Obstetrics

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A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of induced deliveries is on the decline after almost 20 years of increases. The data are taken from the Natality Data File from the National Vital Statistics System and represent births in singleton deliveries, which are the majority of newborns.

“Dosing of oxytocin and timing of level of increase in dose has been the subject of many scientific publications,” noted study coauthor and Contemporary OB/GYN editorial board member Haywood Brown, MD.

The ACP’s Clinical Guideline advising against pelvic examinations for the detection of pathological conditions in asymptomatic, nonpregnant, adult women is unfounded, ill timed, and ill considered.

Women who have a history of pregnancy loss, either miscarriage or stillbirth, may be at greater risk of postmenopausal cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a recent study in The Annals of Family Medicine.

New research by microbiologists at Loyola University suggests that the urinary microbiome in women with urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) may differ from that in women without the condition, which has implications for management of the disease.

The placenta, historically thought to be sterile, actually harbors a unique microbiome, say researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Notably, they found that the placental microbiomes they studied are most akin to the human oral microbiome, strengthening the proposed association between maternal dental health and certain fetal outcomes.

Using dabigatran anticoagulation treatment for pregnant women could potentially affect fetal blood coagulation, according to a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dabigatran may cross the placenta to the fetus.

A “broader perspective” and a “comprehensive multidimensional assessment” are necessary to establish a causal link between intrapartum hypoxic events and neonatal encephalopathy, according to the latest report from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Task Force on Neonatal Encephalopathy.

Where in the US are women most likely to stop drinking before they get pregnant? Get a checkup? Take folic acid? The CDC recently asked these questions to find out how to reduce risky preconception behavior.

A study of a nationally representative sample of hospitalized women who were pregnant or gave birth shows a link between obstructive sleep apnea and maternal death. The findings, published in SLEEP, point to a need for targeted interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes in women with apnea.