This week at Contemporary OB/GYN®, we covered topics ranging from sleep challenges in menopause to firearms' contribution to maternal death. Click the links below to read anything you might have missed from Monday, November 24, to Friday, November 28, 2025.

Sleep challenges in menopause highlight gaps in education and care

In an interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Carleara Weiss, MD, PhD, MSH, RN, a sleep scientist at Aeroflow Sleep, outlined key sleep trends commonly experienced by menopausal and perimenopausal women, highlighting both insomnia-related symptoms and an increased prevalence of sleep disorders.

Weiss explained that difficulty falling asleep, frequent nighttime awakenings, early morning waking, and non-restorative sleep are often linked to hot flashes and night sweats driven by declining estrogen and progesterone levels. These hormonal changes disrupt thermoregulation, contributing significantly to sleep fragmentation and distress.

Tony Anderson, DHSc, ELD, discusses how AI and workforce gaps are reshaping IVF

In a recent discussion with Contemporary OB/GYN, Tony Anderson, DHSc, ELD, founder of IVF Academy USA, examined how workforce shortages in embryology and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) are shaping the present and future of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Anderson emphasized that a lack of trained embryologists is a significant challenge worldwide, with major fertility networks reporting a need for dozens of new embryologists annually. Yet training programs currently produce far fewer specialists than required, creating a gap that directly impacts IVF laboratory efficiency, consistency, and patient access.

AI, Anderson noted, offers promising solutions—particularly when integrated effectively into electronic medical records. Many current AI tools, such as cycle-monitoring platforms and time-lapse imaging systems, operate as standalone interfaces requiring manual data entry.

Ayesha Dholakia, MD, discusses firearms as leading cause of US maternal death

Recent data show that homicide is now the leading cause of death during pregnancy in the United States, surpassing well-known obstetric causes such as hemorrhage, hypertension, and sepsis.

According to Ayesha Dholakia, MD, fellow in pediatric emergency medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, nearly 80% of these maternal homicides involve firearms. Pregnant and postpartum individuals are 37% more likely to be killed with a gun compared with their nonpregnant peers, yet violence remains underrecognized as a maternal health threat. Against the backdrop of a maternal mortality rate already 2 to 3 times higher than that of comparable nations, firearm-related deaths represent an especially urgent and preventable source of mortality.

Marie Boller, MD, highlights racial gaps in cesarean birth

In a recent discussion with Contemporary OB/GYN, Marie Boller, MD, maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Oregon Health & Science University, highlighted persistent and widening racial disparities in cesarean birth rates in the United States.

Her team’s study examined national cesarean trends from 2012 to 2021, stratifying results by parity to account for how prior births influence cesarean risk. While the overall US cesarean rate plateaued—and even declined slightly—during this period, the data revealed “striking racial and ethnic disparities.” Black birthing people not only had higher cesarean rates at the beginning of the study but experienced an even greater disparity by 2021, indicating that national improvements have not been shared equitably.

Scott Chudnoff, MD, highlights the benefits of Fembloc for permanent contraception

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Scott G. Chudnoff, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Maimonides Health, discussed the significance of the FDA’s Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for FemBloc, a novel transcervical option for permanent birth control, as well as the supporting data and expected next steps.

Chudnoff explained that the IDE is essential for conducting FemBloc’s pivotal clinical trial, a requirement for FDA approval. Prior to the current study, 3 earlier clinical trials had evaluated the device, all demonstrating a strong safety profile.

According to Chudnoff, no serious adverse events occurred in these earlier trials, and the minor side effects—such as cramping, spotting, or mild bleeding—were consistent with what clinicians anticipate from a transcervical procedure. Importantly, he noted that no pregnancies were reported when the follow-up confirmation test verified successful occlusion of both fallopian tubes, reinforcing the device’s potential efficacy.