Ten important recent studies about women’s health

Women’s Health Week runs through Saturday, May 19. According to the CDC, this annual observance should serve “as a reminder for women to take care of themselves and make their health a priority.”

During the past year, Healio Family Medicine and Healio Internal Medicine have provided extensive coverage of women’s health issues to help primary care physicians and internists prevent, diagnose and treat their female patients for a myriad of diseases and conditions.

As a courtesy to its readers and in conjunction with Women’s Health Week, a sampling of the stories that your fellow family medicine and internal medicine specialists found most interesting in the past few months are below. - by Janel Miller

FDA restricts access to Essure

The FDA announced that it is limiting the sale and distribution of the birth control device Essure, stating that not enough women are aware of the risk for adverse events linked to using the device. Read more.

I nduced labor at 39 weeks may reduce need for cesarean delivery

Healthy nulliparous women who elected to induce labor at 39 weeks gestation had a lower likelihood of cesarean delivery and preeclampsia, and their infants were less likely to require respiratory support, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Read more.

Maternal acetaminophen use linked to language delay in girls

Girls born to women who used acetaminophen during the first 3 months of pregnancy were more likely to experience language delay at 30 months, according to findings published in European Psychiatry. Read more.

Tailor PCOS interventions to patient’s desired outcomes

When managing a patient with polycystic ovarian syndrome, physicians should discuss goals, such as regulating the menstrual cycle, addressing the cosmetic issues of hyperandrogenism, managing infertility or preventing comorbidities, and personalize interventions to address those targets, according to a presentation at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting. Read more.

Short-acting asthma medications lower female fertility

Women who used intermittent relievers to manage their asthma were more likely to have problems conceiving, according to data published in the European Respiratory Journal. Read more.

Prenatal antithyroid drug exposure increases risk for birth defects

Maternal use of antithyroid drugs, such as methimazole and propylthiouracil, during the first trimester of pregnancy was linked to a higher risk for congenital malformations, according to findings published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more.

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Effectiveness of FDA-approved anti-nausea drug during pregnancy questioned

An examination appearing in PLOS One of an unpublished study from 2009 suggested that information the FDA used to approve doxylamine-pyridoxine for treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women showed the drug was not effective. Read more.

IVF/ICSI techniques may increase risk for congenital heart defects in newborns

Newborns conceived through in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection have a 45% higher risk for congenital heart defects, compared with those conceived spontaneously, according to findings published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Read more.

Cesareans increase risk for offspring complications, decrease risk for maternal complications

Children delivered by cesarean were at higher risk for obesity and asthma, but cesarean deliveries were linked to a lower risk of pelvic prolapse and urinary incontinence among mothers, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis recently published in PLOS Medicine. Read more.

Healthy sleep habits, positions essential in managing sleep apnea in pregnancy

Although there are no clinical guidelines for the treatment of sleep apnea during pregnancy, there are several contributing causes and management options physicians should recognize, several experts told Healio Internal Medicine. Read more.

Reference: CDC.gov. National Women’s Health Week. https://www.cdc.gov/women/nwhw/index.htm. Accessed May 15, 2018.