Optimizing Delivery Times in Uncomplicated Twin Pregnancies
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Risk for fetal demise among monochorionic twins was 1.5% after 34 weeks' gestation; among dichorionic twins, no perinatal deaths occurred after 33 weeks.
Is Analysis of the Fetal Electrocardiogram Effective in Intrapartum Monitoring?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Adding ST-waveform analysis to standard fetal monitoring significantly lowered incidence of operative vaginal deliveries but not neonatal metabolic acidosis.
Can Exercise Prevent Gestational Diabetes?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Trial results do not provide a clear answer.
Antidepressants and Fetal Risk: A New Look at SSRIs During Pregnancy
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Maternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during late pregnancy raised risk for neonatal pulmonary hypertension, but individual risk-benefit profiles should be evaluated.
By Allison Bryant, MD, MPH
January 19, 2012
Covering:
Kieler H et al., BMJ 2012 Jan 12; 344:d8012
Koren G and Nordeng H., BMJ 2012 Jan 12; 344:d7642
In Utero Tenofovir Exposure Shows No Effect on Infant Bone Health
The findings of a new cross-sectional study are somewhat reassuring but require validation.
By Keith Henry, MD
January 13, 2012
Covering:
Viganò A et al., Antivir Ther 2011 ; 16:1259
Arsenic-Laden Rice: Another Contaminant to Worry About?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Arsenic levels were elevated in pregnant women who ate moderate amounts of rice, but the implications of this finding remain unknown.
By Jonathan Silver, MD
January 13, 2012
Covering:
Gilbert-Diamond D et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011 Dec 20; 108:20656
Emergency Contraception Access Curtailed Yet Again
Women's Health Practice Watch
Free
The FDA's approval of over-the-counter access to emergency contraception without age restrictions was recently blocked at the federal level.
Is Misoprostol an Alternative to Oxytocin for Augmenting Labor?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Other than higher incidence of uterine hypertonus, maternal and neonatal outcomes did not differ with misoprostol.
Night Float: A Step Toward Better Obstetric Outcomes?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Initiation of a night-float system at one hospital was associated with improved outcomes.
Advances in Contraceptive Implant Design
Women's Health News in Context
NEXPLANON replaces IMPLANON.
Myths and Lack of Access to Contraception Still Contribute to High Teen Pregnancy Rates
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Teens cite barriers to contraceptive access and misconceptions about fertility as reasons for unintended pregnancies and births.
H1N1 Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy Is Protective and Safe
Infectious Diseases Summary and Comment
One dose of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 vaccine given during the second or third trimester induced seroprotection in the women and their newborns.
By Stephen G. Baum, MD
January 4, 2012
Covering:
Tsatsaris V et al., Ann Intern Med 2011 Dec 6; 155:733
Perinatal HIV Transmission Persists in the U.S.
A substantial number of HIV-infected infants are born each year to mothers with predictable risk profiles that include late diagnosis, lack of prenatal care, and no exposure to antiretrovirals.
By Abigail Zuger, MD
December 22, 2011
Covering:
Whitmore SK et al., Pediatrics 2011 Dec 5
Maternal Toxoplasmosis Often Acquired from Environmental Cat Exposure
Infectious Diseases Summary and Comment
Seventy-eight percent of women who delivered infants with congenital toxoplasmosis had acquired infection acutely through cats; only half of them noted having any major cat-associated risk factors.
By Neil M. Ampel, MD
December 21, 2011
Covering:
Boyer K et al., Clin Infect Dis 2011 Dec 1; 53:1081
Linn ES., Clin Infect Dis 2011 Dec 1; 53:1090
Elevated HCG with an Empty Uterus Does Not Always Mean Ectopic Pregnancy
Emergency Medicine Summary and Comment
Free
Live birth can occur in women with elevated HCG and no gestational sac seen on initial transvaginal ultrasound.
Antenatal Corticosteroids at the Limits of Fetal Viability
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Infants exposed in utero to corticosteroids and born at 23 to 25 weeks' gestation demonstrated survival advantages.
Postpartum Preeclampsia Requires Prompt Evaluation, Referral, and Treatment
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Critical period for developing eclampsia is the first week after discharge.
Pregnancy-Associated Violence: A Rising Cause of Maternal Death
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Homicide and suicide during pregnancy account for more maternal deaths than do obstetric causes.
If It's Not Bothering Her, Leave That Malpositioned IUD Be
Women's Health Summary and Comment
In asymptomatic women, lower-uterine intrauterine devices are best left in place.
Excess Risk for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Risks cannot be attributed to assisted reproduction technology.
By Robert W. Rebar, MD
December 1, 2011
Covering:
Roos N et al., BMJ 2011 Oct 13; 343:d6309
Macklon NS., BMJ 2011 Oct 13; 343:d6407
Does Ovarian Stimulation for In Vitro Fertilization Raise Risk for Ovarian Cancer?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Women who underwent IVF had excess risk for ovarian malignancies, particularly borderline tumors.
By Robert W. Rebar, MD
December 1, 2011
Covering:
van Leeuwen FE et al., Hum Reprod 2011 Dec; 26:3456
Angiotensin-Converting–Enzyme Inhibitors During Early Pregnancy Aren't Significantly Associated with Fetal Malformations
Women's Health Summary and Comment
But untreated hypertension was associated with excess risk.
Foley Catheter vs. Prostaglandins for Cervical Ripening
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Cesarean delivery rates were similar for the two methods.
Nifedipine vs. Labetalol for Managing Acute Hypertension of Pregnancy
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Oral nifedipine and intravenous labetalol were similarly effective.
With Appropriate Selection, Trial of Labor for Twin Birth Is Safe
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Three quarters of twin gestations could be delivered vaginally with minimal morbidity.
