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.

Expanding insurance coverage for elective single-embryo transfer could result in ideal pregnancy outcomes

Expanding insurance coverage for a type of in vitro fertilization known as elective single-embryo transfer could lead to improved health outcomes and lower health care costs, according to a newly published study that included researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

15 Apr 2016

Dr. Richard Baker and Angela MacMillan launch St. Luke’s OB/GYN at Eaton Pointe

St. Luke’s University Health Network is pleased to announce Richard Baker III, MD, has returned to St. Luke’s University Health Network as the head of St. Luke’s OB/GYN at Eaton Pointe. Angela MacMillan, CRNP, also joins the practice at 800 Eaton Ave., Suite 202, Bethlehem. The two have been in practice together for eight years.

13 Apr 2016

Research looks at effects of traumatic childbirth on midwives and obstetricians

When complications arise in the delivery room that lead to traumatic childbirth, clinicians providing care may feel upset and experience secondary traumatic stress.

12 Apr 2016

Traumatic childbirth may impact healthcare professionals' mental health

When complications arise in the delivery room that lead to traumatic childbirth, clinicians providing care may feel upset and experience secondary traumatic stress. A new study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that feelings of blame and guilt dominate when midwives and obstetricians struggle to cope with the aftermath of a traumatic childbirth, but such events also made them think more about the meaning of life and helped them become better midwives and doctors.

11 Apr 2016

Obesity and diabetes during pregnancy can cause excessive growth of foetus

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that obese women who develop gestational diabetes have a five-fold greater risk of excessive foetal growth at 6 months gestation. Furthermore, it revealed that such excessive growth starts before women are screened for gestational diabetes.

8 Apr 2016

Epilepsy drug exposure does not increase newborn orofacial cleft risk

Pregnant women with epilepsy should not rule out continuing lamotrigine therapy due to concerns that exposure could increase the risk of orofacial clefts in their babies, say investigators.

7 Apr 2016

MedUni Vienna researchers identify reason for chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer is not usually detected until it is at an advanced stage, when metastases have already formed. Chemotherapy is very effective initially but, within a year, cancer recurs and this time does not respond to a course of chemotherapy. The research group headed by Gerhard Hamilton, University Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna, has now managed to identify the reason for this chemoresistance.

4 Apr 2016

Fertility 'reassurance' for most chemotherapy-treated female childhood cancer survivors

Both female and male chemotherapy-treated survivors of childhood cancer have an increased risk of impaired fertility, but results suggest that the risk in women is limited to those given specific chemotherapy drugs.

31 Mar 2016

MedUni Vienna researchers develop new treatment for pre-stages of cervical cancer

Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have developed a new treatment for the pre-stages of cervical cancer, caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection.

30 Mar 2016

Oregon's new birth control law could improve access to all forms of contraception

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, University of Minnesota School of Public Health and George Mason University applaud Oregon's new birth control law which allows women age 18 or older to obtain some methods of hormonal contraception directly from pharmacies, without having to visit a prescribing clinician, yet note how the law could go even further to improve access to all forms of contraception, according to a viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today.

29 Mar 2016

Higher levels of BPA in pregnant mother's blood may contribute to preterm births

Higher concentrations of the common plastics chemical and environmental pollutant Bisphenol A, or BPA, in a pregnant mother's blood may be a contributing factor in preterm births, according to a new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

25 Mar 2016

Simple tool for inserting intrauterine device may offer low-cost option for long-term contraception

A simple tool designed for inserting an intrauterine device may offer women in the developing world a convenient, low-cost option for long-term contraception.

24 Mar 2016

Genomic profiling could help provide targeted therapies for difficult to treat cancer tumors

Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey examining difficult to treat cancer tumors through genomic profiling shows that tumors with alterations in a signaling pathway responsible for cell regulation may respond to targeted therapy regardless of where the tumor originated in the body.

18 Mar 2016

Incidence of cesarean delivery could be reduced by allowing women to labor longer

When women in labor are given more time to deliver their baby than current guidelines recommend, their incidence of cesarean delivery drops by 55 percent, say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University.

17 Mar 2016

Study: Domestic violence during pregnancy increases risk of preterm birth, low birth weight

Domestic violence by a partner or ex-partner during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and small-for-gestational-age babies, finds a study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

9 Mar 2016

IVF could reduce unintended twin births

The twin birth rate in the U.S. has surged over the last 30 years, mostly because of reproductive technologies including in vitro fertilization. Though it's partly the cause, IVF could also be the most promising solution to reducing unintended twin births, argues Dr. Eli Adashi in a new editorial in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

7 Mar 2016

Steroid use in late preterm delivery can reduce rate of neonatal respiratory complications

Current recommendations are for all women who go into labor prior to 34 weeks gestation to be given antenatal corticosteroids (betamethasone) to help mature the baby's lungs. However, many babies born in the late preterm period - between 34 and 36 weeks gestation - require respiratory support at birth.

4 Mar 2016

Majority of breast cancer patients develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

According to a study led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich researchers, a majority of patients diagnosed with breast cancer go on to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and in most of these cases the symptoms persist for at least a year.

2 Mar 2016

Small, tablet-sized ultrasound devices may help midwives figure out C-section candidates

Midwives need more than fingers to figure out who the C-section candidates are. Small, tablet-sized ultrasound devices may be the key.

27 Feb 2016

CHLA cardiologists perform rare fetal cardiac intervention procedure

Last August, when Children's Hospital Los Angeles cardiologists confirmed that the heart of a 27-week-old fetus suffered from a critical cardiac condition that prevented blood returning from the fetus's lungs from circulating back into the body, they told the parents that their child faced certain open-heart surgery after birth. Even worse, babies born with this very rare condition—hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with restrictive atrial septum—have a 50 percent neonatal mortality rate.