Data from the FASTER and BUN trials show that first-trimester NT measurement can reveal a lot more than just trisomy 21. Although not ready for prime time as a screening test for congenital heart disease, we can't ignore the strong association between increased NT and an elevated risk of several cardiac birth defects and to a lesser degree diaphragmatic hernia. But what can we do about it?
Combining NSAIDs with a new way of administering a centuries-old "folk" remedy offers many women significant relief.
Assisting in surgery; Buying an EMR
Fresh out of residency, I was asked to join a small but successful practice of four ob/gyns in a large, metropolitan area. At first, everything seemed perfect. And then, the buy-in talks began. The "honeymoon" was over.
How many times has a patient said, "Oh, by the way, doctor..." just as you're leaving the exam room? This column will help you quickly triage those seemingly offhand yet clinically significant encounters.
Clinical situations that typically result in litigation and the variation in jury verdicts and awards across the nation.
When you need some time off, finding coverage for your practice typically involves two routes: You can either reach an agreement with outside physicians to step in as needed or hire locum tenens physicians.
Thanks to a ruling by Michigan's Supreme Court, physicians in the state may now sue hospitals and peer review committees for wrongful peer review. The high court's ruling overturns almost 25-year-old case law, which kept courts from getting involved in hospitals' staffing decisions because of its lack of expertise. As a result, physicians' claims of unfair peer review were often rejected.
Osteoporosis-related health-care costs are lower for postmenopausal women prescribed bisphosphonates-if they comply with therapy. That is the conclusion of a retrospective analysis of prescription and treatment data presented at this year's NAMS meeting.
With treatment up to 8 years, raloxifene has no impact on benign breast conditions, symptoms, or biopsies, according to extended data from the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) trial. The findings were presented by investigators from Eli Lilly and Company at this year's NAMS meeting.
Bone mineral density (BMD) improves through up to 2 years of treatment with IV ibandronate, according to a post hoc analysis presented at the 17th annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society in Nashville, Tenn.
A 900-mg daily dose of gabapentin reduces hot flashes in women with natural menopause. So said Canadian investigators reporting on results of a new randomized clinical trial at the 17th annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society in Nashville, Tenn.
Second-born twins are at significantly greater risk for serious perinatal morbidity than first-born twins at all gestational ages, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study conducted in Nova Scotia. And the higher risk prevails regardless of presentation, chorionicity, or infant sex.
They need to take their medication at least about 75% of the time if they want to make a significant impact on fracture rates, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study.
Topical may be more effective than oral estrogen at relieving certain sexually related symptoms in hysterectomized women, but neither form seems to significantly affect sexual desire or activity despite increasing vaginal blood flow, according to a randomized, comparative study conducted in China.
Although previous studies have found that taking vitamin supplements in early pregnancy doesn't seem to prevent preeclampsia, researchers have recently found that taking multi- or prenatal vitamins during the 6 months surrounding conception reduces the risk of preeclampsia by about 45%, according to data from the Pregnancy Exposures and Preeclampsia Prevention Study.
Women who remain at risk for very preterm birth 7 or more days after an initial course of corticosteroids should receive repeat doses to reduce neonatal morbidity, according to the findings of a recent hospital-based, randomized, controlled trial.
Increased blood levels of soluble endoglin and ratios of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1): placental growth factor (PlGF) trumpet the onset of preeclampsia, according to the results of a nested case–control study of healthy nulliparous women within the Calcium for Preeclampsia Prevention Trial.
New-onset breast discomfort has been linked to an increase in breast tissue density on mammography in postmenopausal women taking combination hormone therapy, which in turn is associated with an increased threat of breast cancer, according to the findings of a recent UCLA study.
The pathologic expression of the tumor suppressor genes p53 and p16 in curettage specimens may identify high-risk endometrial carcinoma patients with a poor prognosis, according to a study in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Oral contraceptives (OCs) are associated with a small increase in premenopausal breast cancer risk, especially in parous women who use them for 4 or more years before a first full-term pregnancy, according to a new meta-analysis.
Women who are on a 168-day extended oral contraceptive regimen and experience breakthrough bleeding for 7 days or more do better with a 3-day hormone-free interval rather than continuing hormones, according to the results of a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Women who were exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES) have an increased chance of early menopause, according to a study in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The federal government may phase out indirect medical education payments.
"The rate of the foetal heart is subject to considerable variations which affords us a fairly reliable means of judging as to the well-being of the child." This was excerpted from Dr. J. Whitridge Williams, in the second edition of Williams Obstetrics, in 1908.
This article is dedicated to our teacher in gynaecological laparoscopy and dear friend who died after a long illness on July 16th, 2003.
Are these symptoms of Menopause?Am I experiencing Perimenopause?What should I expect from HRT?
Are irregular periods or headaches normal with Premphase?
Many of the most significant changes in maternity-related care have been driven by women (for example, natural childbirth, dads in the delivery room, changing the "drive-through delivery" policy). Fortunately, a growing number of obstetrical specialists (perinatologists) do not accept that a premature baby is "God's will" or just "nature taking its course".
Millions of couples who otherwise would not have been able to conceive children have benefited from advances in fertility treatment. But technological advances, improved access to fertility care as well as a growing demand from infertile couples have resulted in a global growth in the number of multiple births.
