Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in OBGYN & Women's Health for August 2007. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Lack of Data on Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery
FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Vaginal cosmetic procedures are increasing, despite the lack of scientific data on their efficacy and the risks involved, according to an opinion paper from the Committee on Gynecologic Practice of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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High Blood Sugar in Moms Linked to Overweight Kids
FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Children born to women with hyperglycemia during pregnancy face an increased risk of obesity around the age of 6, researchers report in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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Stressed Out Moms More Likely to Hold Babies on the Right
FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers who are stressed show an increased tendency to cradle their infants on their right side, according to a report published online Aug. 22 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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Pre-Menopausal Oophorectomy Linked to Brain Disorders
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women who undergo oophorectomy before menopause may be at higher risk of developing cognitive impairment, dementia or Parkinson disease, suggesting that estrogen plays a neuroprotective role, according to two studies published online Aug. 29 in Neurology.
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Visfatin Levels Higher with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have higher levels of visfatin, although the etiology and effects of this remain unclear, according to a report published in the August issue of Fertility and Sterility.
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Women's Breast Density Linked to Height During Youth
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A girl's height in childhood and adolescence is associated with the density of her breasts as a mature woman, according to a report published in the Aug. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Heavier Women Tend to Stop Breast-Feeding Sooner
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The higher a woman's body mass index before she becomes pregnant, the earlier she is likely to stop breast-feeding her baby, even in social settings where breast-feeding is strongly encouraged, according to the results of a large Danish study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Flaxseed May Reduce Hot Flashes
THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- In women who are not taking estrogen therapy for menopausal symptoms, a dietary supplement of crushed flaxseed may reduce the daily frequency of hot flashes by up to 50 percent, according to a report published in the summer issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
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Hypogonadism Reversal After Halting Hormone Treatment
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Because hypogonadism can spontaneously reverse, patients undergoing hormonal therapy for the condition should periodically discontinue treatment to assess if their own gonadotropin secretion has normalized, according to two studies published in the Aug. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Labor Induction May Lower Caesarean Delivery Rates
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Greater use of prostaglandin-induced labor may cut Caesarean delivery rates by half, researchers report in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Pregnancy Hypertension and Long-Term Weight Gain Linked
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Women who develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy tend to gain more weight over time than women who do not, according to the results of a prospective cohort study published in the Aug. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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In Vitro Fertilization Education May Lower Twin Rates
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Infertile couples who are educated about the risks of multiple pregnancies are less likely to desire such pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization. Also, a mandatory single embryo transfer policy at fertility clinics can maintain pregnancy rates while dramatically reducing the rate of twinning, according to the results of a study published in the August issue of Fertility and Sterility.
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Tubal Occlusion Type Affects Fertility Treatment Outcome
TUESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- In women with unilateral proximal tubal occlusion, pregnancy rates resulting from ovarian hyperstimulation and intrauterine insemination are similar to those in women with unexplained infertility. But outcomes are worse in patients with mid-distal or distal tubal occlusion, according to a report published in the August issue of Fertility and Sterility.
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Depression and Job Stress Linked to Onset of Menopause
TUESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Job stress is associated with the age at which women reach menopause, and women who are depressed appear to be influenced by different types of job stress than women who are not depressed, according to the results of a prospective population study published Aug. 15 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Atypical Antipsychotics May Cross Placenta in Pregnancy
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Atypical antipsychotic drugs can be detected in umbilical cord blood and may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, researchers report in the August issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Repeat HIV Testing Improves Detection During Pregnancy
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Repeat testing for HIV during pregnancy increases opportunities for use of antiretroviral prophylaxis, particularly in high-prevalence areas in which women may seroconvert after an initial HIV-negative test, according to a report in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Breast Cancer Patients More Satisfied with Specialists
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer patients treated by surgeons who treat a high percentage of breast cancer cases are more satisfied with the decision-making process than those treated at low-volume practices, according to the results of a study published in the Aug. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Perinatal Strokes May Be More Common Than Thought
MONDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Perinatal stroke is more common than previously reported and its characteristics differ in acutely and retrospectively diagnosed children, according to the results of a study conducted in Estonia and published in the August issue of Stroke.
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Antidepressants Linked to Preterm Birth Risk
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women treated with antidepressants are more likely to have a preterm infant or one with a lower gestational age than women who are depressed but are not given medication, according to a report in the August issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Neurodevelopmental Risks Low with Operative Deliveries
FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Infants born after an instrument-assisted vaginal delivery or Caesarean-section during the second stage of labor have similar rates of neurodevelopmental complications at age 5, which are low overall, according to a report in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Outcome Better with Planned Caesarean Hysterectomy
THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- A planned Caesarean hysterectomy results in less blood loss, fewer transfusions and lower rates of complications compared with emergent Caesarean hysterectomy, researchers report in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Annual Infusion of Reclast Approved to Treat Osteoporosis
THURSDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Reclast (zoledronic acid) to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis, according to the manufacturer, Novartis. The drug, which had previously been approved to treat Paget's disease, is administered in a single, annual dose as a 15-minute intravenous infusion.
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Sexual Activity Often Continues into Older Age
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Many older adults in the United States continue to have sex into their 70s and 80s, although they do have a high prevalence of sexual problems compared to younger patients, researchers report in the Aug. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Father's Race Can Affect the Risk of Preterm Birth
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Infants with black fathers are at greater risk of being born prematurely than those with white fathers, regardless of the mother's ethnicity, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Resident Duty-Hour Cuts Curb Surgeon Job Satisfaction
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Reforms limiting resident duty hours are increasing surgeons' workloads and may be negatively affecting patient care, researchers report in the August issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Genetic Studies Claiming Gender Differences Often Flawed
TUESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Studies that claim that the genetic effects for common diseases or traits vary depending on gender are often insufficiently documented or spurious, researchers report in the Aug. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Women with Dementia Lose Weight Long Before Diagnosis
MONDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Dementia in women is characterized by a steady loss of weight that begins years before the condition is diagnosed, according to a report published in the Aug. 21 issue of Neurology. The study found no evidence of weight loss associated with dementia in men.
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FDA Issues Warning on Codeine Use by Nursing Mothers
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning on the use of codeine by nursing mothers, as some women may be ultra-rapid metabolizers of the drug, which can result in potentially life-threatening levels of morphine in breast milk. The death of a 13-day-old infant has been linked to a mother's use of small doses of codeine to treat episiotomy pain.
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Gestational Diabetes Raises Pancreatic Cancer Risk
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Women who develop gestational diabetes are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer later in life, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
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Group Prenatal Care Shows Good Perinatal Results
THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Publicly supported health clinics that provide young women with approximately 20 hours of free group prenatal care during pregnancy can result in a significant decrease in the number of preterm births compared to women who only receive a couple of hours of traditional, individual care, according to the results of a randomized, controlled study published in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Nomogram Addresses Breast Cancer Concerns
THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A user-friendly nomogram can help answer the questions of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients about their patient-specific likelihood of developing sentinel lymph node metastasis, according to a report published in the Aug. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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First-Trimester Medical and Surgical Abortions Comparable
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Medical abortions using misoprostol with or without mifepristone are no more likely than surgical abortions to increase the risk of spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, preterm birth or low birth weight in subsequent pregnancies, researchers report in the Aug. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Drop in Breast Cancer Rates Linked to Less Hormone Use
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Falling invasive breast cancer rates coincide with a sharp drop in postmenopausal hormone use and are probably not connected to a modest decline in routine mammograms, according to a report published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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HPV Vaccine Has No Impact on Existing Infections
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine developed to prevent infection with human papillomavirus virus (HPV) does not help clear the virus in women who are already infected, according to the results of a community-based study published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Vulvar Melanoma Survival Better in Those Under Age 69
TUESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Vulvar melanoma patients have a better five-year survival if they are younger, have localized disease and do not have lymph node involvement, according to a report in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Breast Cancer Racial Gap Worse for Later Stage Cancer
MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Black women have higher mortality rates and shortened survival in breast cancer compared to whites, and these differences are not explained by differences in tumor size and lymph node status, according to study findings published online Aug. 13 in Cancer.
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Anorexia Outcomes May Be Better Than Thought
FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Among young Finnish women, anorexia nervosa is a common but usually transient condition. About two-thirds of patients experience a full recovery within five years of symptom onset, according to a report published in the August issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Useful for Early Breast Cancer
FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be helpful in diagnosing ductal carcinoma in situ, particularly cancer with a high nuclear grade, according to study findings published in the Aug. 11 issue of The Lancet.
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Migraine with Aura May Increase Women's Stroke Risk
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Women of child-bearing age who have migraine headaches with aura may be at increased risk of ischemic stroke, according to study findings published online Aug. 9 in Stroke.
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HIV+ Women Have Higher Mortality Risk with Caesarean
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-infected women who undergo a Caesarean section are at higher risk of complications and have a higher risk of death than women without HIV, according to a report in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Breast Cancer Dropped in Tandem with HRT in California
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A drop in hormone therapy use in California was mirrored by a drop in breast cancer rates, with counties with the biggest decline in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) having a greater decline in cancer, according to the results of a large population-based study published in the Aug. 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. At the same time, mammography rates remained stable, suggesting that the cancer decline may indeed have been due to a drop in HRT use.
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Family History Linked to Stress Fracture in Athletic Girls
THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Active female adolescents with stress fracture are significantly more likely to have a family history of osteoporosis or other skeletal anomalies than those without fractures, researchers report in the August issue of Pediatrics.
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Stem Cell Transplant Patients At Risk for Infertility
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients who undergo myeloablative stem cell transplant have a higher prevalence of infertility and concerns about infertility than their siblings or friends, according to a report published online Aug. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Vitamin B6 Intake May Influence Ability to Conceive
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have a vitamin B6 deficiency are less likely to conceive and more likely to have early pregnancy loss than women with adequate intake, according to a study of Chinese women published in the August issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Maternal Obesity Linked to Structural Birth Defects
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are obese before pregnancy may be more likely to give birth to children with structural defects such as spina bifida and heart defects, according to a report published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Diethylstilbestrol May Have Transgenerational Effect
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- The mothers of some babies with esophageal atresia and associated tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) were exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol, indicating that the synthetic estrogen may have a transgenerational effect, according to study findings published in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Maternal Smoking Increases Risk of Placental Abruption
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of placental abruption than those who do not, researchers report in the August issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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U.S. Breast-Feeding Rates on the Rise
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- More U.S. women are choosing to breast-feed their infants but rates of exclusive breast-feeding still do not meet national targets, researchers report in the Aug. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Causes Easily Seen Lesions
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 causes definite visual abnormalities on the cervix, but other types of HPV may not be as easily detected and women with multiple types of HPV may have no lesions at all, according to a report in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Caffeine May Reduce Risk of Cognitive Decline
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women who drink three or more cups of a caffeinated drink such as coffee or tea per day seem to have a lower risk of cognitive decline after age 65 than women who drink one or fewer cups per day, according to a report published online Aug. 6 in Neurology.
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Hydatidiform Mole Risk Similar with Twin, Single Pregnancy
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of developing persistent trophoblastic disease after a pregnancy with a diploid hydatidiform mole and one or more normal co-fetuses is similar to that resulting from singleton pregnancies, according to a report in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The authors note that expectant management may be an option for such patients instead of therapeutic abortion.
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Program Reduces Risk of Neonatal Thrombocytopenia
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A screening and intervention program for pregnant women who lack human platelet antigen 1a (HPA 1a) but have antibodies against the protein can reduce the risk of the infant having severe neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT), according to study findings published in the Aug. 1 issue of Blood.
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Postpartum Hospital Discharge Too Soon for Some
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- About 17 percent of mother-infant dyads may need more hospital time to deal with perceived medical and psychological issues after childbirth, according to a report published in the August issue of Pediatrics.
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Calcitonin Linked to Reduced Cartilage Erosion in Rats
MONDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Calcitonin, an agent with a long history of use in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis, may prevent the cartilage degradation and erosions found in osteoarthritis, according to the results of a nine-week animal study published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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U.S. Abstinence Programs Ineffective for HIV Prevention
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Abstinence-only programs in the United States have no effect on the risk of HIV infection based on self-reported sexual behavior, according to a systematic review of 13 trials published online Aug. 3 in BMJ.
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Maternal Thyroid Disease May Increase Risk of Birth Defect
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal thyroid disease may increase the risk of an infant having craniosynostosis, a premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures, researchers report in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Alcohol May Block Protective Effects of Estrogen
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming large amounts of alcohol may offset the protective effects of estrogen supplementation, according to the results of a study in ovariectomized mice published in the August issue of Endocrinology.
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First Successful Ovarian Tissue Transplant Between Sisters
FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A woman with premature ovarian failure due to chemotherapy received the first-ever successful ovarian tissue transplantation from her genetically non-identical sister, researchers report in the August issue of Human Reproduction.
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Ovarian Cancer Vaccine Induces Immune Response
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A phase I trial has shown that an ovarian cancer vaccine is effective in inducing the body's immune response against the tumor, according to a study published online July 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Rapid Increase in Bone Density Seen After Weaning
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Mice show a rapid increase in bone density following weaning, according to a study in the August issue of Endocrinology, which may offer clues for recovering bone mass in older, postmenopausal women.
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Fetomaternal Hemorrhage Increases Fetal Death Risk
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Massive fetomaternal hemorrhages, particularly those with a hemorrhage volume of 20 ml/kg or more, can increase the risk of fetal death and other complications before and after birth, researchers report in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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CDC Urges Health Check, Vaccines for Preteens
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a national campaign for parents and physicians to promote vaccinations of preteens. The campaign coincides with National Immunization Awareness Month in August.
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Strategy Reduces High Rate of Caesarean Deliveries
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Practitioners show high rates of successful vaginal births with prostaglandin-assisted preventive labor induction, which for many women may be a safe alternative to Caesarean deliveries, according to a study published in the July/August issue of Annals of Family Medicine.
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Progesterone Prevents Preterm Birth in Some Women
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Progesterone is effective in preventing premature birth in women with a short cervix but ineffective in preventing premature birth in women pregnant with twins, according to two studies in the Aug. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Body Size Affects Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in IVF
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Body mass index and the number of large ovarian follicles can help predict serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) after controlled ovulation, according to a study in the July issue of Fertility and Sterility.
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Western Diet Linked to Higher Risk of Cleft Lip
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Women who consume Westernized diets replete with meat, pizza and potatoes may have a higher risk of having an infant with a cleft lip or a cleft palate than women who eat a healthier diet, according to a study in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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