Interstitial Cystitis and Dietary Impact
March 7th 2014There is increasing evidence that certain food items can exacerbate symptoms of interstitial cystitis (IC). This article discusses possible trigger foods and how an elimination diet can help patients with IC reduce symptoms and improve their quality of life.
A link between ADHD and acetaminophen?
March 6th 2014A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics is raising concern about a potential association between use of acetaminophen in pregnancy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring. But the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) is urging caution in interpretation and application of the findings, noting that the results relate to long-term use of acetaminophen, which is not typical in pregnancy, and association does not necessarily equal causation.
Secondhand smoke increases risk of pregnancy loss
March 6th 2014According to a new study in Tobacco Control, women exposed to secondhand smoking (SHS), particularly those with no history of smoking, have a higher risk of spontaneous abortions, ectopic pregnancies, and stillbirths than women with no such exposure.
Oophorectomy cuts risk of cancer in BRCA1/2 carriers
March 6th 2014A study by Canadian researchers shows that preventive oophorectomy reduces risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80% in women who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the report also documented a 77% reduction in all-cause mortality.
Postmenopausal genital tract tuberculosis in the United States: A report of two cases
March 1st 2014When a postmenopausal patient presents with signs and symptoms of a gynecologic malignancy, one should consider the possibility of genital tuberculosis in women who have immigrated to the United States.
What ob/gyns need to know about health policy in 2014
March 1st 2014Although the passage and politics surrounding implementation of the ACA have been tumultuous, it seems certain for now that the law will stand at least until 2016 if not permanently and our practices will have to change, in some ways for the better.
Eating disorders in adolescents and young adult women: Implications for reproductive health
March 1st 2014Eating disorders develop in vulnerable individuals from an interplay of genetics and a host of personality and sociocultural factors. Healthcare providers should be mindful of red flags for eating disorders in adolescents and young women.
Women, type 2 diabetes, and stroke: What’s the association?
March 1st 2014Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, prospectively investigated stroke risk among 10,876 male and 19,278 female patients with type 2 diabetes. The goal of the study, which appeared in the journal Diabetologia, was to better understand the relationship between glycemic control and stroke risk. The researchers note that more women than men tend to die from stroke in developed countries. In 2010 in the United States, 77,109 women and 52,367 men died from stroke, according to the study.
Unique risks presented by pregnancy in young girls
March 1st 2014Girls 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.
cfDNA testing predicts aneuploidy in low-risk pregnancies
March 1st 2014Massively 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.
Time-lapse photography and ART
March 1st 2014Time-lapse photography applied to embryo development is commonly called morphokinetics, because it combines the morphological criteria that are typically used for embryo grading/evaluation with the kinetics of development for each embryo at certain predefined checkpoints.
Monoclonal antibody increases cervical cancer survival
February 27th 2014Adding a monoclonal antibody (MAb)-bevacizumab-to combination chemotherapy may increase survival in patients with recurrent cervical cancer, according to results of a National Cancer Institute-funded randomized trial. Use of bevacizumab in cervical cancer is experimental; the MAb currently is approved to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer, and glioblastoma.
Teens likely to request early IUD removal
February 27th 2014Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are an effective form of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) with low complication rates, yet adolescents are more likely than adult women to request early removal of the devices, according to a new study in Obstetrics and Gynecology.