This week at Contemporary OB/GYN®, we covered topics ranging from a novel nonhormonal menopause therapy to updated cervical cancer guidelines. Click the links below to read anything you might have missed from Monday, December 01, to Friday, December 05, 2025.

David Lissauer, PhD, highlights efficacy of APT-Sepsis toward reducing maternal infection

Maternal infection and sepsis continue to represent major global health challenges, remaining among the leading causes of maternal mortality despite overall improvements in maternal health outcomes. In the interview, David Lissauer, PhD, professor at the University of Liverpool, discussed how reductions in deaths from other obstetric complications have not been matched by similar progress in infection-related outcomes.

He noted that international attention, investment, and coordinated strategies targeting maternal infection and sepsis have lagged behind, allowing these preventable causes of morbidity and mortality to persist. Lissauer highlighted findings from the Active Prevention and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis (APT-Sepsis) program, a structured initiative designed to reduce the burden of severe maternal infections in low-resource settings.

According to the presented data, implementation of APT-Sepsis was associated with a 32% reduction in key adverse outcomes, including infection-related mortality, infection-related near-miss events, and severe maternal infections.

Camille Powe, MD, discusses weight gain from stopping GLP-1RAs in pregnancy

This interview with Camille Powe, MD, endocrinologist at Mass General Brigham, explores new research examining how discontinuing GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) before or during pregnancy affects gestational weight gain and pregnancy outcomes.

GLP-1RAs—widely used for weight management, glycemic control, and cardiovascular risk reduction—are currently not recommended during pregnancy because of limited human data and concerning animal findings. As a result, patients planning pregnancy or who become pregnant are advised to stop these therapies. Powe and her team sought to understand the consequences of this discontinuation.

In their study, researchers matched pregnant individuals based on pre-pregnancy weight and other relevant characteristics to compare outcomes between those who had recently stopped GLP-1RAs and those who had never used them. They found that individuals who discontinued GLP-1RAs gained significantly more weight during pregnancy than matched controls. This higher gestational weight gain raised concerns because excessive weight gain in pregnancy is linked to complications such as higher infant birth weight and increased obstetric risk.

Endometriosis found more prevalent than adenomyosis

Endometriosis rates are greater than adenomyosis rates in multiple populations, according to a recent study published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

Similar rates of focal and diffuse adenomyosis were reported across 8 studies, at 17% and 15%, respectively. When examining endometriosis, a greater prevalence in the ovaries was reported vs superficial peritoneal endometriosis and deep infiltrating endometriosis, at 13%, 6%, and 10%, respectively, across 8 studies with significant heterogeneity.

Endometriosis was more common in the general population, with a rate of 5%. A rate of 34% was reported in nulliparous women vs 26% in parous women. In comparison, adenomyosis was reported in 1% of the general population, highlighting a decreased prevalence vs endometriosis.

Click here for the full article.

American Cancer Society updates cervical cancer screening guidelines

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released updated cervical cancer screening guidelines for average-risk women and individuals with a cervix, incorporating self-collection of vaginal specimens for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and new criteria for screening discontinuation. The revised recommendations, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, reflect expanded evidence on HPV test performance and the recent authorization of self-collection devices in the United States.

“These updated recommendations will help to improve compliance with screening and reduce the risk of cervical cancer,” said Robert Smith, PhD, senior vice president of early cancer detection science at ACS and senior author of the report. “They are made possible as we continue to evolve our approach to screening for cervical cancer, primarily through research advancements, and the development of self-collection tools to broaden access to screening.”

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Experts establish diagnostic criteria for primary dysmenorrhea

Research published in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology has established a definition and diagnostic criteria for primary dysmenorrhea through a Delphi procedure.

Experts were defined as professionals treating more than 30 patients with dysmenorrhea per year, with more than one scientific publication about dysmenorrhea, or part of a national or international pediatric or adolescent gynecology association. A rate of agreement (RoA) of more than 70% indicated consensus.

The word primary was agreed to mean the absence of known pathology, with an RoA of 76%. An RoA of 76% was also reached for the statement that primary dysmenorrhea does not have to be present within a certain period after menarche.

Click here for the full article.