Firm Evidence Favors Folic Acid
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Periconceptional folic acid supplementation remains key for preventing neural tube defects.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
May 28, 2009
Covering:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force., Ann Intern Med 2009 May 5; 150:626
Wolff T et al., Ann Intern Med 2009 May 5; 150:632
One More Benefit for Folic Acid
Women's Health Summary and Comment
In Quebec, prevalence of severe congenital heart defects fell by 6.2% yearly after folic acid supplementation of foods began.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
May 28, 2009
Covering:
Ionescu-Ittu R et al., BMJ 2009 May 12; 338:b1673
Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Infections Reported in Pregnant Women
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
The CDC recommends that pregnant women with confirmed, probable, or suspected novel influenza A (H1N1) infection receive antiviral therapy with oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
By Anna Wald, MD, MPH
May 18, 2009
Covering:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)., MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2009 May 15; 58:497
Hospital Practices That Support Women Who Want to Breast-Feed
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Help getting started, information about resources, staff avoidance of supplements and pacifiers, and encouragement of feeding on demand were most successful.
Should We Screen for MRSA in Obstetrics?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
A model predicted that screening for and decolonization of obstetric MRSA were not cost-effective.
Is Any Amount of Prenatal Alcohol Consumption Safe?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
A community-based study and two animal studies show the detrimental effect of prenatal alcohol on development.
By Barbara Geller, MD
May 11, 2009
Covering:
Sayal K et al., Pediatrics 2009 Feb; 123:e289
Youngentob SL and Glendinning JI., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009 Mar 31; 106:5359
Kot-Leibovich H and Fainsod A., Dis Model Mech 2009 May/Jun; 2:295
Breast-Feeding Might Lower Risk for Maternal Cardiovascular Disease
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Women who reported lifetime breast-feeding of at least 7 months’ duration were less likely to develop CVD.
By Robert W. Rebar, MD
May 7, 2009
Covering:
Schwarz EB et al., Obstet Gynecol 2009 May; 113:974
Newton ER., Obstet Gynecol 2009 May; 113:972
Promise of Ovarian Germline Stem Cells
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Germline stem cells in mice were isolated and converted into functional oocytes in recipient infertile mice.
Are Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists Safe in Pregnancy?
Dermatology Summary and Comment
A retrospective look at the FDA database leads authors to conclude that these agents are unsafe in pregnancy; editorialists say it ain’t necessarily so.
By Jeffrey P. Callen, MD
April 17, 2009
Covering:
Carter JD et al., J Rheumatol 2009 Mar; 36:635
Koren G and Inoue M., J Rheumatol 2009 Mar; 36:465
Are Antenatal Rescue Steroids Making a Comeback?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
A single rescue course was associated with lower rates of neonatal morbidity.
In Utero Antiepileptic Drug Exposure and Childhood IQ
Neurology Summary and Comment
Women who take valproate during pregnancy, rather than carbamazepine, lamotrigine, or phenytoin, have offspring with lower IQs.
By Autumn Klein, MD, PhD
April 15, 2009
Covering:
Meador KJ et al., N Engl J Med 2009 Apr 16; 360:1597
Tomson T., N Engl J Med 2009 Apr 16; 360:1667
Health Effects of Depression and SSRIs in Pregnancy
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Untreated depression and continuous SSRI treatment in pregnant women are associated with increased rates of preterm birth.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 13, 2009
Covering:
Wisner KL et al., Am J Psychiatry 2009 Mar 16
Pregnant? Quitting Smoking Early Matters
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Rates of preterm delivery and small-for-gestational-age babies were similar in women who quit smoking before 15 weeks’ gestation and in nonsmokers.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
April 9, 2009
Covering:
McCowan LME et al., BMJ 2009 Mar 26; 338:b1081
Eat, Drink, and Deliver
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Eating lightly during labor did not affect duration of labor, incidence of vomiting, or neonatal outcomes.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
April 9, 2009
Covering:
O’Sullivan G et al., BMJ 2009 Mar 24; 338:b784
Downe S., BMJ 2009 Mar 24; 338:b732
Immunoassays of Free Thyroxine: Limited Value in Pregnancy
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Free T4 immunoassays did not match well-established changes that occur during pregnancy.
By Robert W. Rebar, MD
April 7, 2009
Covering:
Lee RH et al., Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009 Mar; 200:260.e1
Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Damage
General Medicine Summary and Comment
When given during chemotherapy for breast cancer, the GnRH agonist goserelin helped protect ovarian function.
Pregnancy-Associated Migraines Linked to Stroke
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Peripartum migraines were strongly associated with incidence of ischemic stroke.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
April 2, 2009
Covering:
Bushnell CD et al., BMJ 2009 Mar 10; 338:b664
Medical Therapy for Idiopathic Male Infertility
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Pregnancy rates, sperm concentration, and sperm motility improved after men were treated with clomiphene citrate plus vitamin E.
Male Infertility and Risk for Testicular Germ-Cell Cancer
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Researchers report excess risk for testicular cancer among infertile men.
SSRIs and Pregnancy: More to Think About
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
SSRI use in late pregnancy is linked to gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
By Joel Yager, MD
March 30, 2009
Covering:
Toh S et al., Am J Psychiatry 2009 Mar; 166:320
What Risks Are Associated with Treatments for Preterm Labor?
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Tocolytic drugs were not without adverse reactions.
Even with Elective Term Delivery, Gestational Age Matters
Elective term delivery at 37 and 38 weeks’ gestation is associated with higher neonatal morbidity than at 39 weeks’ gestation.
Ethnicity and Maternal Morbidity
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Severe maternal morbidity occurs twice as often in black women as in white women in the U.K.
By Wendy S. Biggs, MD
March 19, 2009
Covering:
Knight M et al., BMJ 2009 Mar 3; 338:b542
Pollock W and King JF., BMJ 2009 Mar 3; 338:b357
The Promise of a CMV Vaccine
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
A single-antigen CMV vaccine provided substantial protection for postpartum women.
By Anna Wald, MD, MPH
March 18, 2009
Covering:
Pass RF et al., N Engl J Med 2009 Mar 19; 360:1191
Emerging Perspectives: Effectively Addressing Depression in Low-Income Mothers
Maternal depression hurts children, and screening-only programs are insufficient, but brief therapies hold great value.
