All News

June 5, 2001 - FDA today approved a new surgically implanted device to help severely obese people lose weight. The product, the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, made by BioEnterics Corporation of Carpinteria, Calif., is an inflatable band that is placed around the upper stomach to create a small gastric pouch. This limits food consumption and creates an earlier feeling of fullness.

Today we are starting a new series on OBGYN.net about treatments for non-ob/gyn conditions that some women will choose to have in their lifetime. Roberta Speyer, owner and publisher of OBGYN.net, traveled to Frankfurt, Germany in December for a treatment for obesity that is not FDA-approved in the United States. This surgery as well as other topics will be highlighted in the months to come.

OBGYN.net is planning a new section for our web site. We are dedicating a section to both the wellness of women and to general topics of special interest to women. We are starting to develop these new topics here on the Women's Home Page in preparation for the new section, which should be online this summer.

MySono

OBGYN.net Conference CoverageFrom Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)Chicago, Illinois, November 2000

Uterine Fibroids are classified by their location (see figure), which effects the symptoms they may cause and how they can be treated. Fibroids that are inside the cavity of the uterus (Submucous myomas) will often cause bleeding between periods and often cause severe cramping. Fortunately, these fibroids can usually be easily removed by a method called “hysteroscopic resection,” which can be done through the cervix without the need for an incision.

When chlamydia or gonorrhea is diagnosed in female patients, obstetricians and gynecologists should also prescribe antibiotics for the male partners. This recommendation comes from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in efforts to reduce the high reinfection rates associated with these sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) injection has been approved by the FDA to treat urinary incontinence caused be overactive bladder related to conditions such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. In persons with certain neurological conditions, uninhibited bladder contractions can make storing urine difficult. This condition traditionally has been managed with medication to relax the bladder and use of a catheter to empty the bladder.

Prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccines have been shown to be effective in reducing the disease burden of cervical cancer, but the three dose regimen can be expensive and difficult to complete. With that in mind, Dr Aimée R. Kreimer, investigator in the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Health, and colleagues sought to determine if less than three doses of the vaccine would be effective. The results are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Cessation of hormone therapy in menopausal women may result in sleep disturbances, according to a new study in Menopause. Since the hormone therapy has been associated with the alleviation of sleep problems in women experiencing menopausal symptoms, Dr Sarah E Tom, Interdisciplinary Women’s Health Research (IWHR) Scholar at the University of Texas Medical School, and colleagues sought to determine the resulting sleep effects during cessation of hormone therapy.

Since their introduction, cervical cytology screening programs have caused a substantial reduction in cervical cancer rates. However, the low sensitivity of one screen and resulting need for repeated screens during a lifetime to achieve programmatic sensitivity has deemed it inefficient. With that in mind, Dr Philip E Castle, of the American Society for Clinical Pathology in Washington, D.C., and colleagues compared the performance of the cobas human papillomavirus (HPV) test versus liquid-based cytology.

Physicians refer many women at average risk of ovarian cancer for genetic counseling or testing for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes while neglecting to refer many high-risk women, researchers reported in the July 25 online edition of Cancer.

Significance of the umbilical cord: the umbilical cord can be aptly termed the life line for the fetus during its intrauterine life but can often be the cause for its misery in case of cord pathology.

Accurate diagnosis of uterine fibroids is essential in deciding if treatment is necessary, and planning appropriate treatment.n While a physical exam may suggest fibroids, other conditions such as ovarian cysts or adenomyosis may be mistaken for fibroids. For this reason, I routinely do an ultrasound examination at the time of the first visit when a woman has symptoms of abnormal bleeding or cramping, or if I feel an abnormality on examination.