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What is your approach when it comes to discussing intrauterine contraception? It may be time to update your practice, based on information presented at the recent clinical meeting of the Washington, DC-based American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and newly published research.
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The condom breaks or the pill pack stays at home on a weekend vacation. What will happen next? In Canada, women in all provinces will be able to go directly to the drug store for behind-the-counter access to emergency contraception (EC), based on the direction of regulatory wheels now set in motion.
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It may be time to update your practice. According to a new survey of Americans ages 18-35, about half of respondents did not realize that hepatitis A and hepatitis B can be sexually transmitted, and an equal number said they did not know the two are vaccine-preventable.
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Clinicians now have a second option in treating trichomoniasis, which accounts for nearly one-third of the 15.4 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tindamax (tinidazole) for the treatment of trichomoniasis, giardiasis, intestinal amebiasis, and amebic liver abscess.
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The 18-year-old patient before you, scheduled for an annual exam, is sexually active and admits that condoms are not always used. What is your next move? If the patient is female, chances are she will be tested for chlamydia, but if the patient is male and asymptomatic, your practice may not include a routine screen for the sexually transmitted disease (STD). New research may have you rethink your approach.
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Get ready for wider availability of the OraQuick HIV-1/2 rapid HIV test: with a June 2004 waiver issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the test now can be used by more than 180,000 sites in the United States, including outreach clinics, community-based organizations, and physicians offices.
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Want to drive more men toward your family planning clinic? You may want to consider adding clinic-based vasectomies. The Womens Health Care Clinic at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center in Torrance has found success in steering its program in this direction.
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Since the extended regimen pill Seasonale (Barr Laboratories, Pomona, NY) hit pharmacy shelves in October 2003, it has become the fourth most-prescribed oral contraceptive in the United States. What do you need to know in counseling women about this new option?
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Double up on your efforts to detect syphilis. Syphilis rates in the United States rose in 2002 for the second consecutive year, following a decade-long decline that resulted in an all-time low in 2000, according to new data from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1
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Your next patient says she has a vaginal discharge. A closer examination reveals a white, noninflammatory discharge that smoothly coats the vaginal walls. What is your next step?
