Women’s health: 5 things you should know

Healio.com/Family Medicine presents the most recent updates affecting Obstetrics and Gynecology in primary care.

Alcohol consumption reported by one in 10 pregnant women

More than 10% of pregnant women report drinking alcohol, with more than 3% reporting an episode of binge drinking. Results demonstrated that more than 53% of nonpregnant women reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days, and 18.2% reported binge drinking within the past 30 days. More than 10% of pregnant women reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days, and 3.1% reported binge drinking within the past 30 days. Read more.

Home bed rest linked to decrease in ‘very’ premature, underweight births

Women who went on bed rest during pregnancy were less likely to deliver very prematurely or deliver a very low-birth weight infant. Researchers found that women who gave birth to multiples, had pregnancy problems, were more educated, and those with insurance were more likely to go on bed rest. Additionally, drinking during pregnancy was found to be negatively associated with bed rest. Results demonstrated a positive relationship between bed rest and infant health in more extreme gestation and birth weight margins. Read more.

ACOG releases updated committee opinion on LARC recommendations

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has strengthened itsrecommendation that long-acting reversible contraceptives are the most effective and safest form of reversible contraceptive. “By familiarizing themselves with local, state (including Medicaid), federal and private programs that improve affordability of all contraceptive methods, OB-GYNs can support access to LARC in all clinically appropriate circumstances. We continue to urge OB-GYNs to become familiar with LARC methods and to incorporate LARC counseling and insertion into their practices,” Eve Espey, MD, MPH, chair of ACOG’s LARC Working Group, said in a press release. Read more.

Co-sleeping with infant may cause poorer sleep quality among mothers

Mothers who slept in the same room or bed as their infant reported poorer sleep quality. Results demonstrated that mothers who breast fed were more likely to co-sleep with their infants. Additionally, breastfeeding was associated with poorer infant and maternal sleep at 3 and 6 months postpartum. Read more.

Fetal growth dependent on race, ethnicity of mother

Fetuses of minority mothers may be misclassified as growth-restricted based on current standards of fetal development. Significant disparities in estimated fetal weight after 20 weeks gestation were seen between races. When comparing fetus growth with the current weight standards, which were mainly derived from pregnancies of white, middle-class women, according to a press release, approximately 15% of fetuses of minority women were misclassified as growth restricted. Read more.