Pregnancy and Birth

EPF diagnosis can cause harm, so 100% specificity is the goal.

A new study looks at whether who begin menarche early in life are more likely to develop GDM. Plus: USPSTF issues their final recommendations on pelvic exams. Also, a look at the efficacy of vaginal progesterone in preventing preterm birth in twin pregnancy.

A study looks at the impact of a preterm birth on the mother's future risk of cardiovascular disease. Plus: Do shift work and physical labor negatively impact a woman's fertility? Also, are women who get a false-positive mammogram more likely to delay their future screenings?

Readers write in about their thoughts on the annual labor force survey, the conundrum presented by cesarean delivery and defensive medicine, more information on treating women who have been the victim of sexual assault, and what is adding to the stress of the job.

Can adopting quality measures decrease the cesarean rate? Plus: The Government Accountability Office issues a report on power morcellators and the FDA's system of evaluation. Also, does the volume of one type of heart fat indicate the risk of heart disease?

Susan C Olmstead and Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD, discuss birth plans and whether there is a place for them.

The plaintiff asserted that during the diagnostic laparoscopy, Dr A and Dr B should have detected the ectopic pregnancy in the right fallopian tube. Her attorneys claimed that based upon the plaintiff’s abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and β- hCG levels, and absent evidence of intrauterine pregnancy on ultrasound, the defendants should have presumed ectopic pregnancy and adequately evaluated the fallopian tube before discharging the patient, thus avoiding rupture.

Identifying and Counseling Patients at Risk for Recurrent Preterm Birth. Improving Women’s Understanding of Recurrent Preterm Birth. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Clinical Guideline on Reducing the Risk of Preterm Birth and Potential Treatment in Certain At-Risk Women. Strategies for implementing the SMFM clinical guideline for reducing the risk of preterm birth in women with a history of recurrent preterm birth.

Research looks at the science showing associations between microcephaly and Zika virus. Plus: Can cervical pessaries help prevent preterm birth? Also, a study examines whether inadvertent HPV vaccination during pregnancy leads to adverse outcomes for mother and baby.

Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States have risen from a low of 7.2 per 100,000 live births in 1987 to a high of 17.3 per 100,000 live births in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System.

Following a cesarean delivery, a mother wonders why she hasn't become pregnant again and the neonate ends up in the NICU with skull fractures.

Preterm birth (PTB) remains the major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. For the vast majority of spontaneous PTBs, the final pathway is opening of the cervix. Pessaries have been proposed since the 1950s as a possible intervention to keep the cervix closed. But are pessaries safe and do they work for prevention of spontaneous PTB?

A study examines the efficacy of lower-than-conventional doses of estrogen in relieving vasomotor symptoms. Plus: What are the latest ACOG recommendations on water births?

Preterm birth is a public health concern. Each year in the U.S., nearly one in ten babies are born preterm…meaning less than 37 weeks of pregnancy or more than 3 weeks prior to the expected due date. That’s nearly 400,000 babies every year born too early in this country.

They separated laboring women into "morning" and "afternoon" groups.

A 5-year study offers reassurance.

A 34-year-old Ohio woman was under the care of her longtime family physician, who had minor privileges to deliver uncomplicated pregnancies at a specific hospital, for her pregnancy. The woman is diagnosed with eclampsia in her third trimester and is immediately given a cesarean. After delivery, she is unresponsive having died from a massive intracranial hemorrhage. The physician is sued for fraudulently representing her abilities in obstetric care. What's the verdict?

A new study questions whether current HPV testing intervals can be extended for some. Plus: Can azithromycin prophylaxis prevent post infection in women who have undergone a cesarean?

Researchers looked at time to catheter expulsion and time to delivery.

A study in Israel compared mothers older and younger than 35.

A study looks at whether women are at greater risk of sleep problems than their male counterparts. Also, are cesarean deliveries increasing the risk of childhood obesity? Plus: A study highlights the need for further research in postpartum psychosis.

Relative risk of stillbirth and preterm birth associated with less well-known antibodies was of similar magnitude to that found for anti-D.

On L&D units throughout the country, more and more women are being admitted with birth plans. Birth plans have become an increasingly common part of women’s prenatal preparation.

A study examined the outcomes of more than 1.3 million live births in Sweden.

“Women have very polarized views about induction... some are keen to be induced near their due date ... Others, however, feel that nature knows best and induction is meddlesome."