The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under its priority review program, recently approved PerjetaTM (pertuzumab), a HER2/neu receptor antagonist indicated in combination with HerceptinR (trastuzumab), another HER2 therapy, and docetaxel for treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (BCa) in women who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease.
Analysis by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of compounded 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) shows the samples meet the potency and total purity standards for Makena, the branded version of the drug. Testing was done on 16 samples of bulk 17P active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in response to questions from K-V Pharmaceuticals, Makena’s sponsor, about potency and purity of the compounded product.
Although risks increase after an EP, a history of EP alone does not warrant closer-than-usual monitoring during a future pregnancy.
Scientists are testing a procedure that allows women with a genetic disorder conceive without passing the disease on to their children, and it involves using DNA from a "third parent." Is it ethical?
What is your diagnosis in this 40 year-old female patient with severe suprapubic pain exacerbated during menses? Ovaries were normal.
Estrogen-deficient women who have had a hysterectomy with or without ovarian preservation are more likely to have arterial stiffness than estrogen-deficient women who have not had a hysterectomy, according to results of a new study conducted at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.
A national survey of ob/gyn residents indicates that most do not grasp important statistical information. And practicing physicians don't perform much better.
Nearly three-quarters of ob/gyn residents were unable to identify the positive predictive value of a screening mammogram on a multiple choice test, yet 80% believed they had adequate training in statistical literacy.
The number of cases of cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea is increasing, according to a recent report issued by the World Health Organization. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes the infection, has already developed resistance to other common antibiotics, and cephalosporins have become the last line of defense against the infection.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued draft recommendations for postmenopausal hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, dementia, hip fracture, and breast cancer.
This is the case of a pregnancy at 12 weeks gestational age. The patient underwent routine prenatal transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound imaging.
Omission of the bladder flap in cesarean deliveries does not increase intraoperative or postoperative complications, according to results of a new randomized controlled trial.
In a re-analysis of the WHI study 2002, the risks of HRT where misrepresented by the media and not corrected by those affiliated with the research.
In a highly critical re-analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study of 2002, the results of which prompted safety fears about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) significantly increasing the risk of breast cancer, it was concluded that the weight of evidence supports benefits over risks for use of HRT in women with severe symptoms of menopause or other conditions.
A 39 year-old woman presented with urinary frequency and pelvic pressure. On pelvic examination, a large pelvic mass was felt adjacent to the uterus, deep in the pelvis. MRI showed a 12 cm subserosal fibroid adjacent to the right side of the uterus.
In anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one-time use of progestin to induce withdrawal bleeding before ovulation induction may decrease the odds of conception and live birth, according to a new study conducted by researchers for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD) Cooperative Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN).
Whether a woman is overweight or obese before and during pregnancy, and not glucose levels, is the most reliable predictor of a woman’s risk of giving birth to a large-for-gestational-age infant, according to a new study conducted in Canada.
Proper weight management during pregnancy is beneficial to both the mother and the fetus. Overweight women are at an increased risk for gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preterm birth and intrauterine death.
Letters discuss global endometrial ablations, intrauterine scarring, and disagreements over cancer biomarkers. Steven R. Goldstein and Andrew John Li respond.
Women who undergo elective induction of labor for a history of fast labor continue the trend of delivering in about half the time of other women, but the benefit of induction is small, a study from the Summa Health System reports.
Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) are significantly more effective than oral contraceptive pills, rings, or patches in preventing unintended pregnancy in adolescent girls and young women, a large prospective cohort study from Washington University School of Medicine reports.
According to a study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, many women are unaware of their risk for cardiovascular disease (CV), but a screening tool completed during their annual ob/gyn examination could change that.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is one of the most common, serious complications associated with pregnancy.
A new algorithm based on gene expression data for 151 DNA repair genes can identify outcomes and response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report.
Looking at a lawsuit involving preterm delivery and insufficient care.
The debate over universal screening for maternal hypothyroidism has raged for years. Recent concrete data points to just testing at-risk mothers.
One of the most difficult things a doctor faces is the apology for mistakes. See why it's so important to get the apology right.
A look at new research on one of the leading causes for maternal mortality.
Dietary and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy can reduce maternal gestational weight gain and improve outcomes for both mother and baby, according to a new study. In Europe and the United States, 20% to 40% of women gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy.
Although antibiotic therapy is more effective than probiotics in treating recurrent urinary tract infections, antibiotic resistance increases rapidly after onset of drug therapy.