their counterparts with healthy infants, yet they may lack the resources to address these needs. Dr Kathryn Menard, director of the Center for Maternal and Infant Health and division director and distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School, and colleagues sought to ascertain the specific needs of this patient population to help determine if these needs can be met in the NICU setting.
Adolescents Partaking in Risky Sexual Behavior Are Candidates for Early Pap Screens
May 29th 2011The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women begin Pap test screening at 21 years, but are there certain circumstances in which Pap tests are warranted at younger ages? Dr Amy M. Johnson of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and colleagues hypothesized that teenage girls who engage in risky behaviors would benefit from early initiation of cervical screening.
Poll: How often do you recommend the HPV vaccine?
May 28th 2011Dr Rebecca B. Perkins and colleagues recently found that the HPV vaccine was not being appropriately offered in a cohort of 136 young, low-income, minority women. The results of their study were presented at the Annual ACOG Meeting in Washington, DC.
Addressing Low HPV Vaccination Rates: Physicians May Need to Step-Up Recommendation Practices
May 26th 2011Considered to be one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection affects an estimated 26.8% of females aged 14 years to 59 years. This statistic includes low-risk HPV, which can cause genital warts and other nonmalignant conditions, as well as high-risk HPV, which can cause cervical cancer.
Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology Continues to Increase in the United States
May 23rd 2011Advances in successful assisted reproductive technologies have enabled clinicians to further aid their patients who would otherwise be unable to conceive. However, little is known about this trend and its continued future growth.
How Can Clinicians Best Serve New Mothers With Medically Fragile Infants?
May 22nd 2011Despite great advances in maternity care, the number of women who give birth to infants requiring special care is still high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Preconception Health Plan has called for care to ameliorate health problems, support pregnancy spacing, and improve future birth outcomes in those women with a previous adverse pregnancy outcome
Three Dystocias and the Good Samaritan
May 16th 2011Emergency care in obstetric practice is fraught with medico-legal risk. This is especially true when the practitioner has no established relationship with the parturient and either mother or child sustains serious or permanent injury during the birth process. Although reform efforts have been proposed expanding limits to liability in certain settings where emergency care is provided, currently, obstetricians often must rely on the protection afforded by their respective state’s Good Samaritan statute.
Women with Gestational Hypertension Are Not Receiving Appropriate Follow-Up Care, Prevention
May 16th 2011Hypertension affects as many as 8% of all pregnancies. Not only does it pose complications during pregnancy, but even if it resolves after delivery, it places women at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. As such, these women should receive cardiovascular disease counseling and screening, including the monitoring of their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, implementation of lifestyle modifications, and awareness of heart attack symptoms.
Incidental Finding on Routine Ultrasound Imaging of the Pelvis
May 12th 2011This young adult female (22 years age) had no significant complaints and was referred for a routine ultrasound scan of the abdomen to rule out any pathology. She complained of minor thyroid complaints, and ultrasonography suggested presence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in this lady.
Intrauterine Acetaminophen Exposure Linked to Asthma in Offspring
May 9th 2011Increases in the prevalence of asthma, especially in children, have raised concern in the medical community, resulting in research to find possible causes and to explore potential means of prevention. Recently there has been some evidence linking acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in New Zealand) use in pregnant women and subsequent increased risk for asthma in their offspring.