I was recently asked by WebMD to comment on a newly published study that highlights a possible link between epilepsy, its treatment, and infertility, but a finding in the study has broader implications for all patients trying to conceive. First, a little about the study, and afterwards I will show how it applies to everyone trying to build a family.
Modern medicine recognizes the potential impact of stress on physical well-being, but can stress pass through the mother to the fetus? Indeed, it has been hypothesized that maternal chronic stress can alter the uterine environment and may affect length of gestation, fetal growth, birth weight, and spontaneous preterm birth. Similarly, research on cortisol levels in fetuses and mothers has found that anxiety in mothers can affect the function of the placenta. With so much evidence pointing to the interaction between maternal psychological well-being and fetal wellness, there has become an increased need to find effective, nonpharmacological interventions for pregnant women.
Compared to nondiabetic women, women with diabetes and high glucose levels during pregnancy tend to have babies with high birth weights. Moreover, it is thought that these offspring are at greater risk for obesity than those children born to women without diabetes. But is the larger body size due to greater lean mass in addition to greater fat mass?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that terbutaline administered by injection or through an infusion pump should not be used in pregnant women for prevention or prolonged (beyond 48-72 hours) treatment of preterm labor due to the potential for serious maternal heart problems and death.
Prenatal screening and treatment of pregnant women can prevent chlamydial infection among neonates.
CDC recommends routine vaccination to prevent 17 vaccine-preventable diseases that occur in infants, children, adolescents, or adults. This report provides information for clinicians and other health-care providers about concerns that commonly arise when vaccinating persons of various ages.
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.
Aortic dissection is rare in women with biscuspid aortic valve (BAV) who are pregnant, according to a study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Antioxidant supplementation in subfertile men may increase the likelihood of pregnancy and live births for couples undergoing assisted reproduction techniques, according to a review published online Jan. 19 in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews
Treatment with recombinant human prolactin (r-hPRL) increases milk volume, induces changes in milk composition similar to those that take place in regular lactogenesis, and increases antimicrobially active oligosaccharide concentrations for women who have both prolactin and lactation insufficiency, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in Pediatrics.
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.
Active smoking has a modest effect on the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a study published in the Jan. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicince.
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.
Resolution of maternal grief following the experience of preterm birth, and the subsequent quality of maternal interactions, have important implications for attachment security development in premature infants, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in Pediatrics.
Women with severe psoriasis are 1.4 times more likely to have a low birth weight (LBW) infant, but mild psoriasis is not related to an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
I have a case that I've known for some time. She is a case of diagnosed endometriosis. I did her adhesiolisis in 1993 and then she got pregnant, then she had a big endometriotic cyst and I removed it and then she got pregnant again. In the last six years, she got 2 endometriotic cysts that were very big and causing agonizing pains and had to be surgically removed in 2 occasions. Last year she got pregnant spontaneously but missed abortion at 14 weeks and had to evacuate by extramniotic PG.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) issued a Committee Opinion today that says although the absolute risk of planned home births is low, published medical evidence shows it does carry a two- to three-fold increase in the risk of newborn death compared with planned hospital births.
MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Women with occupational exposure to phthalates or pesticides appear to have a higher risk of adverse fertility and pregnancy outcomes, including prolonged time to pregnancy (TTP) and lower birth weight, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Preeclampsia is a rapidly progressive condition that affects as many as 8% of all pregnancies. To better understand how and why this process occurs, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine looked to see if neutrophil infiltration could affect vascular expression of the enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and other extracellular matrix proteins, which in turn might result in vascular dysfunction in women with preeclampsia.
Can HBA replace the use of SPA test in male partner screening before in vitro fertilization?
During this time of information gathering about your hysterectomy options, there are a few terms that are helpful to know about pelvic anatomy.
Questions answered by Harvey S. Marchbein, MD
Questions answered by Harvey Marchbein, MD
Questions answered by Harvey S. Marchbein, MD
Question answered by Harvey S. Marchbein, MD
