OB/GYN Clinical Alert – August 1, 2023

Is It Safe to Skip the Pelvic Examination Before Gender-Affirming Hysterectomy and Vaginectomy?

A retrospective chart review of individuals undergoing gender-affirming hysterectomy, vaginectomy, or both found no difference in 30-day perioperative outcomes between those who received a preoperative internal pelvic examination and those who did not. These findings indicate that omitting such potentially triggering exams may be safe.

Effectiveness and Safety of Low-Dose Aspirin to Prevent Preterm Preeclampsia

An aspirin dosage of 150 mg to 162 mg per day, when started in the first trimester of pregnancy, was linked to a decreased risk of preterm preeclampsia compared to an aspirin dosage of 75 mg to 81 mg per day.

Cabergoline: An Effective Intervention for Unwanted Lactation After Second Trimester Uterine Evacuation

In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial among 73 patients between 18 and 28 weeks’ gestation undergoing dilation and evacuation or induction of labor for abortion or fetal demise, a one-time dose of 1 mg of cabergoline compared to placebo reduced post-delivery lactation-related breast symptoms in the treatment arm (27.8% vs. 97.0%; relative risk, 0.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.33).

Mothers, Babies, and HPV: Thanks for Not Sharing!

Nearly half of pregnant women in a Canadian study had vaginal swabs positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Only about one-fourth of placentas and newborns produced by those HPV-positive women carried detectable HPV DNA, and all HPV-positive babies had cleared their positivity by 6 months of age.