Top in women's health: IUD placement guidance; early delivery on maternal outcomes

In a recent Q&A, Healio spoke with an expert about the CDC’s updated 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use.

The updated guidance states that lidocaine “might be useful” for reducing patient pain and that misoprostol is no longer recommended for routine use for IUD placement.

“The guidance states that all patients should be counseled about potential pain during IUD placement as well as the risks, benefits and alternatives of doing something to try to reduce or prevent that pain,” Katharine O’Connell White, MD, MPH, chief of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston Medical Center and professor and chair of OB/GYN at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, told Healio. “The updated guidance also refers to a person-centered plan for placement and pain management to be made based on the patient’s preference. This is revolutionary.”

It was the top story in women’s health last week.

In another top story, researchers found that induction at 37 weeks’ gestation did not reduce adverse maternal outcomes among women with mild chronic hypertension but did increase risks for neonatal complications, such as hypoglycemia.

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

Updated CDC guidance recommends pain management options for IUD insertion

The CDC recently issued updated guidance regarding the provision of medications for IUD placement, stating that lidocaine “might be useful” for reducing patient pain and that misoprostol is no longer recommended for routine use. Read more.

Delivery at 39 weeks may optimize maternal, neonatal outcomes in mild chronic hypertension

Women with mild chronic hypertension induced at 37 weeks’ gestation saw no reduction in adverse maternal outcomes compared with women delivered at 39 weeks, but did experience increases in some neonatal complications, data show. Read more.

Domestic violence tied to development of chronic pain

Odds of developing chronic pain conditions doubled for women who experienced domestic violence in adulthood vs. those without a history of violence, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in BMC Women’s Health. Read more.

Severe menopause symptoms linked to cognitive impairment in later life

Severe menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and depressive mood, were associated with mild cognitive impairment for postmenopausal women, researchers reported in Menopause. Read more.

‘Feasible’ uterus transplant associated with high live birth rate, surgical risks

Among a select group of women with uterine factor infertility, uterus transplant was feasible and associated with a high live birth rate after successful graft survival, data from a case series show. Read more.