Pregnancy and Birth

I know what you're thinking: How can an issue like infertility teach us about customizing healthcare? And how can the assisted reproduction field help raise standards in women's healthcare? But it can, and it does… or it should.

These are ultrasound images from a 2nd trimester pregnancy.

Which pharmacological and nonpharmacological options are safe and effective in reducing pain during labor?

According to new research, ST analysis for intrapartum monitoring can be a helpful tool that reduces operative deliveries and the need for additional fetal blood sampling. The results were published in a recent issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) appears in 3% to 8% of in vitro fertilization cycles. Now, new research shows that cabergoline, a dopamine agonist, can be effective in preventing OHSS in this patient population.

Although uterine leiomyomas are benign tumors, its symptoms, including anemia, excessive vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, pressure-related bowel and bladder dysfunction, recurrent miscarriage and preterm labor, can severely negatively impact patients’ quality of life. Since uterine leiomyomas are three to four times more common in African-American patients, and since African-American women have 10 times higher incidence of hypovitaminosis D than white women, researchers sought to explore the impact of vitamin D3 on uterine leiomyomas.

Poll shows ob/gyn opinions are split on the federal mandate that private insurance plans cover the cost of birth control.

New research suggests episiotomy guidelines that may help reduce the risk of obstetric anal sphincter injuries.

Our patient presented at 30 weeks gestation for a routine prenatal ultrasound.

Oral nifedipine and intravenous labetalol show similar efficacy in their ability to control hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy, according to new research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Here are two ultrasound images taken during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

What is your diagnosis of this 3rd trimester ultrasound?

Modern society has witnessed great improvements in everyday products, often thanks to advances in chemical compounds that make products better, stronger, and the like. Unfortunately, these advances may come at a cost, as prenatal exposure to some chemical compounds may have deleterious effects on offspring.

More than one third of women in the United States will experience some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The consequences of IPV can be lifelong and include emotional trauma, long-term physical impairment, chronic health problems, and even death.

Our patient presents with 6 weeks of amenorrhea. What's your diagnosis?

Anjali Kaimal, MD, discusses her research into optimal gestational age for induction in women over age 40 during the poster session at the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine's 32nd Annual Meeting.

At the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine's Annual Meeting, Dr. Anthony Odibo cautions that cervical length screening, while valuable, should not be made standard of care.

Women over the age of 50 who achieve a viable pregnancy via donor-egg in vitro fertilization (D-IVF) have no greater incidence of adverse outcomes than younger women,according to a new study published in the American Journal of Perinatology.

Joost von Schmidt, MD, of Leiden University Medical Center, discusses his research into the association between preeclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage during the poster session at the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine's 32nd Annual Meeting.

Misoprostol is a safe and effective alternative to titrated intravenous for addressing abnormalities of the active phase of labor, according to new research published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Progesterone does not reduce the risk of preterm delivery among women whose preterm labor was successfully arrested by tocolysis, results from a randomized controlled trial showed.

Inducing labor in the case of a suspected large-for-date fetus reduces the risk of trauma at birth compared with expectant management, according to a randomized controlled trial in collaboration with 20 European teaching hospitals.

A woman’s diet before pregnancy can affect her risk of developing gestational diabetes, according to researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

There is no association between pre-pregnancy LEEP and preterm birth or pregnancy loss before 20 weeks, according to a 7-year multicenter cohort study presented at the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine's Annual Meeting. The study, by George A. Macones, MD, contradicts earlier findings.

In a study of nearly 4,500 women, chromosonal microarray (CMA) was as effective at identifying aneuploidy as karyotyping.