American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists responds to latest report on hormone therapy
January 1st 2011In response to the latest analysis of the Women's Health Initiative randomized study of postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists adivsed ob/gyns to continue to counsel women who are considering hormone therapy for relief of menopausal symptoms to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time.
Modest lifestyle changes reduce risk of colorectal cancer
January 1st 2011Eating a healthy diet, not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, keeping waist circumference below 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men, and exercising at least 30 minutes per day could prevent almost one-fourth of the global cases of colon cancer diagnosed each year, according to results of a new study.
Are infants born under care of midwives at greater risk for death?
January 1st 2011Infants born under the care of midwives to women who are at low risk for problems may be at more than twice the risk for delivery-related perinatal death and at the same risk for admittance to the neonatal intensive care unit as infants of women at high risk born under the supervision of obstetricians, according to a new study.
Standardized care improves outcomes, reduces medical liability
January 1st 2011According to a recent review of clinical guideline development, the obstetric and gynecologic literature increasingly provides evidence that standardization of care not only improves patient outcomes but also ahs a positive effect on malpractice litigation.
New techniques for treating stress urinary incontinence
January 1st 2011Stress urinary incontinence, defined by the International Continence Society as the complaint of involuntary leakage on effort or exertion or on sneezing and coughing, affects 23% to 38% of the female population in the United States over the age of 20 years.
Low Apgar score is strongly associated with cerebral palsy
December 1st 2010The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) in children with an Apgar score of 3 less than 5 minutes after birth is more than 130-fold higher than in children with an Apgar score of 10, according to the findings of a population-based study from Norway.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy increases incidence of more advanced breast cancer
December 1st 2010Among postmenopausal women, use of estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy is associated with an increased incidence of more advanced breast cancers and a higher risk for death from breast cancer, according to a randomized trial.
Closing the folate gap in reproductive-age women
December 1st 2010Adequate maternal folate levels are necessary for prevening neural tube defects; however, an insufficent number of woman in the United States avail themselves of folc acid supplementation during their childbearing years, and diet rarely supplies sufficient folate despite the recent fortification of many grains with folic acid.
New guidance on an old problem: Management of intrapartum fetal heart rate tracings
December 1st 2010The publication of the National Institute of Child and Health and Human Development recommendations for fetal heart rate interpretation in 1997 brought a major shift in the approach to intrapartum monitoring by standardizing the reading, analysis, and documentation of FHR and uterine contraction tracings.
Docosahexaenoic acid not much use during pregnancy?
December 1st 2010Contrary to the findings of previous studies, 800 mg/d of DHA delivered via fish oil capsules does not lower levels of postpartum depression in mothers or improve cognitive or language development in their offspring during early childhood, according to one trial.