Feature Channels: OBGYN

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A Florida State University researcher is tackling a new and inventive way to slow down and perhaps prevent preterm labor.

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Medical associations widely recommend that women visit their obstetricians and primary care doctors shortly after giving birth, but slightly fewer than half make or keep those postpartum appointments, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

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African American women today are almost twice as likely to deliver a preterm baby as white, Hispanic or Asian women in the US - a disparity that medical conditions, socioeconomic status, access to prenatal care and health behaviors haven’t been able to fully account for. Two new studies explore the complex relationship between race, stress and inflammation and potential impacts on pregnancy in the hope of reducing preterm births and infant mortality, and improving maternal mental health.

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A high presence of bacteria at the site where fetal membranes rupture may be the key to understanding why some pregnant women experience their "water breaking" prematurely, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

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A University of Adelaide study has shown that the risk of serious complications such as stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight and neonatal death is around twice as high for babies conceived by assisted reproductive therapies compared with naturally conceived babies.

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Enduring the last few weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging for some women. The aches and pains, the swelling of the limbs and the anxiety of when labor may start are part of the natural gestation process, but they also can seem unbearable. It may seem easier to relieve symptoms associated with late pregnancy by electing to deliver early, but Mayo Clinic researchers caution that there can be an increased risk of complications to the mother and the newborn associated with early-term deliveries.

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Rates of unnecessary cesarean section and other potentially risky obstetric procedures show some significant differences between rural and urban hospitals in the United States, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Some babies diagnosed with and treated for a bone marrow failure disorder, called Diamond Blackfan Anemia, may actually be affected by a very rare anemia syndrome that has a different disease course and treatment, say scientists from Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

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Cesarean deliveries do not prevent children from developing cerebral palsy, despite long-held medical and community beliefs about the causes of cerebral palsy, according to new research led by the University of Adelaide.

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Women who met with each other for prenatal group visits felt less anxious and better prepared for childbirth and motherhood.

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The Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) today released a list of specific tests or procedures that are commonly ordered but not always necessary in gynecologic oncology as part of Choosing Wisely®, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation.

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Having children early and in rapid succession are major factors fueling high infant mortality rates in the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan where one in 14 births to young mothers ends with the death of the child within the first year, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

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Uterine fibroids cause significant fear and morbidity and can compromise workplace performance, according to a recently published survey of nearly 1,000 women in the U.S. The results were published this month in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Journal of Women’s Health. The findings shed new light on the impact, prevalence and treatment concerns related to uterine leiomyomas (fibroids), which affect up to 80 percent of women by age 50.

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Women in labor can enjoy a chocolate or vanilla protein shake during labor rather than being relegated to the tedium of ice chips, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting. Mothers who drank a protein drink during childbirth reported higher satisfaction rates, although nausea and vomiting rates were the same as for mothers who were only given ice chips.

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Menopausal women suffer from half as many hot flashes after receiving a non-hormonal chronic pain treatment, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting. The nerve block treatment interrupts the area of the brain that regulates body temperature, reducing moderate-to-severe hot flashes and alleviating depression in menopausal women, breast cancer patients and women in surgical menopause.

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A panel of 15 medical experts from the fields of radiology, obstetrics-gynecology and emergency medicine, convened by the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU), has recommended new criteria for use of ultrasonography in determining when a first trimester pregnancy is nonviable (has no chance of progressing and resulting in a live-born baby). These new diagnostic thresholds, published Oct. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine, would help to avoid the possibility of physicians causing inadvertent harm to a potentially normal pregnancy.

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Childbirth is not a major contributor to sexual dysfunction in women later in life, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco researchers.

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A newly published survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. women with uterine fibroids demonstrates that fibroids cause significant fear and morbidity, can compromise workplace performance and that women prefer treatment options that are not invasive and protect fertility.

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How women perceive their bodies during pregnancy and how that impacts on their weight gain has been the subject of a new study by University of Adelaide researchers.

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Rates of severe sepsis and deaths from sepsis among U.S. women hospitalized for delivery have risen sharply over the last decade, reports a study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Women in group prenatal care had improved birth outcomes, a finding that could inform future policy decisions.

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From losing weight to knowing their family history, there are several things women can do to lower their risk of developing certain types of cancer, and improve their chances for survival if they do develop one of them, according to the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO).

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Patients who had complex gynecologic surgery managed by an enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) resulted in decreased narcotic use, earlier discharge, stable readmission rates, excellent patient satisfaction and cost savings, according to a Mayo Clinic study. The findings are published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Despite the longstanding, widespread practice of restricting women’s food and fluid intake during labor, a large-scale analysis in The Cochrane Library finds it unwarranted and supports women eating and drinking as they please.

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With the number of maternal deaths on the rise in the United States, researchers found that a drug frequently used to augment or induce labor may contribute to postpartum bleeding, a study in the September issue of Anesthesiology notes.

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It may not be enough for women to spend just 30 minutes a day on a treadmill or elliptical if they want to manage their weight during pregnancy. A new Iowa State University study found staying active throughout the day is more beneficial.

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Pregnant women whose labors are induced or augmented may have an increased risk of bearing children with autism, especially if the baby is male, according to a large, retrospective analysis by researchers at Duke Medicine and the University of Michigan.

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For breast cancer screening, there are more clinical practice guidelines available to physicians than for any other medical procedure. A new study in the Journal for Healthcare Quality reports that when different clinical guidelines exist, physicians choose recommendations from multiple, sometimes conflicting, sources.

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In women who use donor eggs to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF), those who are obese are just as likely to become pregnant as normal weight women, according to a new report.

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Mayo Clinic’s free app, Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy, is now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch users. Developed by Mayo Clinic, the app leverages the medical and lifestyle expertise of a team of Mayo's pregnancy experts in obstetrics and gynecology, genetics, nutrition, midwifery and lactation.

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New research from the University of Adelaide shows for the first time that immune cells known as macrophages are critical to fertility by creating a healthy hormone environment in the uterus.

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Acupuncture, when used as a complementary or adjuvant therapy for in vitro fertilization may be beneficial depending on baseline pregnancy rates of a fertility clinic, according to research from the Univ. of Maryland School of Medicine. The analysis from the Univ. of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine is published in the June 27 online edition of the journal Human Reproduction Update.

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A protein first shown to function in the liver plays a crucial role in pregnancy in mice and has a key role in the human menstrual cycle, according to researchers at the University of Montreal.

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During labor and delivery, infants preferentially secrete a different stress hormone than their mothers do, according to a new clinical study.

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Women with a severe form of morning sickness who take antihistamines to help them sleep through their debilitating nausea are significantly more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight babies and premature births, a UCLA study has found.

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A Saint Louis University study calls for women who are obese to lose weight between pregnancies and not to gain excessive weight when they are pregnant. Obese moms face special health risks during pregnancy, and are more likely to have a baby who is large for his or her gestational age and could have health problems.

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Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that testing cervical tumors before treatment for vulnerability to chemotherapy predicts whether patients will do well or poorly with standard treatment. The study supports the future possibility of personalized medicine for cervical cancer, a tumor normally addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Two Johns Hopkins gynecologic surgeons are among the first in the nation to perform a robotic hysterectomy using a single, small incision.

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Nearly three out of four pregnant women experience constipation, diarrhea or other bowel disorders during their pregnancies, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found.

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According to findings from an early preclinical study led by Brett Mitchell, PhD, an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, there is evidence that administrating placenta-derived cells may help reverse the symptoms associated with preeclampsia in a matter of days after dosing with no harmful effects to mother or baby.

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Winnie Palmer Hospital saw 50 Percent fewer late pre-term babies admitted into the NICU after a reduction in early elective deliveries. Added benefits were seen in reduced healthcare costs and morbidities.

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Low-income women who chose to deliver their baby at a birthing center under the care of a certified nurse-midwife had the same or better birthing experience as women under traditional care with a hospital-based obstetrician, according to a new study in Health Services Research.

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A new, free iPad application developed at UCLA helps women navigate through the sometimes confusing process of selecting a birth control method without sacrificing quality of information. The app is appealing to look at, easy to use, and highlights the most effective types of birth control, while also revealing any potential side effects, risks and warning signs.

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Research Presented Today at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Shows Increase in BMI Significantly Increases Incidence of Vaginal Tears During Delivery

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Data Presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Meeting Show Education Significantly Increases Use of New Tool and Preventive Treatment

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Two-thirds of U.S. hospitals have policies aimed at reducing neonatal complications.