Contraception

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) can be a safe, effective, and relatively easy birth control option. However, pregnancy can occur if the IUD dislodges or is not placed properly. Dr Elysia Moschos, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and Dr Diane M. Twickler, professor of radiology, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, studied ultrasound findings, clinical symptoms, and outcomes for women with first-trimester pregnancies despite having intrauterine devices to better understand this issue.

March 9, 2010 a 46 year old woman came to me having been told that she needs a hysterectomy because of heavy bleeding from her fibroid. She wanted to know her options. Ultrasound showed a tennis ball size fibroid that was 2/3 in the uterine wall and 1/3 in the cavity of the uterus.

Teen birth rates in the United States have declined over the last two decades, but they remain high, according a Vital Signs report in the April 5 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Medical abortions by mid-level providers (MLPs), up to nine weeks gestation, are as safe and effective as those provided by doctors, according to a study published online March 31 in The Lancet.

The use of progestin-estrogen oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) in women prior to becoming pregnant does not appear to increase the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes in offspring, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from March 18 to 22 in San Francisco.

A 43 year old woman came to me with irregular bleeding despite being on birth control pills. Her OB/GYN had inserted a Mirena® IUD 7 months ago, which failed to stop her irregular bleeding.

Most adults in the United States have experienced vaginal sex, but the number of younger adults reporting no sexual contact has increased since 2002, according to the March issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Statistics Report.

When used properly, oral contraceptives are extremely effective in preventing unintended pregnancies, yielding only 3 pregnancies per 1000 users in the first year of use. In reality, however, women may not be as adherent as necessary to obtain this ideal rate-studies have shown that about 50% of women regularly miss at least 1 pill per cycle.

The U.S. teenage birth rate has resumed its decline, reaching a historic low in 2009, according to a report published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) February Data Brief.

Evidence shows that combined oral contraceptives are contraindicative in women who have migraines with auras (MA) due to increased risk of ischemic stroke. So what can these women do?

Despite the wide range of contraceptives available, almost 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, with the highest rates among women aged 18 to 24 years. Meanwhile, few studies have explored contraceptive responsibility and no studies since the 1980s have looked at female college students’ perceptions of such. Without this data, physicians and health educators are unable to adequately and effectively address STD and pregnancy prevention among this patient population.

Women do not appear more likely to seek out psychiatric help after a first-trimester abortion than before one, according to research published in the Jan. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Family physicians have training and knowledge gaps that result in missed opportunities to offer intrauterine contraception (IUC) as a form of birth control to eligible patients, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in Contraception.

A 30 y/o woman, P1001, sought a second opinion from me regarding the following situation: She just had her first baby, and has a history of symptomatic endometriosis including some difficulty in achieving pregnancy (but did so without medical intervention). She was advised by another physician that she should use either depo or the progestin only pill for the next 6-12 months (while she is breastfeeding) to prevent the progression of endometriosis.

Menopausal women treated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram have fewer, and less severe, hot flashes than women taking a placebo, according to a study published in the Jan. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Questions answered by Harvey Marchbein, MD

Questions answered by Harvey S. Marchbein, MD

Question answered by Barry L. Gruber, M.D.

From the Annual Conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Rome

A Fact Sheet From The Center For Applied Reproductive Science

The statistics are shocking: One in seven US women will be treated for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) over the course of her lifetime. That translates into more than a million women diagnosed with PID each year.

Q: A request for Information about Premenopause osteoporosis. I am a 31 year old woman and after the birth of my second child 4 months ago have had back pain. After an x-ray that showed a collapse in one part of my spine, I was sent for a bone density test. At the test they took my height and I was 2 inches shorter. I'm looking for information on pre menopause osteoporosis and can find very little. I would like to be informed on what can be done to help me before I go over my test results with my doctor and to better understand my options. Can you help?

Coverage of 36th AAGL Congress November 2007, Washington, DC

Coverage of 36th AAGL Congress November 2007, Washington, DC