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Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is ready to sign a bill that would ban abortions except when a woman's life is threatened by a pregnancy. The bill, which was passed by both houses of the state legislature and sent to the governor in early June, would not go into effect unless the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine developed to protect women against cervical cancer. Known as Gardasil and developed by Merck & Co., the drug is highly effective against four types of human papillomavirus, including two that cause cervical cancer.

About 12% of women who test for inherited mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 receive a false-negative result, according to the findings of a recent study. In addition, about one in 20 with mutations in CHEK2 and TP53, two additional genes that have been found to increase the risk of breast cancer, are also falsely reassured.

A single determination of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific to predict the final menstrual period, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2000).

In postmenopausal women, drinking coffee-especially the decaffeinated brew-is inversely associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the June 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The selective estrogen-receptor modulator (SERM) raloxifene reduces the risk of invasive breast cancer but does not prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) and increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and fatal stroke, according to the Raloxifene Use for The Heart (RUTH) trial results published in the July 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the management of Rh-alloimmunized pregnancies, Doppler ultrasonography (U/S) of the middle cerebral artery is superior to amniocentesis in predicting fetal anemia and is a safe alternative for monitoring such pregnancies, according to a study in the July 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Even from the most pro-plaintiff perspective, over 80% of CP cases could not be attributed to the negligence of obstetric providers.

I would like information on vaginal hysterectomy and adenomyosis

The Diabetes Manual is a type 2 diabetes self-management programme based upon the clinically effective 'Heart Manual'. The 12 week programme is a complex intervention theoretically underpinned by self-efficacy theory.

I have had burning, extreme itching and inflammation in the vulva area, and sometimes the anal area.

It is in your best health interest to see your gynecologist or primary care physician regarding specific medical problems or concerns.

It is in your best health interest to see your gynecologist or primary care physician regarding specific medical problems or concerns.

It is in your best health interest to see your gynecologist or primary care physician regarding specific medical problems or concerns.

He leaned back comfortably in his swivel chair behind the elegant desk, placed both hands behind his head in a attitude of pure superiority and said condescendingly (while rolling his eyes and shaking his head)

This month's topics: Chronic Pelvic Pain, Endometriosis & Adenomyosis, Surgery Pain & Adhesions, Vulvodynia, Vulvar Pain and Other Questions

Although maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) is a highly sensitive marker for certain congenital malformations such as open neural tube and ventral wall defects, its usefulness as a screening test for fetal hydrocephalus is uncertain.

Health care planning for chronic pelvic pain (CPP), an important cause of morbidity amongst women is hampered due to lack of clear collated summaries of its basic epidemiological data. We systematically reviewed worldwide literature on the prevalence of different types of CPP to assess the geographical distribution of data, and to explore sources of variation in its estimates.

Supplementation with the antioxidant vitamins C and E during pregnancy doesn't reduce the risks of preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, infant death, or other serious infant outcomes in nulliparous women, according to the results of a recent multicenter, randomized trial. In fact, women taking the vitamins may be more likely to develop hypertension and to require treatment with antihypertensive drugs.

At least that's what Clement J. McDonald, MD, emphasized in an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine (4/4/06). Presenting an actual case, in which two patients were misidentified when a mix-up occurred with their bar-coded identification wristbands, McDonald drew several conclusions to improve risk management

Dietary supplementation with 1,200 mg/d calcium carbonate didn't prevent fractures in an ambulatory elderly population because compliance was low. Those who took it, however, benefited.

About 1 in 10 women between the ages of 55 and 69 who is diagnosed with breast cancer is diagnosed unnecessarily because her disease would never have come to clinical attention if she were not screened. The findings come 15 years after the end of the population-based Swedish Malm? mammographic screening trial, a randomized, controlled trial of over 40,000 women.

Recent advances in chemotherapy are helping to close the survival gap between women with estrogen-receptor (ER)–positive breast cancer and those with ER-negative disease, according to the results of a recent series of studies.

A cesarean first birth increases the risks for placenta previa and placenta abruption in subsequent pregnancies. So does a short interpregnancy interval, according to a retrospective cohort study of almost 200,000 singleton pregnancies.

We and today's fresh-faced interns do have something in common: the one person who taught or will teach us how to really be doctors: a seasoned, bright nurse.

These easily taught birth control methods may be just what some patients are looking for. Nonhormonal approaches like the Standard Days and the TwoDay Methods hinge on identifying a woman's fertile window: the days during her cycle when pregnancy is likely.

If there's no cancer present, why remove a woman's ovaries during hysterectomy? Does the reduced risk of ovarian cancer outweigh the consequences of eliminating the protective hormones secreted by a healthy pair of ovaries? A team of researchers offers some thought-provoking conclusions.

Mary is a 26-year-old G1,P0 who is 34 weeks' pregnant with an uncomplicated, singleton gestation. She's in for a routine prenatal visit and asks, "When do I have to quit working?"