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An isopropanolic extract of black cohosh root effectively relieves hot flashes and other climacteric complaints, especially in newly symptomatic women, according to a randomized, multicenter, double-blind clinical trial.

No, according to a recent study of over 500 first cycle recipients of donor oocytes. Obese recipients do not have significantly lower rates of implantation or pregnancy or significantly higher rates of spontaneous abortions than women who are underweight, overweight (but not obese), or of normal weight.

Outpatients undergoing early uterine evacuations in your office require a safe environment and a clinician with a thorough knowledge of the medical and surgical techniques. This practical review provides protocols for medical abortion and early pregnancy failures and guides you through the manual vacuum aspiration procedure.

Low-dose aspirin combined with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) during pregnancy is just as safe and effective as aspirin with unfractionated heparin (UFH) for preventing recurrent pregnancy loss due to antiphospholipid syndrome, according to a prospective, controlled, multicenter pilot study.

The caduceus is the modern American symbol of the medical profession. But the Asklepian, which I encountered on a recent trip to the Greek island of Kos, may be a far better emblem for the values we as ob/gyns hold dear. Allow me to explain the import of two snakes versus one.

Recently, I was privileged to spend several days on a National Institutes of Health consensus panel evaluating current evidence on menopause symptomatology.

Postterm birth seems to get a lot less attention than preterm birth when clinicians are discussing the risks of complications and death. But, unlike babies born too soon, timely delivery can almost entirely prevent the risks—including stillbirth—linked with prolonged pregnancy.

As I write this I am post-call, which may account for the tone of my meandering discourse. At my age, the problem is not so much taking call but surviving the next day. While tackling clinical challenges can be exciting, what I find most stimulating is the chance to teach and learn from my residents.

"This is a silent disease with fracture as the primary presentation," said Elwyn Grimes, MD, from the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, IL. "It is a condition that is silent and has mortality as an important outcome. It has the potential to have a significant impact across the nation."

There's a good chance that you are asking the wrong questions and not enough questions when it comes to taking family cancer histories. "It is not enough to ask 'Did anybody in your family die of cancer, yes or no?'" said Louise Strong, MD, Section Head of Clinical Cancer Genetics and Professor of Cancer Genetics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

First-year data from the 2-year MOBILE study of monthly administration of ibandronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis have been released. All women achieved significant response, but women taking the agent once a month had a greater increase in bone mineral density (BMD) than similar women taking the drug on a daily schedule.

Women being treated for osteoporosis expressed an overwhelming preference for monthly dosing over weekly dosing in a recent nationwide survey. The study, directed by Wulf Utian of The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, supports the monthly dosing schedule offered by ibandronate, a competing oral bisphosphonate.

Intramuscular injection of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is a highly effective and popular form of contraception. It is used by about 2 million women in the US and 25 million women worldwide, according to Andrew Kaunitz, MD, from the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville, FL.

Is concomitant sterilization using the ESSURE method with Thermachoice III endometrial ablation feasible and safe? Absolutely yes, said Rafael Valle, MD, from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. Data presented during the second session of Papers on Current Clinical and Basic Investigation yesterday afternoon helped convince the Food and Drug Administration to approve the combination procedure.