Jamie L. Habib

Physicians should no longer rule out ordering an MRI scan for patients with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) as long as certain criteria can be met, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

It has long been known that anemia increases the risk of death and complications in patients who have cardiovascular surgery, but results of a new study show that these risks are increased in patients with anemia who undergo various types of surgery, including gynecological procedures.

The pilot stage of the new Safety Certification for Outpatient Practice Excellence (SCOPE) initiative has been launched by The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Designed to enhance patient safety in an office setting, SCOPE is the first safety and quality certification program focused on women’s health.

When chlamydia or gonorrhea is diagnosed in female patients, obstetricians and gynecologists should also prescribe antibiotics for the male partners. This recommendation comes from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in efforts to reduce the high reinfection rates associated with these sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) injection has been approved by the FDA to treat urinary incontinence caused be overactive bladder related to conditions such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. In persons with certain neurological conditions, uninhibited bladder contractions can make storing urine difficult. This condition traditionally has been managed with medication to relax the bladder and use of a catheter to empty the bladder.

Obstetricians and gynecologists now have a new guide that rates the safety of different contraceptives on a scale of 1 to 4 based on an individual woman’s health status, age, and preexisting medical conditions. The new guide was issued by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) and is based on the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2010.

In the United States, 20% of preschoolers are overweight and, of those, 50% are obese. Children who are obese are more likely to be obese in adulthood and thus are at greater risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. A baby’s risk of becoming overweight or obese is reduced with each month of breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy babies be given only breast milk for the first 6 months of life.

The US Department of Health and Human Services announced on August 1, 2011, that women will receive preventive health services at no additional cost. This historic new guideline is an effort to improve use of preventive services and to reduce health care costs related to preventable diseases and conditions.

The FDA has issued a drug safety communication about fluconazole: long-term use at high dosages (400 to 800 mg/d) may be associated with a rare and distinct set of birth defects in infants whose mothers were treated with the drug during the first trimester of pregnancy.1 This risk does not appear to be associated with a single, low dose (150 mg) of fluconazole to treat vaginal yeast infection (candidiasis).

Insufficient thyroid activity during pregnancy is harmful to maternal and fetal health as well as to the child’s future intellectual development, according to emerging data that led to new guidelines released by the American Thyroid Association (ATA). These guidelines highlight the role of thyroid function tests, hypothyroidism, thyrotoxicosis, iodine, thyroid antibodies and miscarriage or preterm delivery, thyroid nodules and cancer, postpartum thyroiditis, screening recommendations during pregnancy, and areas for future research.

Mammography screening should be offered annually to women beginning at age 40 years, according to a new recommendation by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College).1 This change was brought about by the high incidence of breast cancer in the United States. Early detection of breast cancer has the potential to reduce the number of breast cancer–related deaths. The College previously recommended that women aged 40 years receive mammograms every 1 to 2 years and women aged 50 years have mammograms annually.

New recommendations by the CDC state that postpartum women should not use combined hormonal contraceptives during the first 21 days after delivery because of high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) during this period.

FDA approval for bevacizumab (Avastin) as treatment for metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer should be withdrawn, according to a unanimous vote (6-0) of the FDA’s Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee. The committee convened at the request of the drugmaker (Genentech) to appeal an earlier decision by the FDA to remove the indication for bevacizumab to treat locally recurrent or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer.

Routine screening of pregnant women for vitamin D deficiency is not recommended, according to a new Committee Opinion of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Although severe vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked with abnormal skeletal development, congenital rickets, and bone fractures in newborns, most pregnant women obtain enough vitamin D through prenatal vitamins, fortified milk and juice, fish oils, and sunlight exposure.

The most effective forms of reversible contraception available to date are long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants.1 According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), LARCs are safe for almost all women of reproductive age, including nursing mothers, adolescents, and women who have not yet had a child, and The College recommends them as first-line contraceptive methods.

The surgical placement of mesh through the vagina to repair pelvic organ prolapse (POP) may expose patients to greater risk than other surgical interventions, said the FDA in an updated safety communication. It also stated that with the exposure to greater risk comes no evidence of greater clinical benefit, such as improved quality of life.

Research shows that to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, exercise intensity should reach at least 60% of the heart rate reserve during pregnancy while gradually increasing physical-activity energy expenditure.

In a recent safety communication, the FDA has informed the public about new information they are assessing in an ongoing review of birth control pills that contain drospirenone, a type of progestin.

The FDA recently approved a new genetic test, called Inform Dual ISH, that helps determine whether women with breast cancer have the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive type.1 In about 20% of breast cancers, the cancer cells produce an excess of the protein HER2 because of a gene mutation. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive and respond less well to hormone therapy.

In 2009, it was suggested by researchers from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study that nitrofurans and sulfonamides, antibiotics commonly used for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs), may increase the risk of birth defects when taken during the first trimester.

Boston Scientific Corporation has alerted the public about a stolen shipment of medical devices for endoscopy and urology/women’s health.

The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jointly launched the “Fraudulent STD Products Initiative.” This campaign targets over-the-counter (OTC) products sold online or in retail stores that claim to prevent, cure, or treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Cultural sensitivity plays an important role in enhancing the quality of care and improving medical compliance, especially among women in minority and underserved communities. According to a new Committee Opinion recently released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), awareness and sensitivity to a patient’s cultural background can improve physician-patient communication and positively affect patient health.

To improve a patient’s ability to process and understand health-related information, termed “health literacy,” avoid medical jargon and keep messages simple. These are among new recommendations published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College).

Persistent infection with HPV is the principal cause of cervical cancer, with HPV implicated in more than 99% of cervical cancer cases worldwide.1 The cobas HPV (human papillomavirus) Test, recently approved by the FDA, identifies women at highest risk for the development of cervical cancer.