Maternal Health News

Since deciding in high school to become a physician, William E. Gibbons, MD, never had the desire to be anything other than who he is today, a self-proclaimed science nerd.

NEW YORK — An expert encouraged providers to “double our efforts” to prevent congenital syphilis.

NEW YORK — The CDC this week announced the release of more than 77,000 additional doses of nirsevimab to address an ongoing shortage of the monoclonal antibody in the United States.

STD leaders this week called on the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency over congenital syphilis and dedicate $1 billion to addressing sexually transmitted infections in the United States.

Infants who were exposed to cannabis in utero have increased risks for being born prematurely, having a low birth weight and requiring NICU care compared with nonexposed infants, researchers reported in Addiction.

Umbilical cord milking — when blood is pushed through an unclamped umbilical cord toward the infant — appeared to be safe in preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks’ gestation, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

PHILADELPHIA — In the SPEC-AI trial, use of an artificial intelligence-enhanced digital stethoscope doubled the number of cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy identified among pregnant and postpartum women.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to a short decrease in obstetric interventions and an increase in perinatal mortality, according to a retrospective study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

PHILADELPHIA — In a new trial, remote self-monitoring of blood pressure and physician-guided titration of medication after a hypertensive pregnancy lowered BP during the first 9 months postpartum more than usual care, a speaker reported.

Cesarean scar pregnancy in the first trimester can be effectively managed through suction evacuation, balloon treatment or surgical excision, researchers reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.