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.

Researchers find alteration in gene associated with uterine cancer

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced the discovery of previously unrecognized alterations in a gene called FGFR2 in a subset of endometrial cancers, the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States.

24 May 2007

Dramatic increase in Caesarean sections

The report, published in the prestigious international journal, the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found that the rise could not be explained by increases in clinical reasons for caesareans such as complications in pregnancy or labour/delivery and was more likely due to societal factors.

17 May 2007

Researchers discover genetic 'shut down' trigger in healthy immune cells

A fundamental genetic mechanism that shuts down an important gene in healthy immune system cells has been discovered that could one day lead to new therapies against infections, leukemia and other cancers.

10 May 2007

It is highly unlikely that older women generate new eggs

Tilly reported the discovery of stem cells capable of migrating from bone marrow to mouse ovaries and generating new eggs there. The research fueled hopes that a new treatment - such as bone marrow transplantation - might one day help older women regain their fertility.

9 May 2007

NEJM publishes perspective pieces responding to Supreme Court ruling federal abortion ban constitutional

The New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday published three perspective pieces responding to the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling on Wednesday to reinstate a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion, overturning the rulings of three appeals courts.

30 Apr 2007

Drug therapy can reduce preterm births and decrease lifetime medical costs

Researchers from MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH found that treating expectant mothers who have had previous spontaneous preterm births with 17 Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) and reducing the incidence of another preterm birth would consequently reduce both short-term and lifetime medical costs in offspring by $2 billion per year.

27 Apr 2007

Pregnant U.S. women commonly smoke

While pregnancy may be considered an effective motivator for smoking cessation, results of a new study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health indicate that pregnant U.S. women commonly smoke, placing themselves and their unborn children at risk for health and developmental complications.

25 Apr 2007

Obese women 3.5 times more likely to require a Caesarean

Liverpool scientists have uncovered the reason why overweight women have more Caesarean sections; they are at significant risk of their uterus contracting poorly in childbirth.

19 Apr 2007

Lack of control of work hours and schedule often leads to physician burnout

A new national survey of physicians has found that a lack of control of their work hours and schedule often leads to burnout, while many other difficult issues that physicians face do not seem to diminish their career satisfaction.

11 Apr 2007

A woman's chance of undergoing a hysterectomy can now be accurately predicted

Results from a four-year study of 762 women with various symptoms of uterine distress, such as chronic pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding or fibroids, are reported in the April 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American College of Surgeons."

10 Apr 2007

Montefiore Medical Center launches human papilloma virus clinic

The only HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) Vaccine Clinic of its kind has been launched at Montefiore Medical Center.

7 Apr 2007

Women unaware of health risks of surgical adhesions

Although more than half of the country's women will have some type of pelvic surgery and are therefore at risk for surgical adhesions, a survey released this month by the not-for- profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) finds that women are largely unaware of the health risks associated with adhesions.

5 Apr 2007

Treatment options for endometriosis

Jan Ruma's pain was getting worse, but she wrote it off as just a part of growing older and a normal side-effect of "that time of the month."

4 Apr 2007

Symphysiotomy could dramatically reduce maternal deaths

Teaching doctors in Africa a low-tech operation to cut the cartilage of the symphysis pubis could save the lives of women in obstructed labor and their babies, according to an Essay in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Apr 2007

Maternal beef consumption associated with lower sperm concentration

New research has shown that women who ate a lot of beef while pregnant had sons who were more likely to suffer from poor sperm quality as adults, and it suggests that the growth promoters used in cattle may play a role in these men's reduced fertility.

2 Apr 2007

Costs due to complications from preterm birth are staggering

In Canada, outlays for specialized care of surviving preterm infants are estimated to be almost $2 billion per year.

2 Apr 2007

Ultrasound and blood tests screen high-risk pregnant mothers for placental damage

If the placenta is not functioning properly it could be a potential danger to the health of the mother and fetus. Abnormalities can lead to conditions such as preeclampsia, which is maternal high blood pressure, stillbirth or the need for a pre-term delivery.

2 Apr 2007

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy directly associated with having an overweight child

Pregnant women who gain excessive or even appropriate weight, according to current guidelines, are four times more likely than women who gain inadequate weight to have a baby who becomes overweight in early childhood.

2 Apr 2007

New screening method for cervical cancer holds promise

A method of screening women in Ghana for early signs of cervical cancer and providing preventive treatment at the same visit appears to be safe, acceptable to women and feasible, according to a study by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2 Apr 2007