Contemporary OB/GYN week in review: Chronic pain, abortion laws, and more

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary OB/GYN® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, March 17, 2025 - Friday, March 21, 2025), and click each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

How sex differences impact treatment efficacy for chronic pain

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Tuan Trang, PhD, from the University of Calgary, highlighted the historical biases in preclinical chronic pain research, which predominantly focused on male subjects.

According to Trang, researchers have not historically evaluated the biological differences between men and women regarding chronic pain. This oversight led to 2 major problems. The first was an incomplete understanding of the fundamental causes of chronic pain in both sexes, and the second was the development of treatment strategies that were primarily based on male biology. As a result, many pain management approaches were not as effective for female patients, leading to significant disparities in treatment outcomes.

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Restrictive abortion laws linked to offspring heart disease

Restrictive state abortion laws are associated with an increase in babies born with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD), according to a study to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
As the first study to assess severe heart defects since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, investigators found an increase in CCHD incidence among states with restrictive abortion laws. In comparison, CCHD incidence remained steady in states with abortion protections.

“The health care system… will need to prepare for these patients, as we know that CCHD patients have higher health care utilization needs,” said Stephanie Tseng, MD, assistant professor and pediatric cardiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “This includes health care costs, resources and [an increased] need for health care workers.”

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How the Flyte device revolutionizes SUI management

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Wanda Filer, MD, MBA FAAFP, from Pelvital, discussed the benefits of the Flyte device for managing stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

The Flyte device is an innovative treatment for SUI that uses mechanotherapy, a novel approach distinct from electrical stimulation or biofeedback. The device consists of an intravaginal wand that delivers gentle pulsing to the vaginal wall for 5 minutes a day over a 6-week period.

This at-home treatment, prescribed by health care providers and obtained through durable medical equipment, has shown remarkable efficacy, achieving results comparable to surgery. Patients with mild to severe SUI can benefit, with many experiencing complete dryness. The effects of the treatment last for at least 2 years, and if symptoms return because os factors such as childbirth or weight gain, patients can reuse the device to restore its benefits.

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Solutions-focused therapy improves mental health in IVF patients

Anxiety and depression symptoms, sleep quality, and reproductive health quality can be improved by a solution-focused approach (SFA) among women receiving in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET), according to a recent study published in PLOS One.

There were 5 steps to the SFA process: problem description, goal construction, exploration of expectations, positive feedback, and progress evaluation. Anxiety was measured through the 20-item self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and depression through the 20-item self-rating depression score (SDS).

No baseline differences in SAS, SDS, PSQI, or FertiQoL scores were reported between groups. However, the intervention group reported significantly reduced SAS and SDS scores vs the control group following the intervention, with differences of -10.348 and -5.087, respectively.

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Expression of mRNA linked to fetal death risk

Placental interleukin 6 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression is significantly increased in the placenta of fetal death, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Of covariates, only gestational age at delivery and birthweight significantly differed between groups. Patients with fetal death reported significantly increased mRNA expression of interleukin 6 vs controls, but lower activin A. No significant differences were observed in transforming growth factor β1.

Similarly, similar vascular endothelial growth factor levels were reported between groups, though cases with fetal death had significantly increased vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 vs controls. Fetal death cases also had reduced expression for ATP-binding cassette transporters P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein.

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