Could Redefining Labor's Progress Lower Cesarean Rates?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Duration and patterns of spontaneous labor have changed during recent decades; management should evolve accordingly.
Seizure Medications Are Compatible with Breast-Feeding in Women with Epilepsy
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Antiepileptic monotherapy in breast-feeding mothers did not negatively affect the cognitive performance of offspring.
By Autumn Klein, MD, PhD
December 16, 2010
Covering:
Meador KJ et al., Neurology 2010 Nov 30; 75:1954
Dads Get Sad Too
Rates of paternal depression are lower than those of maternal depression, but both peak in the first year after the birth of a child.
By Robin Drucker, MD
December 15, 2010
Covering:
Davé S et al., Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010 Nov; 164:1038
Proton-Pump Inhibitors Safe During Early Pregnancy
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
First-trimester exposure to PPIs — and use of omeprazole within the month before pregnancy — did not significantly raise risk for major congenital birth defects.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
December 2, 2010
Covering:
Pasternak B and Hviid A., N Engl J Med 2010 Nov 25; 363:2114
Mitchell AA., N Engl J Med 2010 Nov 25; 363:2161
Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System Insertion After Delivery: To Wait or Not to Wait?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Although expulsion rates associated with immediate postpartum insertion of LNG-IUS were high, this risk might be worth taking.
Uterine Fibroids in Pregnancy: Not So Benign?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Pregnant women with uterine fibroids were at risk for a host of adverse obstetric outcomes.
Emergency Contraception: OB/GYNs' Beliefs and Practices
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Most obstetrician/gynecologists believe that access to emergency contraception prevents unintended pregnancies; male and religious physicians are more likely to restrict its use.
Duration of Labor's First Stage Influences Birth Outcomes
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Prolongation was associated with excess risk for cesarean delivery and chorioamnionitis, but most women still achieved vaginal deliveries.
Social Factors Predict Excess Risk for Antenatal Depression
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Intimate partner violence, chronic medical conditions, and black race or Latina ethnicity confer the greatest risks for antenatal depression, which affects 10% of women.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
November 18, 2010
Covering:
Melville JL et al., Obstet Gynecol 2010 Nov; 116:1064
Do Omega-3s Help Pregnant Women and Their Children?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Poor results at 18 months in children contrast with a previous study showing higher cognition at 4 years.
By Barbara Geller, MD
November 15, 2010
Covering:
Makrides M et al., JAMA 2010 Oct 20; 304:1675
Oken E and Belfort MB., JAMA 2010 Oct 20; 304:1717
Amenorrhea Notwithstanding, Women with Anorexia Nervosa Are at Risk for Unplanned Pregnancy
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Risk for unintended pregnancy was twofold higher in women with anorexia nervosa than in women without eating disorders.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
November 10, 2010
Covering:
Bulik CM et al., Obstet Gynecol 2010 Nov; 116:1136
Stillbirth: How Much More Do We Know?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Quantifying risk factors for antepartum stillbirth in the U.S.
Excess Risk for Infertility in Women with Epilepsy Is Compounded by Seizure Medications
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Exposure to multiple antiepileptic drugs contributed to infertility.
By Autumn Klein, MD, PhD
November 4, 2010
Covering:
Sukumaran SC et al., Neurology 2010 Oct 12; 75:1351
Pack AM., Neurology 2010 Oct 12; 75:1316
Beware of Alcohol During Pregnancy
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
A highly touted study finds a few cognitive advantages in sons of socially advantaged women who drank lightly during pregnancy compared with sons of gestational nondrinkers, who had lower socioeconomic status.
By Barbara Geller, MD
November 1, 2010
Covering:
Kelly YJ et al., J Epidemiol Community Health 2010 Oct 5
Children Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization Perform Well on Standardized Achievement Tests
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Couples who are considering IVF should be reassured of normal cognitive development in IVF children.
Delivery for Placenta Accreta: When to Bail Out?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Decision analysis suggests that planned delivery at 34 weeks yields optimal outcomes for women with placenta previa and accreta.
By Allison Bryant, MD, MPH
October 28, 2010
Covering:
Robinson BK and Grobman WA., Obstet Gynecol 2010 Oct; 116:835
From Mother to Child: Does Pregnancy-Related Hypertension Seed Future Risk?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Offspring of women with pregnancy-related hypertension were more likely to have hypertension as adults.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
October 21, 2010
Covering:
Palmsten K et al., Obstet Gynecol 2010 Oct; 116:858
What's Old Is New Again: A Norwegian National Program to Lower Risk for Obstetric Lacerations
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Retraining of obstetrics practitioners in delivery techniques was associated with a drop in rates of perineal lacerations in four Norwegian facilities.
Is Light Drinking During Pregnancy OK?
One to two drinks per week during pregnancy was not associated with childhood behavioral or cognitive problems at age 5 years.
Protecting Young Infants by Maternal Influenza Vaccination
Infectious Diseases Summary and Comment
The risk for influenza was 41% lower in infants of vaccinated mothers than in infants of unvaccinated mothers.
Is Short Cervix in Patients with Placenta Previa a Harbinger of Hemorrhage?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Third-trimester cervical length might predict which women will require hospitalization or delivery for bleeding complications.
Medical and Surgical Termination of Second-Trimester Pregnancy Are Not Equal in Patients' Eyes
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Women found surgical termination of second-trimester pregnancy to be less stressful and more acceptable than medical termination.
Does Spousal Deployment Affect Risk for Depression During Pregnancy or Postpartum in Military Wives?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Women with spouses at all stages of deployment were at risk for depression.
Promote Influenza Prevention: Pregnant Women Should Get Flu Shots
Women's Health Practice Watch
Free
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that all women who are pregnant during flu season receive inactivated influenza vaccinations.
Does the Trip down the Birth Canal Take More Time if Labor Is Induced?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Duration of the second stage was not affected by induction, but nulliparas had excess risk for cesarean delivery and postpartum hemorrhage.
