Feature Channels: OBGYN

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Depression is very common during pregnancy, with as many as one in seven women suffering from the illness and more than a half million women impacted by postpartum depression in the U.S. alone. The disorder not only affects the mother’s mood, but has also been linked to influencing the newborn’s development, according to recent research. In a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, research from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that BDNF levels change during pregnancy, and can cause depression in the mother and low birth weight in the baby.

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In-vitro gametogenesis is an experimental technique that allows scientists to grow embryos in a lab by reprograming adult cells to become sperm and egg cells.

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Mayo Clinic Cancer Center today joined with 69 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in issuing a joint statement supporting updated HPV vaccination guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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More than a decade after the HPV vaccine was deemed both safe and effective by the FDA for preventing several types of cancer, the vaccine is still underused by those who could benefit.

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The anxiety many men experience after being diagnosed with prostate cancer may lead them to choose potentially unnecessary treatment options, researchers from the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute report in a new study.

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As the nation's 69 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers come together in support of recently updated HPV vaccination recommendations, a Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey gynecologic oncologist shares insight on how this vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer.

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For women with a prior low transverse incision cesarean delivery, the decision to undergo a vaginal delivery or elect to have a repeat cesarean delivery has important clinical and economic ramifications.

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Standard therapy for prostate cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American men, is based on blocking androgens, the male sex hormones. However, for some men, prostate cancer recurs despite androgen-deprivation therapy. A team of scientists led by Irwin Gelman, PhD, Professor of Oncology in the Department of Cancer Genetics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, has identified an 11-gene signature unique to advanced recurrent prostate cancer that they believe will help to identify these aggressive and potentially fatal prostate cancers sooner. The findings have been published online ahead of print in the journal Oncotarget.

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A large study of more than 9,000 men has established harmonized reference ranges for total testosterone in men that when applied to assays that have been appropriately calibrated will effectively enable clinicians to make a correct diagnosis of hypogonadism, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Study shows how high estrogen release during the estrus cycle increases the pleasure felt via the brain’s reward pathway

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How women make decisions about treatment while suffering a miscarriage, and the key factors that influence their choices, are revealed in a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder – and most common cause of infertility – affecting 9 to 18 percent of women around the world. Despite the prevalence of the complex and chronic condition, one-third of women diagnosed with PCOS saw at least three health professionals over the course of two years before receiving a diagnosis, according to a new study.

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Sarah Adams, MD, recently opened a clinical trial to test a new approach to defeat ovarian cancer. The clinical trial treats women whose ovarian cancer results from mutated BRCA genes. It uses one drug that kills the ovarian cancer cells and another that boosts the immune system in response to the dying cancer cells.

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Karla Kerlikowske, MD, and team recently published a paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that examined the role of common risk factors in the development of ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancers. The study sheds new light on how a woman’s age, weight, and menopausal status affect her risk for breast cancer. Dr. Kerlikowske discusses the findings below.

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Endometrial cancer triggers remain elusive, despite continued research. But given the typical inflammatory profile in these cases, microbes in the uterine environment are suspected to play a role in the development of this disease.

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In neonatal health, knowing the exact time of conception saves lives. Two data scientists at UWM have a mathematical solution to rectify rough estimates.

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New research shows motor abnormalities frequently associated with low birth weight babies could originate due to peripheral nerve defects.

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Looking at before-and-after photos, plastic surgeons and nurses can't tell whether breast augmentation surgery was done using conventional round implants or newer anatomically shaped implants, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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A new study led by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) sheds light on a signaling circuit in cells that drives therapy resistance in prostate cancer. The researchers found that targeting the components of this circuit suppresses advanced prostate cancer development.

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Preterm birth — birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy — affects up to one in every six births in the United States and many other countries. In a recent study published in the premier biomedical research journal Nature Medicine, a team of researchers led by Wayne State University’s Kang Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine, discovered the critical function of a type of mother’s immune cells — B lymphocytes — in resisting preterm birth triggered by inflammation.

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The PinnacleHealth Breast Care Center has received three-year re-accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. The NAPBC represents a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to setting the highest clinical targets for the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast.

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Delaying surgery after a diagnosis of uterine cancer can increase a women’s risk of death, but operating too soon can be just as detrimental for some, Penn Medicine physicians report in a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In the study, women who had surgery (usually to remove the uterus) within the first two weeks after diagnosis had a significantly increased risk of death within five years, compared to those who had surgery three or four weeks after their initial diagnosis.

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Pop culture icons can influence our fashion choices, dietary habits and brand preferences, but can celebrities also influence our medical decisions?

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High school girls with body image behavioral misperceptions are more likely to have had at least one alcoholic drink, as well as engaged in episodes of heavy drinking, than their peers without these misperceptions.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified an enzyme called UCHL3 that regulates the BRCA2 pathway, which is important for DNA repair. Results of this research are published online in Genes & Development.

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In the first study evaluating patient-reported cosmetic outcomes in a population-based cohort of older women with breast cancer, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers found that less radiation was associated with improved cosmetic satisfaction long-term.

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In a pilot study conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, image-guided biopsies identified select breast cancer patients who achieved pathologic complete response (pCR) after chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy, neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST).

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 18 percent of men who sought help with a fertility specialist were diagnosed with a male-related infertility. Here are some factors from the Texas A&M College of Nursing that can impact your fertility.

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Estrogen or progesterone makes a difference in sexual desire

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UCLA researchers have discovered a previously unrecognized type of progenitor cell that, though rare in most regions of the human prostate, is found in uncommonly high numbers in inflamed areas of the gland. These progenitor cells have the ability to initiate prostate cancer in response to genetic changes. The study results suggest inflammation increases overall risk for the disease by increasing the available pool of progenitor cells that can develop into prostate cancer.

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Labor induction is one of the most common medical procedures in the world, with nearly one-quarter of women who deliver in the U.S. undergoing the procedure each year (totaling roughly 1 million). Despite its widespread use, labor induction is costly and still has no widely accepted “best practice.” Now, new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is showing what may be the best available method for inducing labor, which may be necessary under circumstances including medical conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or other health risks to the mom or baby.

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North Chicago, Ill. and Baltimore, Md. December 5, 2016 – AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a global biopharmaceutical company, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine today announced that they signed a five-year collaboration agreement with the goal of advancing medical oncology research and discovery at both organizations.

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Just like workers in a factory, enzymes can create a final product more efficiently if they are stuck together in one place and pass the raw material from enzyme to enzyme, assembly line-style. That’s according to scientists at Cornell’s Baker Institute for Animal Health, the first team to recreate a 10-step biological pathway with all the enzymes tethered to nanoparticles.

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Menopausal women appear to experience an accelerated decline in lung function, according to new research published online ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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A large international survey of women with a common condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is characterized by reproductive and metabolic problems, found nearly two in three were dissatisfied with the length of time they waited and the number of healthcare professionals they had to see before they received a diagnosis, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Vienna, Austria, have discovered how an embryo’s genomic integrity is safeguarded during the first 24 h after fertilization. Insights into this mechanism have implications for improving in vitro fertilization.

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An international group of researchers report success in mice of a method of using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to track, in real time, an antibody targeting a hormone receptor pathway specifically involved in prostate cancer.

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Long-term estrogen treatment after menopause may increase the risk of new kidney damage and negatively affect women with abnormal kidney function.

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A new clinical study underway at Roswell Park Cancer Institute is the first to test the combination of the immunotherapy pembrolizumab with two other drugs as treatment for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, and is also the first ovarian cancer clinical trial to incorporate analysis of patients’ microbiomes

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Lack of paid leave and outdated maternity care are barriers to breastfeeding that disproportionately impact families of color. This is the first study to show how these disparities translate into differences in health outcomes.

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When Manda Miller called her parents to tell them she was pregnant, she knew it would be unexpected. But, starting a family was more than just a life detail on which Manda and Douglas Miller had been mum – Manda was a two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The aggressive treatment saved her life, but had taken her chance for children.

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The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the New York Blood Center, in partnership with local community consulting groups, have received a $769,578 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to embark on designing an awareness program on the usage of the daily oral medication Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

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The average age of a woman giving birth for the first time has risen dramatically in the United States over the past 40 years, driven by factors like education or career. A new study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that women choosing to become first-time mothers later in life may increase their chances of living into their 90s.

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Women who undergo hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes can not only increase bone mass, but also can improve bone structure, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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‘Tis the season of an abundance of food and drink. While celebrating should be joyful, for some women it can trigger eating disorder symptoms. Michigan State University Foundation Professor Kelly Klump has found that holiday temptations can add another layer of stress to an already complicated biological process. It is well known women undergo monthly hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone due to the menstrual cycle.

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Johns Hopkins Medicine specialists report they have developed a urine test for the likely emergence of cervical cancer that is highly accurate compared to other tests based on genetic markers derived directly from cervical tissue.

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• Breakthrough drug palbociclib (brand name IBRANCE) targets a key family of proteins to prevent cell growth in cancer • New UCLA-led study treated women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+), HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer with a combination of palbociclib and standard anti-estrogen therapy letrozole • Study results found the drug combo increased progression-free survival from 14.5 months to over 25 months, compared to letrozole alone • The treatment was also found to be very well tolerated without the side effects of traditional chemotherapy, which can include infection, nausea and significant hair loss

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Concerns about weight gain may be driving contraception choices, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

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Research led by the University of Adelaide has found that women whose babies are conceived in winter are more likely to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, increasing a range of risk factors for both child and mother.