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New Research Reveals State Reproductive Rights Affect Risks for Newborns

The authors of a recent study found that Black women in the United States have a lower risk of giving birth to low birth weight babies if they live in states with less restrictive reproductive rights, when compared with women who live in states with more restrictive policies.

Researchers Suggest It Is Time to End the Default Pelvic Exam

Women who seek most forms of contraception do not need a routine pelvic examination before they are prescribed a contraceptive. Still, these exams are routine for many OB/GYN offices and reproductive health clinics, and this creates a barrier for some women — particularly those who have experienced sexual assault and intimate partner violence, according to new research.

Family Planning Providers Can Reduce Negative Perceptions of IUDs

Despite the safety and efficacy of the intrauterine device (IUD) and the reduction of cost barriers since the Affordable Care Act, only about 12% of American women use that method of contraception. Research shows that the women most likely to use an IUD or implant are ages 25 to 34 years, were born outside of the United States, live in a Western state, and report their religious affiliation as “other."

Clinicians Can Help Reduce Stigma Around Substance Use Disorder

Stigma is a major barrier to women with substance use disorder receiving reproductive healthcare and contraceptives. Clinicians should ask women, including those with substance use disorder, about their goals, values, and what they find most important in contraception.

Collaboration with Substance Use Treatment Clinics Can Reach More Patients

Women who receive treatment for a substance use disorder would welcome services that integrate their treatment with family planning and contraceptive services, the authors of a recent study found.

Use Best Practices to Screen Patients for Substance Use Disorder

OB/GYNs and family planning clinicians should screen all patients for substance use disorders, as recommended by researchers and professional guidelines. Recent guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Obstetric Practice recommend anyone who enters a physician’s office for reproductive health services receive a screening for a substance use disorder.

Is There Bundle Branch Block?

Try to interpret the ECG in the figure without the benefit of any clinical information. What do you see?

Bamlanivimab Injection

Bamlanivimab is a neutralizing recombinant IgG1 monoclonal antibody that connects to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The drug blocks attachment and entry of the virus into human cells.

When Aortic Stenosis Is Almost Severe: What Happens Next?

A study of patients with normal flow, low gradients, normal left ventricular systolic function but with calculated aortic valve areas <1.0 cm² showed that about half of them progressed to severe aortic stenosis during the 25-month median follow-up period.

Rifampin vs. Isoniazid for Latent Tuberculosis

A health system cost comparison showed that four months of rifampin was safer and less expensive than nine months of isoniazid in high-income countries, medium-income countries, and African countries.