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.

Women with breastfeeding difficulties may experience postpartum depression

Women who have breastfeeding difficulties in the first two weeks after giving birth are more likely to suffer postpartum depression two months later compared to women without such difficulties.

20 Jul 2011

Birth control pills may reduce woman's bone density

Birth control pills may reduce a woman's bone density, according to a study published online July 13 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) scientists.

20 Jul 2011

New transgenic mouse could predict toxicity of targeted cancer drugs

Only one in twenty cancer drugs makes its way from the laboratory to become an approved pharmaceutical product. The majority of new agents are only shown to be unsuitable in the later phases of clinical development which would explain the exorbitantly high development costs of 500 to 600 million euros per new cancer drug.

20 Jul 2011

Texas Children's Hospital uses new surgical approach for treating epilepsy

Texas Children's Hospital is the first hospital in the world to use real-time MRI-guided thermal imaging and laser technology to destroy lesions in the brain that cause epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures.

19 Jul 2011

EPA to expand Cooperative Research And Development Agreement with NanoLogix

NanoLogix, a biotechnology innovator in the rapid detection and identification of live-cell bacteria and microorganisms, announced today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to expand its Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) with NanoLogix to include additional water-borne pathogens.

19 Jul 2011

Study finds high C-section rates in Florida, New Jersey and Texas

A report released today by HealthGrades, the nation's most trusted, independent source of physician information and hospital quality outcomes, found that between 2002 and 2009 the C-section, or Cesarean section, rate in the U.S. rose from 27% of all single births to 34%, an all-time high. The highest rates of C-section were found in Florida, New Jersey and Texas, the lowest in Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado.

19 Jul 2011

Partners of Bacterial Vaginosis sufferers at increased risk of HIV

Starpharma Holdings Limited today commented on results of a study which showed that men were three times more likely to contract HIV from their female partners if the women also had bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the three months before the men became infected.

18 Jul 2011

New report: Ultrasound in Cardiology, OB/GYN and Radiology

A new survey of radiology professionals by InMedica (www.in-medica.com) found that ‘image quality’ and the ‘right balance of price versus performance’ were the most important factors when choosing a new ultrasound system. Advanced features and brand name were ranked least important, according to the results from the report “Western European Customer Insights: Ultrasound in Cardiology, OB/GYN and Radiology – 2011 Edition”.

18 Jul 2011

Oxytocin does not boost prospects for normal births

A new Cochrane review says that oxytocin, a medication often used to quicken slow-paced labor in its early stages, doesn't boost the prospects for normal births. Riskier births that required cesarean section or the use of forceps didn't become less common.

15 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Penalties for doctors who keep patients waiting

When she makes a doctor's appointment, Cherie Kerr makes it clear that she better not be kept waiting long. She said she usually tries to schedule the first appointment of the day, or the first one after lunch. But if the doctor is going to be late, she insists the staff give her a call -- lest the office be billed for her time in the waiting room.

15 Jul 2011

Transvaginal placement of surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse may pose greater risk, warns FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an updated safety communication warning health care providers and patients that surgical placement of mesh through the vagina to repair pelvic organ prolapse may expose patients to greater risk than other surgical options.

14 Jul 2011

Study confirms maternal alcohol consumption increases risk of birth outcomes

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and small size for gestational age, confirms a study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

11 Jul 2011

Romantic fiction bad for marriages and love life!

According to a warning in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) seemingly innocent and harmless romantic fiction may also be a cause of marital breakdown, adulterous affairs and unwanted pregnancies. This comes from an article in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, which said women struggle to distinguish between romantic fiction and real life.

10 Jul 2011

New strategy may combat age-associated infertility and birth defects

A strategy that has been shown to reduce age-related health problems in several animal studies may also combat a major cause of age-associated infertility and birth defects.

8 Jul 2011

Merck Serono announces recipients of second Grant for Fertility Innovation

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announces the recipients of its second Grant for Fertility Innovation.

8 Jul 2011

Smoking pregnant mums have smaller unhealthier babies

Professor Nick Macklon of Southampton University says even though most women now understand there is “overwhelming evidence” that smoking during pregnancy is harmful to the developing child, they continue to do so.

7 Jul 2011

Cleavage stage embryo with aneuploidy can undergo genetic normalisation process

Professor William G. Kearns told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that a three-day-old embryo with an incorrect number of chromosomes was capable of undergoing "a dynamic process of genetic normalisation" so that by day five, when it had developed to the blastocyst stage, it had become euploid, with the correct number of chromosomes.

5 Jul 2011

ICSI study shows strong increase in first trimester pregnancy loss after the age of 38

The research, presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, also showed that rates of preclinical abortion, miscarriage and overall pregnancy loss during the first trimester remained more or less constant until the age of 34, but increased steadily from the age of 35 onwards.

5 Jul 2011

Judge halts enforcement of S.D. abortion law; hearing on Kansas law today

A federal judge on Thursday barred a tough new South Dakota abortion law from taking effect while it's being challenged in court. The law, which would have taken effect Friday, requires women seeking abortions to face a three-day waiting period and undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortion.

2 Jul 2011

Avoidance of routine thyroid testing on pregnant women would have let 80% of cases go undetected

A recent study completed by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) demonstrates that BMC conducts a high rate of thyroid function testing in pregnant women.

1 Jul 2011