Today, more than 85 percent of the babies born alive in this country each year are assessed by electronic fetal monitoring, amid continuing controversy over whether it does more harm than good. New guidelines on fetal monitoring, published this month, aim to bring more consistency to how doctors interpret the results and act on them. WUSTL ob-gyn professor George Macones comments.

References:

1. July 7, 2009 — Updating a Standard: Fetal Monitoring in the The New York Times

and 1 others.

A genetic marker for aggressive endometrial cancer has been identified by U.S. researchers, who said their finding could lead to more targeted and risk-appropriate treatments. WUSTL gynecologic oncologist Israel Zighelboim comments on the study that appears online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

References:

1. May 27, 2009 — Gene Mutation May Up Risks of Endometrial Cancer in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 8 others.

A screening regimen that combines ultrasound and a blood test to detect a marker for ovarian cancer, fails to discover the cancer in its early stages and often results in unnecessary surgery, a new study shows. WUSTL ob gyn professor David Mutch, who wrote an accompanying journal editorial, comments.

References:

1. March 20, 2009 — Combo Screening Doesn't Spot Early Ovarian Cancer in the U.S. News & World Report

and 3 others.

Weight-loss surgery can help obese women conceive babies more easily through IVF, according to research showing lap bands can partially restore fertility. A WUSTL team reviewed the records of five obese women who underwent bariatric surgery followed by IVF.

References:

1. Nov. 11, 2008 — Gastric band helps big women have babies in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

and 6 others.

An Ohio State study out today could lead to an increase in the number of pregnant women who try for a vaginal birth after a cesarean section, a type of delivery called a VBAC.
WUSTL ob-gyn department chairman George Macones comments on the Ohio State study and on a study he led last year that found only a small increased rupture risk in such women.

References:

1. June 30, 2006 — Study backs natural birth after C-section in the USA Today

Multiple pregnancies can occur when two or more embryos are implanted during a single IVF cycle. They pose a greater health risk to both the mother and children than single pregnancies do. The cost of delivering triplets is about $250,000, according to Brian McManus, assistant professor at WUSTL, who studied the economics of infertility treatments with fellow Olin School of Business educator, Professor Bart Hamilton. Multiple-birth children are often born pre-maturely and need expensive neonatal intensive care.

References:

1. Nov. 27, 2005 — Oh Baby! Infertility treatment's high price tag prompts doctors to deliver new financing options in the MSNBC.com

and 1 others.

"Fistula Fortnight", a UN campaign to end the painful and embarrassing childbirth injury that leaves women incontinent, has kicked off in northern Nigeria this week. WUSTL ob/gyn professor Leonard Wall comments. Although fistula was wiped out 100 years ago in Europe and the United States, the World Health Organisation estimates that more than two million people are living with the condition in developing countries. Fistula is a condition often associated with child brides, whose birth canal is not yet fully developed to cope with the pregnancies that usually follow soon after marriage.

References:

1. Feb. 23, 2005 — Surgeons Launch Drive to Cure Incontinence Caused by Difficult Pregnancies in the Reuters via AllAfrica.com

and 2 others.