Contemporary OB/GYN week in review: genetic testing, treating OUD, and more

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary OB/GYN® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, May 5, 2025 - Friday, May 9, 2025), and click each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

Devon Ramaeker, MD, discusses the diagnostic benefits and future of genetic testing

Rapid advances in prenatal genetic testing are changing how clinicians diagnose and counsel expectant parents, according to Devon Ramaeker, MD, division director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Allegheny Health Network Women’s Institute. Speaking in an interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Ramaeker highlighted the increasing complexity and importance of early genetic assessment in pregnancy.

“Our goal is for early and accurate fetal diagnosis and identifying what we call congenital anomalies, or fetal birth defects,” Ramaeker said. “So that patients can have the opportunity to have a really thorough discussion regarding options for pregnancy, including genetic testing.”

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Baher Mankabady, MD, highlights safety of buprenorphine against OUD in pregnancy

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Baher Mankabady, MD, Senior Vice President at Indivior, discussed a study finding safety and efficacy from the use of buprenorphine (SUBLOCADE; Indivior Inc) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy.

Mankabady highlighted the severe public health threat posed by OUD in pregnant patient. As a partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine can improve health outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight risks. Mankabady recommended reflecting medical guidelines to support buprenorphine use.

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Abortion rates higher among sexual minority groups

Abortion use is more common among sexual minority groups vs heterosexual individuals, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.

The odds of a pregnancy ending in induced abortion were increased nearly 2-fold among sexual minority populations compared with heterosexual individuals, with an unadjusted risk ratio (RR) of 1.93 across the 3 cohorts. Similarly, a 1.56-fold increase was reported among heterosexual participants with same-sex experience vs completely heterosexual individuals.

Relative risks for induced abortion among mostly heterosexual and lesbian or gay participants were 2.15 and 2.52, respectively, indicating an over 2-fold risk. For bisexual patients, this risk increased nearly 3-fold, with an RR of 2.84.

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Exercise habits found to influence menstrual symptoms in women

Menstruation-related symptoms are influenced by different factors depending on women’s exercise habits, according to a recent study published in BMC Women’s Health.

Of women without exercise habits and female soccer players, 41.4% and 39.2%, respectively, had at least 1 severe menstrual symptom before menstruation. During menstruation, these rates were 44.4% and 35.2%, respectively.

Appetite, fatigue, sleep, skin irritation, and irritability most frequently change in women without exercise habits before menstruation, with rates of 21.2%, 17.2%, 17.2%, 16.2%, and 16.2%, respectively. In female soccer players, appetite, irritability, skin irritation, depression, and fatigue were most frequently changing, with rates of 25%, 13.6%, 10.4%, 8.8%, and 8%, respectively.

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Maternal hypertension linked to neurodevelopment risks in preterm infants

The neurodevelopment of preterm infants is influenced by maternal hypertension, according to a recent study published on April 29, 2025, by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“These reduced scores can be clinically meaningful because even slight differences can signal increased risk for later cognitive, language, or motor impairments,” said Nehal Parikh, DO, MS, a neonatologist with Cincinnati Children’s Perinatal Institute and senior author. “Since development is dynamic, even a small early disadvantage can compound over time.”

The mean BSID cognitive scores among HDP-exposed and unexposed infants were 90.63 and 90.55, respectively, highlighting similar outcomes. For GBAS, the median was 5 in the HDP-exposed group vs 4 in the unexposed group. No significant differences were reported when assessing preeclampsia- or PIH-exposed infants vs unexposed infants.

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