Obstetrics

According to a recent study in Human Reproduction, women who produce a low number of oocytes during in vitro fertilization (IVF) seem to have an increased risk of miscarriage.

Girls who become pregnant when they are aged younger than 15 years are more likely than slightly older women to have much older sexual partners, to not use contraception the first time they have sex, and to be Hispanic or black, suggesting that they may be particularly vulnerable to relationships with unequal power.

Massively parallel sequencing of maternal cell-free DNA (cfDNA testing) has been shown better at predicting fetal aneuploidies than standard screening in a new study among a general obstetric population. Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the report by the CARE Study group was funded by Illumina.

A reader responds to the February 2014 cover story, "When opiate abuse complicates pregnancy."

Having a major mental illness triples the risk that an adolescent will become teenaged mother, according to a study in Pediatrics. The research is the first to look at fertility trends in adolescents with mental illnesses.

Gestational surrogacy in India is on the rise. How will this help or harm American couples and Indian surrogates?

What are the rights of a pregnant woman whose actions or condition may harm her unborn child?

Opinions differ on the value of sending placentas for pathology examinations. The author calls for standardizing when, why, and how this occurs.

Drug abuse during pregnancy has become more common in recent years. Here's how to intervene in a way that will most benefit both mother and baby.

The use of forceps and the vacuum extractor shouldn't be allowed to become a lost art.

A child's disabilities are found to be unrelated to the events that occurred at her birth.

Risk of fetal and infant death is substantially increased in women with pre-existing diabetes, according to results of a new study in Diabetologia. The population-based analysis is one of few to exclude the effect of congenital anomalies and suggests that the association is largely influenced by glycemic control.

In his final editorial of 2013, Dr. Lockwood comments on the recommendations of the ACOG Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy.

According to a recent study, parity and mode of delivery do not have a significant impact on women's long-term sexual satisfaction.

Pregnant patients who have undergone some form of bariatric surgery are at greater risk of preterm birth than women who haven’t had the procedure, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. The risk of small for gestational age (SGA) was also increased in women with previous bariatric surgery.

A low-cost instrument that an auto mechanic invented to ease assisted vaginal delivery is being tested by the World Health Organization (WHO). If proven safe and effective, the Odon Device would be the first innovation in operative vaginal delivery since the forceps and vacuum extractor.

Asthmatic women may take longer to become pregnant, according to a new study published in The European Respiratory Journal.

This was the question posed by Javier F. Magrina, MD, in his presidential address at the opening ceremony of the 42nd AAGL global congress on minimally invasive gynecology on November 11. His answer to this question (which of course referred to obstetrics and gynecology) was a resounding "yes," and he backed up this conviction with statistics and anecdotes that illustrated the need for specialized training in minimally invasive gynecologic procedures.

The Foley balloon is a tried and true mechanical method for cervical ripening

A new survey reveals that the public is misinformed about the causes and prevalence of miscarriage.

Motor vehicle accidents have long been linked to serious trauma during pregnancy, but a recent study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine tied crashes to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine on managing pregnant patients who have had gastric banding or gastric bypass surgery.

Patient education handout for becoming pregnant after bariatric surgery

A plan for determining if intrauterine growth restriction is present, then monitoring and delivering when and how it's best for mother and infant.

Expectant mothers might not need to worry about a glass of wine, according to new research published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.