ObGyn Week in Review - July 27, 2012/

Mother Passed Cancer to her Fetus
A twopart  article on Slate reports on a rare case of a woman passing cancer to her fetus in utero. A freak combination of a Philadelphia translocation and an MHC mutation resulted in the daughter inheriting acute lymphoblastic leukemia from her mother.

Trading Art for Healthcare
A hospital in the Bronx is offering artists and performers without health insurance the opportunity to volunteer their artistic services in exchange for health care. For every one hour the artist works with the hospital, s/he is credited $40 that can be used towards health services. 
 
Verdict in Vaginal Mesh Suit Holds Both Manufacturer and Physician Responsible
The first lawsuit to go to trial against C.R. Bard Inc., over injury caused by the company’s vaginal-mesh implant, Avaulta Plus , resulted in a $5.5 million verdict to be paid 60% by Bard, and 40% by the physician who implanted the device in 2008. The physician was not named as a defendant in the case, and court filings indicate that he will not be held responsible for making up the remainder of the damages.

Hundreds of cases have been filed against Bard, Boston Scientific, and other makers of vaginal-mesh implants that have been used to treat pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence.
for pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence

(from Bloomberg and Business Week)Urinary Incontinence is Underreported in Young Women
An Australian study researched urinary incontinence in women age 18 to 30 (average age 22) who had never been pregnant and found that 1 in 8 women have experienced urinary incontinence. Incontinence was not tied to BMI, age, or past urinary tract infections. Sexually active women who did not use birth control pills were more likely to have experienced incontinence than women who were not sexually active.

Lead researcher Susan Davis, PhD, andchair of women's health in the Monash University department of medicine at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia said that the team hypothesized that some women were simply more disposed to the condition than others, and although the research points to this being the case, the cause is unclear. "Anatomy. Genetics. Who knows?" she said.