Feature Channels: OBGYN

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According to a new study published February 24 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at concentrations found in the general U.S. population are associated with the failure of fertilized embryos to implant in the uterus after in vitro fertilization (IVF). This study may help explain earlier reports of impaired reproduction and increased time to pregnancy among women exposed to PCBs. “Our findings provide insight into a specific time point following conception that determines whether a pregnancy will occur that may be particularly sensitive to PCB exposure,” says lead author John Meeker.

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute report the discovery of blood-borne markers that could predict ectopic pregnancy, the leading cause of death among women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Using advanced proteomics techniques, the researchers have determined a panel of 12 proteins that may lead to a sensitive, reliable test for ectopic pregnancy. Their findings are published in the Journal of Proteome Research.

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A set of consensus recommendations identifying top research priorities related to female pelvic floor disorders is presented in the January/February issue of Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, official journal of The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Cancer researchers have discovered that a type of regulatory RNA may be effective in fighting ovarian cancer. This new discovery may allow physicians to turn back the clock of the tumor's life cycle to a phase where traditional chemotherapy can better do its job.

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Even minute amounts of lead may take a toll on pregnant women, according to a study published by Lynn Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Dean of George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services in D.C., and colleagues, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Although the levels of lead in the women’s blood remained far below thresholds set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, women carrying more lead had significantly higher blood pressure.

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On Jan. 19, 2011, a free online counseling service will be available to expecting and breastfeeding moms anywhere in the country through the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS).

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Women who were either in the transition to menopause or postmenopausal experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes with the use of the antidepressant medication escitalopram, compared to women who received placebo, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

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Dealing with grief helps mother-child attachment, which has long-term implications for child’s social and emotional development.

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The effects of antioxidants, like many supplements, are not fully known. Now, Weizmann Institute Prof. Nava Dekel has found that while antioxidants do fight “bad” reactive oxygen species, they can also inhibit “good” forms, such as those related to triggering ovulation. The finding’s potential implications include a new, safer form of birth control.

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A research team that includes scientists from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) reported today that inadequate nutrition during early pregnancy impairs fetal brain development. The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the fetuses of mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy, in baboons located at SFBR’s Southwest National Primate Research Center.

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Chances of becoming parents are constantly increasing with options that now include improved embryology laboratory techniques including day-5 blastocyst transfers, single embryo transfers, egg freezing, preimplantation genetic testing (PGD), and egg and sperm donation, all of which will be discussed Jan. 20 at Greenwich Hospital.

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A researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has helped to develop the first genetic blood test for predicting the chances that in vitro fertilization (IVF) will lead to a successful pregnancy. The test, reported in the online medical journal PLoS One, is based on the finding that different subtypes of the FMR1 gene (also known as the fragile X mental retardation gene) in potential mothers are associated with significantly different chances of conceiving with IVF.

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Intrauterine devices (IUDs) for contraception are safe and effective, but only a small fraction of women in the United States use them. Now, a national survey of family physicians conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has found that family physicians typically have gaps in knowledge about IUDs, are often uncomfortable discussing them with patients, and frequently believe that their patients would not be receptive to talking about IUDs. The findings are published in the December 3 online issue of Contraception.

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Residents of Cuyahoga County, and later Lorain County, will soon have the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a national resource for childhood growth and development. The National Children’s Study is the largest, long-term study of children’s health ever conducted in the U.S.

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A University of Adelaide reproductive biologist has achieved a major breakthrough in IVF technology that is expected to help millions of women around the world who have suffered previous miscarriages after IVF treatment.

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Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have found that a significant increase of an enzyme in the blood vessels of pregnant women with preeclampsia may explain some of the symptoms associated with the condition, including hypertension, swelling and protein in the urine.

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Many young people who’ve just learned that they have cancer also are told that the therapies that may save their lives could rob them of their ability ever to have children. Infertility caused by chemotherapy and radiation affects a sizable population: Of the 1.5 million people diagnosed with cancer in 2009, nearly 10 percent were still in their reproductive years.

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Often, late-preterm infants are treated the same as full-term infants since they are commonly a similar size and weight. Growing research is showing that this can be detrimental to a late-preterm infant’s health and frequently results in readmission to the hospital within the first month of life.

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Loyola chair of OB/GYN candidly and humorously discusses the medical community's race for the first baby of the new year and defines the terms and ways to win.

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Using buprenorphine instead of methadone — the current standard of care — to treat opioid-dependent pregnant women may result in healthier babies, suggests new findings from an international team led by Johns Hopkins researchers and published in the Dec. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.