The digital editor for Contemporary OB/GYN offers his thoughts on trends and news in women’s health this past year.
OBSTETRICS
Maternal care deserts have become a hot topic of discussion in 2023. According to the March of Dimes 2022 report,1a maternity care desert is a county with no hospital providing obstetric care.According to the survey, 36% of counties nationwide—largely in the Midwest and South—constitute "maternity care deserts," meaning they have no obstetric hospitals or birth centers and no obstetric providers. For example, it was demonstrated that in California, a woman may travel on average 8.3 miles and approximately 13.7 minutes to their nearest birthing hospital, whereas women living in counties designated as maternal care deserts with the highest travel times (top 20%) could travel up to 106.8 miles and 131.8 minutes, on average, to reach their nearest birthing hospital.
GYNECOLOGY
In 2023, the FDA approved a birth control pill that could be sold without a prescription.2 This is a significant and important milestone that could significantly expand access to contraception. Opill (norgestrel;Perrigo Company plc) will ultimately be the most effective birth control method available over-the-counter. In studies, Opill has been shown to be significantly more effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms and spermicides.
With over half of pregnancies in the United States being unintended,2 Opill may help reduce potential negative impacts such as reduced odds of early prenatal care and increased cesarean delivery risk. Women’s health care professionals who specialize in family planning and reproductive health advocate for over-the-counter methods of contraception which will be especially useful for teenagers and young women who face challenges with cost, access, and many other obstacles to achieve self-determination over their own reproduction.
MENOPAUSE
A new nonhormonal medication for the treatment of moderate-to-severe hot flashes of menopause was approved earlier this year.3 In May 2023, the FDA approved fezolinetant (Veozah;Astellas Pharma Inc). This drug is first in class and is specifically designed to reduce the frequency and severity of flushing and sweating spells that occur as a woman's estrogen levels fall. Rather than boosting estrogen and progestin levels, fezolinetant manages hot flashes by blocking neurokinin B, a chemical in the brain responsible for regulating body temperature. As hormonal therapy isn’t viable for all patients, fezolinetant provides an additional, nonhormonal option.
SEXUAL HEALTH
2023 was a focus on the vagina biome, vagina pH, and osmolality of vaginally applied moisturizers and lubricants. One of the largest distributors of vaginal lubricants completed exciting research which focused on reformulated vaginal lubricants to meet the World Health Organization criteria for pH and osmolality, and their data demonstrated that even when lowering osmolality and maintaining ph levels as per strict guidelines, the efficacy, safety and sexual satisfaction was not disrupted.4 In addition, provocative data suggested that the vaginal biome was also unaffected.
References
S4E1: New RNA platform can predict pregnancy complications
February 11th 2022In this episode of Pap Talk, Contemporary OB/GYN® sat down with Maneesh Jain, CEO of Mirvie, and Michal Elovitz, MD, chief medical advisor at Mirvie, a new RNA platform that is able to predict pregnancy complications by revealing the biology of each pregnancy. They discussed recently published data regarding the platform's ability to predict preeclampsia and preterm birth.
Listen
Tailored hormone therapy improves postoperative endometriosis outcomes
October 3rd 2024A recent study suggests that postoperative endometriosis patients experience improved quality of life through hormone therapies guided by optimizing treatment based on individual hormonal receptor profiles.
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