Obstetrics News and Research

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Gynecology and obstetrics are twin subjects that deal with the female reproductive system. While obstetrics deals with pregnancy and its associated procedures and complications, gynaecology involves treating women who are not pregnant.

Link between peritoneum closure and fewer adhesions

A controversial surgical procedure that has lost favor among medical professionals may benefit women who have had caesarean sections. So say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who have found that closing the parietal peritoneum, a multi-layered membrane that lines the abdomino-pelvic walls, substantially decreases the likelihood of scarring that can make future C-sections more difficult.

1 Aug 2005

Babies born at night have a greater risk of dying in their first month

There is strong evidence that babies born at night have a greater risk of dying in their first month of life than babies born earlier in the day, according to a new study published this month in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

1 Aug 2005

Risk perceptions of natural versus 'medicalized' childbirth

Women were kept isolated in small rooms. Their arms were strapped down. Doctors were often methodically cold. And, upon the delivery, babies were swept away to isolation in a nursery.

26 Jul 2005

Important find will help design appropriate screening and therapy for women carrying fetuses impaired in their growth

In her research, Dr. Andree Gruslin encountered many pregnant women who could not carry their fetuses to term because the placenta, and in turn the fetus, were too small. In once case, she followed a woman who had had eight consecutive miscarriages due to this condition. Thanks to this latest discovery, she now understands why.

19 Jul 2005

Cedars-Sinai dumping hundreds of low income patients

The California Nurses Association has sharply criticized state officials for establishing a dangerous precedent in approving tax-supported revenue bonds for the state's largest private hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of Los Angeles, which is dumping hundreds of its Medi-Cal patients, denying them access to available and much needed medical care.

15 Jul 2005

Changes to prenatal genetic testing could mean more babies born with abnornalities

A study in the UK suggests that a proposed change to the type of prenatal genetic testing offered to couples in the UK, could possibly result in certain chromosome abnormalities being missed.

4 Jul 2005

Infertility may be becoming more of a man's problem than a woman's problem

Until now, approximately 40% of infertility cases have been linked to medical problems in men and 40% to medical problems in women, with the remaining 20% due to joint problems.

27 Jun 2005

Breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR holds promise for more targeted treatment

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered the breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR, which may be a useful tool in monitoring a patient's responsiveness to treatment with the drug letrozole.

27 Jun 2005

Treating pregnancy-related diabetes helps babies and improves the mother's health-related quality of life

A major international study coordinated from Adelaide, South Australia has shown that treating pregnant women who develop mild gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes helps their babies and improves the mother's health-related quality of life without increasing the risk of caesarean section.

14 Jun 2005

Researchers describe emerging strategy for prevention, early treatment of Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes may be significantly delayed or prevented through medication that takes the load off of the body's delicate insulin-producing cells, according to a study released today by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

12 Jun 2005

Infertility far more common in overweight women

Hong Kong expert Carina Chan of the University of Hong Kong's department of obstetrics and gynaecology says overweight women are 30 percent more likely to be infertile than women of a normal weight.

6 Jun 2005

UMHS study finds premium rates affect where ob/gyns choose to practice

The high cost of malpractice insurance for some medical specialties affects not only how many doctors are entering the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but also where they offer their widely needed obstetric, prenatal and gynecological care, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

1 Jun 2005

Baby boy is first successful birth in Canada from frozen eggs

McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in Montreal yesterday announced the first successful birth in Canada resulting from frozen eggs. A healthy baby boy, weighing 3740 grams was born on April 29 to a 26-year-old mother who had suffered from infertility for two years.

31 May 2005

Pregnant women's exposure to phthalates has adverse effects on genital development in their male children

For the first time, researchers have identified an association between pregnant women’s exposure to a nearly ubiquitous class of chemicals known as phthalates and adverse effects on genital development in their male children.

30 May 2005

A new technique might allow women diagnosed with cancer the opportunity to have children when chemotherapy and radiation treatments rob them of their fertility

Freezing eggs is one thing; thawing them safely so they can lead to pregnancy is the challenge. In the past, efforts to freeze a woman's eggs, or oocytes, have not worked well because the cells are large. When the egg is thawed, ice crystals cause damage that prevents the egg from being fertilized.

29 May 2005

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects 48.2 percent of women

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects 48.2 percent of women in a new study and that these women had decreased sensation in the clitoris, which increased the risk of sexual dysfunction.

26 May 2005

Practice of defensive medicine widespread among physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits

More than 90 percent of surveyed physicians in Pennsylvania reported defensive medicine practices such as over-ordering of diagnostic tests, unnecessary referrals and avoidance of high-risk patients, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA.

25 May 2005

Month/season of birth can effect the length of a woman's fertile life

Research by Italian experts on the menopause has found that that the month and the season in which a woman is born influence the age at which she reaches menopause.

12 May 2005

Broken bones may reduce risk of ovarian cancer

The pain and suffering of a broken bone may yield an unexpected benefit – a reduced risk of ovarian cancer.

10 May 2005

Episiotomy usually provides no benefits

According to a systematic review of existing studies, to appear in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the surgical procedure known as an episiotomy, performed in up to 35 percent of U.S. vaginal births, usually provides no benefits.

5 May 2005