Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Policy News

The Trump administration has said that the patients displaced by closures of Planned Parenthood offices can be absorbed by community health centers. However, a new survey out by Kaiser has indicated that fewer than one in five community health center will be able to compensate in this manner. Planned Parenthood may be apt to close if they cannot receive Title X funding through Medicaid on account of including abortion in their counseling or practice. 

A new Ohio law due to take effect later this month would have criminalized abortions done for Down syndrome. However, a Federal Judge has blocked the law, calling unconstitutional. In particular, it has been determined to violate the 14th Amendment due to violations of both liberty and privacy. 

Certain crisis pregnancy centers have no medical credentials whatsoever. Instead, they are merely storefronts for anti-choice or religious advocacy. The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week about the nature of their obligation to disclose their credentials and their agenda. 

The Contraceptive mandate was rolled back in Massachusetts. The state has challenged this but initially has failed to show enough data on adverse effects on the people of the state. The State plans to also argue that the rollback challenges the First Amendment which contains a prohibition against the establishment of religion by the government. 

New fast track legislation for the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) called “Right to Try” has been under consideration. This would have streamlined/abbreviated the testing and approval process for certain potentially beneficial drugs, thereby getting them to more patients sooner. Proponents cited potential benefit, while opponents cited potential harms of less than completely tested drugs. The House failed to pass the measure failing to meet a 2/3 majority. 

Medical News 

The problem of appalling and increasing Maternal Mortality in the United States is squarely on the table now. Researchers are now focusing on several factors which may have led to this perfect storm. In addition to funding cuts and clinic closures, a shortage of Obstetric providers and rural hospitals providing Obstetric care is now in the mix. 

Stepping back, I'd like to remind readers that Mortality means death. However, for every mother who dies a childbirth associated death, there are 70 others who are near death and critically ill. This is the “ Morbidity” part of the equation. A new study has shown that addressing maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the States would greatly bring down the cost of healthcare. 

I would add that since 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, that the contraceptive mandate might be worth its weight in gold to decrease maternal Morbidity and Mortality in rural areas and in general. Case in point: Colorado, home of my residency alma mater, the University of Colorado, has made sure safe and effective birth control was available all across the state, rural areas included. As a direct result, rural teen pregnancy rates fell by over half between 2007 and 2014. 

New research on teen pregnancy indicates that childhood bullying and various forms of rejection seems to be a risk factor in teen pregnancy. It is even more so for lesbian and bisexual girls, something caregivers should bear in mind. 

The field of Obstetrics is beginning to grapple with gender issues in the field. In 1970, only 7% of ObGyns were women. Now, 59% are. Furthermore, only 17% of ObGyn residents are men, and residents are the future. What are the ramifications for women’s health? Will men be excluded from the field by patient preference or institutional customs? 

Everyone has hailed the balancing of the field as a good thing. However, is it good if Obstetrics and Gynecology becomes devoid of men? One recent meta-analysis says 8% of patients prefer men Ob/Gyns and 41% have no preference. Here are some factors in the debate: 

• Patients may legally discriminate regarding who sees them. 
• Assuming that a certain gender will be insensitive or unprofessional is unfair. 
• Male medical students going into any specialty may be denied important clinical experience in their training if they are excluded from rooms. 
• Both men and women can and have made significant contributions to Obstetrics and Gynecology. 
• Outside of Obstetrics and Gynecology, men dominate 37 of the 42 other specialties, and fewer than a third of other doctors are women. 
• People want caregivers that are relatable, but their most important priority is to have a good doctor. 
• Women Ob/Gyns are not good Ob/Gyns because of their biology. It is because of learning, skill, and experience. These are gender neutral. 
• How male caregivers are introduced has a great deal to do with how well they are accepted. 
• The healthcare and health status of women is something everyone in society should care about and be able to work on. 

What do you think? Have had both male and female Ob/Gyns and have liked them all. 

Marijuana in pregnancy is again in the news. A recent study presented at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine has found an association between MJ use in pregnancy and the following outcomes: increased risk for stillbirth, increased risk of preterm birth, increased incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. 

Predicting cardiac risk in women is different than predicting it in men. In women, central obesity is a particular concern. Increasing BMI predicts increased cardiovascular risk. However, large waist to hip ratio predicts it even better in women. 

Dr. Barbara Levy, vice president of health policy for ACOG, has stated that labioplasty for purely cosmetic reasons should be cautiously considered since it is the removal of sexually functional tissue. Labioplasty for cosmetic or supposedly performance-related purposes is becoming increasingly popular, even among young women. I would add that it is often a cash up front business that practices use to bolster their income. 

Zika virus infection in pregnancy produces discernible malformations of the brain and eyes 7% of the time, across the board. The rate is higher if the infection is contracted in the first trimester. There is some evidence that the rates of malformation varied by country. 

In the good news department, women who are “ highly fit” in midlife may be less likely to get dementia later in life. This study ran over 44 years on about 1500 women in Sweden. Those only moderately fit saw some delay of dementia as well. 

Also in the good news department is the following: Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner, has announced plans to impose new lower limits on nicotine in cigarettes to make them minimally or non-addictive. While certain people will still roll their own, it seems certain that the population as a whole will benefit. 

Stay tuned next week here, for more breaking news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Mondays: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Greetings on this Cyber Monday. I am happy to report that we had a great Thanksgiving Break and that I did not even go into town for Black Friday, the official start of the Christmas season. I may however, patronize Cyber Monday. Accordingly, politics has taken a bit of a back seat to commerce and the holiday, and I rather like it. Nonetheless there are a few things to report. 

Massachusetts is bringing good cheer as Governor Charlie Baker, Republican (!) signs a law protecting free birth control without copay. The Baker administration has declared that women of Massachusetts right to contraception will be protected regardless of what goes on in Washington. All the while, the Trump administration is trying any way it can to demand the contraceptive protections set in place through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

Contraception again made the news in that a group of states Attorney's General are filing suit against the Federal government over their weakening of the contraceptive mandate for corporations which hold religious or moral objections to it. I still think it is ridiculous to confer beliefs to corporations. 

Meanwhile enrollment in the ACA is up for this stage compared to last year, despite the enrollment time being cut in half. 

The funding of the proposed Trump tax cuts is really no mystery. They are to be funded by repealing the individual mandate, the insurance subsidies and the contraceptive mandate,  saving the federal government money that would have been spent on health care. The Fed can then garner support from those people who need deductions, i.e. those who have taxable income. The greater the income, the greater the benefit. So yes, the tax plan is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul where Peter is health care and Paul is people with substantial income. Again, I have have emphasized this so much: Investment into health care pays itself of many times over, in both human and economic terms. The trump Administrations simply does not seem to know or care about this. They are interested in keeping their campaign promise of cutting taxes. However there is no free lunch, and those that elected him should have realized the money for the tax cut would have to come from somewhere. Perhaps Trump supporters value the short term gain of lower taxes more than they value the long term gain brought by comprehensive, universal and affordable health care. 

Math: The Trump administration quietly cut $200 million from Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs only to greatly promote a $10 million dollar program of their own that they have recently unveiled. Their philosophy: abstinence only. 

On the medical news. In the Fun and Clever Obstetrics category, there is a new study reporting on work by a Canadian charity to foster early prenatal care in African women. Bridge to Health Medical and Dental is bringing early Ultrasound to women of Africa, but more importantly they are bringing women to Ultrasound. How ? By advertising that “ you will see your baby”. They have shown that women are 9 times more likely to show up for early US if they hear this message. 

More Zika data is filtering in. We know that Zika virus infection in pregnancy is associated with a high rate of fetal malformations. However, we now know it is also associated with a very high rate of miscarriage compared to controls. Among those who survive and are assessed at one year, 94 % appear grossly normal. 

In the news that may impact you department, we have the revision in the definition of normal blood pressure. Formerly normal Bp was defined as anything less than 140/90. Now it is anything less than 130/80. What’s your blood pressure ? The best thing to do to answer this question is to get a BP cuff for home, ideally one that is smartphone connected. Take lots of readings under different circumstances, and see where you really live. Share your data with your doctor. 

We used to recommend having a normal period or two before reattempting pregnancy after a miscarriage. However newer data suggests this may not be necessary. 

New data suggests that Advanced Maternal Age patients 35 or older should be induced by 40 weeks. In the past we waited until 41-42 weeks, but this has proven to be associated with increased rate of complications. 

Kratom. This is the newest herbal supplement to a.) become popular b.) cause serious health problems and even 36 deaths. It is Southeast Asian plant used to treat pain anxiety and depression. It produces euphoria. People in opioid withdrawal use it on the street to treat their symptoms. It is clearly dangerous and the word is not yet out. 

In an interesting twist of research fate, a new study has identified risk associated with the discontinuation of hormone therapy. In particular, women under 60 who discontinue hormone treatment had a higher risk for cardiac death and stroke during the first year of discontinuation. The same was not true in those after 60. Clearly more research is needed to understand the reasons behind this. 

Periodically, research comes out noting the association of lower rates of C sections and episiotomies in those who see midwives. Every time I look at this type of research I find it to be disingenuous to some degree. This means, it does not account for the factor of self selection to midwife care or provider veto of midwife care. I am the principal Obstetric backup for our local midwife practice. We work very closely with one another to see that midwife patients are low risk, and that those who become high risk transfer appropriately to a higher level of care. Additionally, Should point out the patients are generally insightful and understand when low risk care is appropriate, and risk themselves out of midwife care when they feel they are likely to have complications. See how all this would skew these studies ? 

We know that obesity has many adverse health effects. Here is a new one: Breast cancers in obese women are larger at the time of diagnosis. They are harder to feel, and harder to image as a result of obesity. Another reason to attain a healthy weight. 

We have a great entry for the we-already-knew -this-deparment. Americans are not eating enough fruit and vegetables ! Only 12% of Americans ate the recommended amount of fruit while only 9 % at the recommended amount of vegetables. Compliance with recommendations tracked with income but even the highest bracket did a poor job. 

Finally, also in the we-already-knew -this-deparment, 71 % of American women would prefer an annual mammogram rather than every two years. Many groups, including ACOG and the American Cancer Society had to publicly disagree with the US Preventive Services Task Force over a controversial interpretation of data in 2009 saying annual mammograms conferred to benefit. Confusion still reigns in the media. In 2016 the USPTF still reaffirmed hat the harms of screening outweigh benefits. Benefits are early detection of cancer, but that is not addressed by their data. Harms they define include pain of mammograms, fear of mammograms, and indicated breast biopsies whose results return benign. I’d say this last one in particular is actually a blessing. 

Stay tuned next week more more news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Finally, this last Thursday, a group of Republican Senators met with representatives from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This is key since women’s health care is at the center of the debate on health care. As I mentioned last week, at issue is the concept of pooling risk, and pooling money. There are the well who do not want to help subsidize the sick, the non-pregnant who do not want to help subsidize the pregnant, adults who do not want to subsidize children and the young who do not want to help subsidize the old. My religious education reminds me of many scriptural mentions of our obligations toward widows, orphans, and the sick. Do you think that all they meant was to give them the gleanings from the fields ? No. It means paying into a pool of money that will provide for the care of such people. 

Here is a summary of the plans in play : the ACA (The Affordable Care Act which is currently law), the House Bill, and the Senate Plan. This is taken from a particularly clear article from the Washington Post 

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/obamacare-senate-bill-compare/?utm_term=.a97493829dba)

The ACA requires Americans to have health insurance. The House bill would impose a 30% surcharge on new plans for those with lapsed plans. The Senate plan would impose 6 months wait time before new coverage could be obtained. ( Wait, don’t we want people to be covered ? ) 

Both the House and Senate plans would eliminate the employer mandate to provide insurance imposed by the ACA. 

Under ACA, subsidies from the Fed help reduce insurance premiums for consumers across the board. All plans would sunset this coverage by 2020.  However under the  ACA it would be no sooner than this and it would provide for their continuance. Under the two proposed GOP plans, subsidies could be cut off much earlier than 2020. ( Does Trump really think he will still be President in 2020 ? ) 

Tax credits under the ACA and Senate bills are based on income age and geography, favoring low and moderate income people. In the House Bill, tax credits would be based only on age, and would not increase when premiums increase. 

Under the ACA, one cannot be denied coverage or have premiums increase based on preexisting conditions. Under the House bill, premiums could increase based on preexisting conditions only if a lapse occurred. Under the Senate Bill, insurance companies may not deny coverage or increase premiums. However, they would be permitted to deny coverage for certain preexisting conditions altogether. 

Under the ACA, rates for the old can be as much as three times that for the young. Under both other plans, this factor would increase to 5. 

An HSA is a health savings account that you create in which to save money for health care expenses. You are not taxed on this money. However, there is only so much money that the Fed will let go untaxed. Pretax HSAs maximum amounts under the ACA are $3400 and $6750 for individuals and families respectively. Under both other plans this number would increase.(Remember though, HSA money is YOUR money, just not taxed. If your tax rate is low, this won’t save you much. HSAs are you providing your own health care subsidies rather than the Fed, as is currently the case. This is one of the many ways the GOP plans are trying to get consumers to shoulder more of the burden of healthcare expenses themselves. 

High risk patients are well cared for under the ACA. However both the House and Senate Plans create “ high risk pools” . The House proposes $130 billion and the Senate $182 billion, earmarked for insurers who take big losses. 

Under the ACA, the  States are permitted to expand Medicaid to 138% of the poverty level. The Fed is expected to match funds. Under the House and Senate Bills, States would receive fixed amounts , i.e. “ block grants “ based on how much they are currently spending. In the House Bill, States would not be able to expand Medicaid. IN the Senate Bill, States could expand Medicaid, but the Fed would simply match less of it. 

Under the ACA, "essential health benefits" are covered, such as hospital visits and mental health care. Under the other two bills, the definition of “essential health benefits" could change. 

At the present time, under the ACA, Planned Parenthood may receive Medicaid funds. However, Federal Funds may not be used for abortions. Under the House and Senate plans, there would be a one year freeze in Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.

Finally, regarding lifetime caps on insurance benefits, the ACA has none.  This would not change for the House and Senate proposals. However, the Senate Proposal provides for States to lift the ban on lifetime caps on insurance benefits. 

Now that you know what all is being proposed, I will share with you the exact text of ACOG’s (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) response to lawmakers :

https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/Statements/2017/The-BCRA-Cannot-Be-Fixed

ACOG: The BCRA Cannot Be Fixed

July 13, 2017

Washington, DC – Haywood Brown, M.D., President of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released the following statement regarding today’s revisions proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the U.S. Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act:

“This most recent version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act is not “better” for patients. The BCRA is deeply flawed, cannot be fixed and keeps getting worse. Its original version deliberately stripped landmark women’s health gains made by the Affordable Care Act, turning back the clock on women’s health. This new version threatens to leave patients with preexisting conditions without care. Senators drafting these proposals still aren’t listening to America’s doctors. Yesterday, ACOG joined leaders representing 560,000 frontline physicians on Capitol Hill with one unified message to Senators: the BCRA is dangerous for patients and must be rejected.

“ACOG’s bottom line is simple: No legislation should take away coverage that patients have today. There’s only one solution. The Senate should put the BCRA where it belongs, in the circular file, not on the floor for a vote. Republican and Democratic senators should work with ob-gyns and other physicians on a new approach that will preserve women’s access to contraception and maternity care and improve the health care system for everyone. We stand ready to partner with the U.S. House and Senate and the White House on practical solutions to improve our nation’s health and reduce health care costs.”

The day the newest proposal was release, several members of Congress stepped forward denouncing it, saying they were unwilling to vote even for putting it up for a vote. 

That’s a comprehensive view of health policy news. 

On to the Medicine. 

In distressing news, the Journal Cortex has published new research showing that, in mice, alcohol consumed in pregnancy produces adverse brain changes that can be inherited for several generations. Human studies are unlikely to be done due to the nature of the questions. ACOG has already issued a statement indicating that no amount of alcohol is safe in pregnancy. 

In unsurprising news, research out of Texas has recently shown that despite closure of abortion facilities in Texas, abortions in the State actually increased by 3 %. A wealth of data elsewhere has shown that access to basic health care including contraceptives curbs unintended and teen pregnancy, and abortion. In 2011 Texas reduced its family planning budget by 67%. As a direct result, there was a large scale closing of clinics which provided this kind of basic care, all with the goal of decreasing abortion.  

For your consideration: Katy Talento is a White House Domestic Policy Aide to President Trump. She is an avowed anti-abortion advocate. But what defies reason is her campaign against contraception, which has the power to do so many good things including curb abortion. She has, on record stated that birth control is “ breaking your uterus”  and causing miscarriages and abortions. She is probably referring to progesterone only methods which thin the lining of the uterus so that implantation is not possible. However, she is a very well educated woman, and to call this an abortion or miscarriage is disingenuous at best and deceptive at worst. She has alleged that doctors and drug companies conspire to provide birth control which causes cancer. #Alternativefacts have never been so harmful. In fact, combination oral contraceptive pills, while not for everyone, provide a set of strong health benefits from protecting bone density, preventing anemia, preventing endometrial (uterine cancer) and most dramatically, preventing ovary cancer. #stopalternativefacts. 

Recent data support longer time intervals between paps in low risk patients. This is misinterpreted in the press, by patients, and even by certain doctors as meaning that all patients should have paps or even routine checkups less frequently. This is not the case. Add to this the fact the screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea usually occur at the same time as a pap. You have now a recipe for an unintended consequence: increased rates of undetected chlamydia. Findings documenting these increased rates of chlamydia carriage are published in the Annals of Family Medicine. 

Preeclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy involving high blood pressure. In its milder forms, it is one of the commonest complications of pregnancy. However, in its more severe forms, it is one of the most  dangerous. New data published in the American Journal of Obstetrics an Gynecology indicate that preeclampsia continue to be on the rise in America. Obesity, excess weight gain in pregnancy, high blood pressure and sedentary lifestyle are all risk factors for preeclampsia. Is it any wonder the rates are increasing ? It gets worse. Many patients and even some caregivers do not realize or emphasize that having preeclampsia in pregnancy increases the chances of lifelong hypertension and its consequences in perpetuity. 

In the wish-this-were-better-understood department, prolonged breastfeeding appears to confer a protective risk against MS (multiple sclerosis) to the mother. These findings were published recently in the Journal Neurology. 

In the tantalizing department, new research indicates that plain old hydroxychloroquine (plaquinel- a common drug used for both malaria prevention and lupus) prevents the Zika virus from crossing the placenta in mice, there by protecting the fetuses from the virus. This could of course hold promise for humans. 

Also in the very good new and Zika related department, scientists prevented the vertical (mother to baby) transmission of Zika virus with the use of a vaccine in mice. This groundbreaking research was reported this week in the Journal Cell. 

That’s it for this very big week.  Again, it is critical that each and every one of you contact your elected officials and tell them what you think. Find yours here: 

https://www.congress.gov

See you next week, right here, on Medical Monday. 

Medical Monday: Delayed Edition

After I got my diagnostics squared away, I discovered ACOG’s ( American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) news site was down. Members like me have access to their news and research paper aggregator. I use it as my starting point for creating your news digest blog post page Medical Monday. Finally, all is well and we have some catching up to do. 

GOP leaders have once again announced a deadline for a vote on their health care plan, the American Health Care Act (ACHA). The deadline is to be the end of June. However, as of this writing, there are still significant disagreements over the particulars. Moreover, the drafting of the bill has now gone behind closed doors. This has met with consternation not only from Democrats but from Republicans too, since such interested stake holders cannot have a say or even see what is going on. 

The Department of Health and Human Services, (HHS) has a nonpartisan economic unit called The Office of the Actuary. According to a recent analysis done by this office, adoption of the ACHA would cause out of pocket expenses to rise about 61%. This means premiums and deductibles would rise 61% for the consumer. While the real cost of the premiums would be somewhat lower, the government subsidies to defray them would diminish, leaving the consumer to pay the difference. The current administration wants to pay less, and wants we consumers to pay more. Remember that the government’s money is really our money, collected in the form of our tax dollars. While about 29% of the American public supports the ACHA, it is not formally supported by a single State government. This is because the Fed is trying to do to States what it is doing to us. It is trying to shift more of the financial cost of health care off of itself and onto the States. If the current administration succeeds in shifting health care costs to the consumer and the States, it will claim it is saving taxpayer money.

Many of you are already aware that Texas is facing a crisis in maternal morbidity and mortality. Concern is mounting that the crisis will only get worse if the ACHA is passed, since it will reduce already limited funds for the care of women and pregnant women. 

Business leaders are starting to register concern about the looming changes in health care. In particular, the cancellation of the contraceptive benefit is projected to have huge economic and social repercussions for American families, such as spikes in unplanned pregnancies, and ripple effects though the workplace. A statement by Allan Peace of Trillium Asset Management notes that “ institutional investors… see compelling evidence that widespread access to sexual and reproductive health care benefits” promotes  the “interrelated outcomes” of women having greater control over their lives and the facilitation of economic growth. I would add that this has been demonstrated not only domestically, but around the world. Yes, prosperity and the status of women are directly related. 

In the good news department, Maine is the next in a line of States taking matters into their own hands. They have passed legislation requiring insurers to pay for up to 12 months of birth control at a time, and have prohibited insurers from charging copays for birth control. They cited data from California indicating that the unintended pregnancy rate fell by 30% when they enacted similar measures. Twenty eight states now have some sort of contraceptive equity law, aiming to make contraception very affordable or free. Let’s hope we get 50. 

The Royal College of General Practitioners has presented research again confirming that oral contraceptive use does not confer increased long term cancer risk. 

In further good news, the City of San Francisco has spelled out clearer rights for breastfeeding women in the workplace. This includes the stipulation that employers provide a clean private space with electricity, a surface and a chair. 

In medical news, Zika is back. Zika is a virus carried by the Aedes Aegyptae mosquito found from the southern US southward. When contracted by pregnant women, it causes serious malformations in the nervous systems of developing babies. 1900 women in the US have had confirmed Zika infections. The proposed White House budget proposes an emergency fund for Zika but would also cut billions from budgets of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) where work is underway on a vaccine. The first cases of the 2017 Zika season have come in from … Texas. 

A new study confirms from JAMA Pediatrics indicates that even small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy may result in babies with slight facial abnormalities. 

Obesity (BMI of 30 or more) is a huge problem. However being overweight (BMI 25-29) takes its toll as well. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that, worldwide,10% of people are overweight. Altogether 30 % of the world are affected by weight problems. The US leads the world in obesity in children and young adults. The US also has the greatest number of obese adults. Excess weight accounts for 4 million deaths worldwide, seventy percent of which are from cardiovascular disease. 

A new and large study from Sweden indicates that the risk of major birth defects increases proportional to the severity of a mother’s obesity. These patients are also at greatly increased risk of hypertension ( high blood pressure ) and diabetes. 

That gets us up to date with the news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

This week, the health care sector spent most of its time digesting the health care policy news from the end of last week. Reactions are coming in regarding Theresa Manning, Trump’s head of Title X family planning program. Here is a woman who criticizes the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) on its endorsement of Plan B, the morning after pill, and who openly claims that contraception doesn’t work. 

Did you know that 22% of pregnant Texans under 18 have had multiple children ? Texas, the State recently enacting several curtailments to women’s reproductive services, is now grappling with it’s varied distinctions such as having sky high maternal mortality rates, and the highest repeat teen pregnancy rates in the Union. In a near comical about face, Texas is now considering a bill to provide free contraception to minors without parental consent. They have just now figured out this will reduce maternal morbidity, mortality, abortion rates and Medicaid costs. WOW. 

Reactions at a town hall meeting on New Jersey were quite clear, as participants boo’d their elected Senate Representative Tom MacArthur as he explained that rape victims could potentially be excluded from coverage. Talk about adding insult to injury. 

Pregnancy stands to be much more expensive under the ACHA. Those with prior Obstetrical complications such as C sections may fall under preexisting conditions and be charged exorbitant premiums. 

Senate Conservatives plan to drop millions of adults from Medicaid, which they say will reduce health care spending. They had originally said that tax credits instead would help people pay for health care, but now they wish to limit those on the fear that some may use their tax credit cash to pay for abortions. Paranoid much ? Moderate Republican Senators wish to keep the Medicaid expansion, citing it’s many benefits to their States. 

The Congressional Budget Office still appears to have teeth. They are the nation’s bean counters and they have yet to weigh in with REAL FACTS not #alternativefacts on how much the current administration’s ACHA (American Health Care Act) health care proposal will cost. This will include not only the cost of the insurance, but the uncovered health care costs incurred by those who lose their insurance. Polls show support of the ACHA is waning, and is down to around a third of Americans. 

A new study has shown that the credit card debt jumps for women but not men after a year of major medical expenses. Combine this with the fact that women have, on average, 20 % less income and spending power compared to men. Still ? 

As the weather gets warmer, Zika is back in the news. The CDC is now recommending all women at risk for Zika get a baseline Zika blood test. Once pregnant, they are to be retested every trimester. The CDC anticipates that this proactive schedule of testing will unearth many more cases of Zika this year. 

Hepatitis C has tripled its incidence between 2010 and 2015. Federal officials feel that the heroin epidemic is driving this. Among pregnant women, the infection rate has doubled. 

Perhaps in response to all the anti-contraceptive politics or perhaps for a variety of other reasons, the use of LARCs (Long acting reversible contraceptives such as IUDs) has increased seven fold between the years of 2008 and 2013. These are considered very good but still  underutilized methods. 

A new study presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology states that marijuana smoked by pregnant women could damage the retinas of unborn children. The study utilized an animal model which showed this effect. 

Research presented at ACOG’s recent annual meeting indicated that patient information presented on Society Websites is too advanced for patients. These education materials do not meet the so-called health literacy standards, which are meant to ensure that information reaches it’s target. This is of particular concern to me as medical writer whose aim it is to convey information to a lay public and to my patients. 

What do you think ? Would you rather information be a little too simple or a little too complex ? It is quite hard to get it just right. 

Stay tuned for more breaking news next week on Medical Monday. 

Belated Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

In policy news, things are moving at a slower, more measured pace. Moreover, the policy pendulum is swinging back to a more moderate place. In a move striking many as too little too late, the House GOP has proposed adding $15 billion to their now failed ACHA (American Health Care Act) making it more palatable to centrist republicans. This money would be pad to reimbursing health insurance companies for high cost patients. The intention is that this would help states reduce health insurance premiums for clients starting in 2018. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that health insurance premiums will go up for the average ACA (Affordable Care Act) client by 19% if federal subsidies are withdrawn. Even with this 15 billion dollar amendment, the GOP did not have enough votes to pass their bill, and now Congress has adjourned for spring break recess. 

According to the Gallup poll, the majority of Americans now support the ACA. This is now the case for the first time since the ACA became law seven years ago. Though 55% of Americans now support it, many feel it could be improved. Centrist Democrats, calling themselves the “ New democrats”  and moderate Republicans,  “the Tuesday group”, are beginning to work with one another on small feasible improvements to the ACA which could benefit everyone.

Senator Bernie Sanders has promised to propose a bill for a single payor system, the so-called “ public option”, also known as “Medicare for all”  in 2018. 

Sixteen State’s Attorneys General have filed an Amicus brief against a new Ohio law which prevents health care providers who offer abortions from receiving any federal funds for any services. A US District Judge in Missouri has reversed a similar law in Missouri. 

In other abortion news, the 2013 Texas House Bill 2 required doctors to have admitting privileges in order to provide abortions. It also required them to do so in ambulatory surgical centers. Finally, it decreased the limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. The first two requirements put many midlevel providers in office settings out of business. About half of all abortion providers were put out of business. 

A new study in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the changes in practice since this law has taken effect. It turns out there were 20 % fewer abortions performed in that time frame. It also turns out that the abortions performed were done at a later gestational age. The researchers also calculated that an increased umber of abortions were performed illicitly. 

In medical news, the WHO (World Health Organization) has data indicating that fully 10% of all deaths worldwide are due to smoking. The number is believed to be underestimated since the effects of second hand smoke have not been accounted for. 

Death rates from the main types of cancer for all types of people have declined between 2010 and 2014. The decrease washout 2 %. 

In other good news, TDAP vaccine given in pregnancy is associated with lower rates of pertussis in babies later. (surprise ! ) 

Looking back at Zika, new data has shown us that 10% of women with Zika infection in pregnancy had a baby with a serious birth defect. The number may be higher since not all babies born to mothers with Zika have been given neuroimaging. Also in Zika news, a vaccine under development is progressing to phase two testing.  

In other vaccine news, according to the CDC, as of 2014, about 42% of all people carry the virus. A large new Scottish study of 20,000 women has shown that the HPV vaccine has been associated with a 90% fall in the prevalence of the virus.

Stay tuned for more breaking news from the exciting world of Ob/Gyn here, next week on Medical Monday. 

Thanks for your patience with my delay during Passover ! 

Here is may first ever angel food cake, made gluten free from scratch. It is served with a dairy free chocolate ganache, lemon curd, and cherry berry sauce. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Policy news continues to dominate. The new administration's efforts to repeal the ACA (Affordable care Act) continue. However, Republican leaders are scrambling to resolve the internal GOP divisions which have developed over healthcare policy particulars.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has again gone on record opposing any  changes that will limit women's reproductive coverage in this country. However OB/GYNs in this country also concerned about the so-called"Global Gag Rule”. The global gag rule is a policy that states that advising about or providing abortion disqualifies an international health care agency from receiving funds from the United States. It has been in and out of effect depending on the administration in office over the last 20 years. Dr. Daniel Grossman at the University of California San Francisco has recently published an editorial which sites research indicating that the “Global Gag Rule” actually increases the number of abortions in sub-Saharan African countries, due to reduced access to contraception. This is not a surprise since these international healthcare organizations use their funds for the spectrum of healthcare needs, including contraception. When they lose funds, they lose it for everything across-the-board. 

Dr. Grossman has also published about research on this country indicating that restricting access to abortion though administrative hoops or clinic closures does not reduce the number of abortions. It merely causes the  percentage of later second trimester abortions to increase. In case this is not clear, later procedures have higher risks of complications of all kinds. This is what we call an unintended consequence. 

Again it has come to light that if tax credits replace subsidies to pay for healthcare, the wealthy will benefit the most. That is because they have the most taxes against which to apply deductions. Younger people will also benefit disproportionately, since their premiums are low and the GOP proposal includes  giving the same dollar amount of credit to each person regardless of the amount of their premium. In contrast to these benefits for the young and wealthy, such GOP replacement plans as currently drawn will in increased costs for the majority of middle income and middle aged Americans.

The new administration has made it clear that it does not favor retaining the penalty for those who do not buy health insurance, the so-called “ individual mandate”.  Generally people with chronic health conditions make arrangements to have some form of health insurance coverage, since they know they will need it. It is the young andthe healthy who tend to skip purchasing health insurance since they think they can get away with it. I have two thoughts about this. Number one, They may not realize that if they have anything as simple as a car accident with a broken leg, they may end up with a bill that is tens of thousands of dollars. When they cannot pay this bill, it damages their credit, and the costs are absorbed by the rest of us who have taken the trouble to obtain insurance. Systemwide, their failure to get insurance also has effects. In particular, if the young and healthy tend to go without insurance, they are not contributing to the pool, and this drives up the insurance prices for the elderly and the unwell.

Utah has joined the league of States who now legally require abortion providers to counsel women about a procedure that does not exist, the “abortion reversal” procedure. Members of that House have dissented, saying the procedure is not backed science, and is medically inaccurate.  

A controversial proposal to require Medicaid recipients to work is on the table. A number of Republican Governors are promoting, this, ostensibly hoping people will work themselves right out of their Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid currently ensures one in five Americans. 

The CDC(Centers for Disease Control) has confirmed that American women who were pregnant with Zika  have a 20 fold increase in certain birth defects. The CDC continues to recommend restriction of travel to Zika affected areas for pregnant women. 

In the good news department, policymakers of various kids are working to secure women’s health care despite the repeal of the ACA. State based bills to preserve services of contraception, prenatal care, STI ( sexually transmitted infection) screening, sterilization and counseling are being introduced around the nation. 

The Virginia General assembly has recently outlawed FMG-female genital mutiliation. FMG is removal of the external female genitalia, including the labia and clitoris. It is carried out between infancy and the age of 15. It has no health benefits and commonly causes chronic pain, and urinary tract issues. At this time, 200 million women in 30 countries around the world have been “cut”. It is widely practiced in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and is considered an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is intended to render women less sexual, less “unclean", less likely to stray, and more marriageable. No religious scripts prescribe it, though practitioners believe the practice has religious support. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers it a violation of human rights. International human rights groups have applauded the Virginia decision. 

In more good news, Colorado has passed laws allowing pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives. Medical screening by the pharmacist will be required. ACOG has applauded the measure, citing the safety of the medications, and the improved access to contraception. 

Stay tuned next week for more interesting news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

This Monday the world has become a different place. A new Administration has taken office in the United States. But more importantly, women across the country and across the world have become galvanized. Many marches of hundreds of thousands each took place on Saturday. These were largely demonstrations by and for women to make a statement against sexism, misogyny and against the loss of health benefits in the US. I’m not sure the world has ever seen political activism for one goal on such a large scale. 

Democratic lawmakers made a last ditch appeal on Friday, urging that the GOP halt the repeal. They cited the many clauses of the ACA which prohibit practices which are discriminatory to women, such as denying coverage of contraception and coverage for women-only health screenings such as mammograms. They cautioned that this, along with defunding Planned Parenthood, would harm women in every state. 

It is becoming clearer and clearer that many Republican governors do not favor a wholesale repeal of the ACA. They know that repeal would cause chaos in health care, as well as increasing costs for their state programs. 

In the shocking numbers department, it has been determined that HALF of all men have genital infections caused by HPV. One in four of those have viral strains which can cause cervical cancer. 

Meanwhile, New York State is reporting a 50% decline in cervical cancer deaths since 1976. This is attributed to women obtaining regular paps to detect precancerous conditions and the introduction of the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine Gardisil. 

It is interesting to note that abortions are at a new low since the institution of Roe versus Wade case law in 1973. Researchers attribute this new low to the increased availability of affordable and longer lasting contraceptives. 

If the ACA is repealed, both these important gains might likely be lost since the ACA has covered contraception and health screening for women. 

As if to add insult to injury, repeal of the ACA would also strip breastfeeding protections from the workplace. These protections are in place through the ACA. 

The ACA deals with more than women’s health issues. The ACA contained provisions to authorize a fund to combat the costliest of our chronic diseases: diabetes and heart disease. Repeal of the ACA could eliminate this fund, which is for state public health programs.

Americans may be divided, but 40% across both sides of the aisle agree that health care should be a top priority for the new administration. Meanwhile, the popularity of the ACA is steadily climbing in the polls. Forty eight percent of Americans strongly approve of the ACA. Of those 22% of respondents who want it repealed, half want to do so only when a replacement is in place. The Congressional Budget Office itself has calculated that if the ACA is repealed, 18 million people will lose their insurance in the first year. Over a decade, 32 million would lose insurance. They also estimate that individual premiums would double. 

In Zika news, officials have been debriefing from the season. They feel the greatest failure has been of prevention in the areas most affected by Zika. They have emphasized that the toll taken has scarcely been counted. 

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)  is still a scourge. Over a hundred thousand babies are born yearly with this condition. Britain has one of the highest rates of FAS in the world, with 40% of British pregnant women drinking during pregnancy. 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has continued to take issue with the FDA on their overly conservative and out of context warnings on anesthetics in pregnancy. Their concern is that caregivers and patients will be reluctant to have critical procedures such as appendectomies and gall bladder removals in pregnancy should they become necessary. Surgical illnesses such are these are very much threats to both mother and babies in pregnancy and should be dealt with in the standard fashion. To put theoretical concerns from animal studies ahead of clear and present dangers is missing the forest for the trees. 

Contact your elected officials with your concerns. It is not enough to march. 

Stay tuned next week for more breaking news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

More than one organization is working hard on vaccines against the Zika Virus. Currently trials are with inactivated vaccine. These take longer to develop than vaccines, with live virus. However live virus vaccine trials are more risky, and it might be difficult to find volunteers for such a trial. And that is all the Zika news for this week. 

Leading the news is the ACA, the Affordable Care act and it’s fate. 

More information is coming in about how the ACA affected us. For one, it’s institution seems to have been associated with increased mammography utilization among older women. Unfortunately the same increase in utilization was not seen with colonoscopy screening for colon cancer. In practice, this is indeed a harder sell, but the truth is, it saves lives, and is not that bothersome of a procedure. 

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has stated that the ACA will be “ replaced rapidly after repealing it”, though he provided no details. He did admit that “ There ought not to be a great gap between the first step and the second.” Many GOP leaders estimate that it will take 2-3 years to devise a replacement. 

Hospitals are continuing to voice their concerns that repealing the ACA could cause a major crisis in health care. Increasing numbers of GOP lawmakers are voicing concerns about a lack of replacement for the ACA. They fear the financial consequences to their states and their constituents, as well as allegations of being reckless and the political consequences that that entails. At the same time President elect Trump has demanded an immediate repeal and replacement. . On January 12th, GOP Senators voted 51-48 on a non-binding measure approving a budget blueprint to repeal the ACA.  Personally, I think it is still worthwhile to contact your elected representatives and tell them how you feel about this. 

Enrollment in the ACA continues to outpace that of last year. As of December 24th, more than 11.5 million people have enrolled. Twenty million Americans altogether have their health care through the ACA. 

Oddly, Mr. Trump made certain campaign promises regarding 6 weeks of paid maternity leave and reductions in child care costs. Last week he held meetings about these issues while urging his party to gut health care. 

Speaking of women’s health care, contraception is currently covered by the ACA. it’s repeal would of course threaten this benefit. However, states have the ability to require insurance companies to cover it entirely. Not surprisingly, many states are moving to establish laws that will resemble the ACA in their coverage of contraception. 

In medical news, the flu is clinically worse this year than in other years. But, good news ! The vaccine this year is a good match, and is very helpful. There is still time to get one. 

In other vaccine news, there is a herpes vaccine under development. It is showing promise to decrease frequency and severity of outbreaks. 

Breastfeeding moms need to take prenatal vitamins, Calcium and Vitamin D. Many people including pregnant women and nursing mothers are low in Vitamin D. All breastfeeding moms should be supplementing their breastfed babies with vitamin D drops. This message is not getting out as well as it should. Consult your Pediatrician. 

 

Stay tuned for more news from the exciting world of Obstetrics and Gynecology, next week, on Medical Monday.  

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM)  recently convened a special session to summarize our current knowledge about the Zika virus. Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists are also known as Perinatologists. They are essentially Ob Gyns who drop Gyn and take a couple additional years of training in Ultrasound and high risk pregnancy management. They also tend to comprise the research side of Obstetrics. They may or may not continue to deliver babies. They, together with general Obstetricians have been the group of health care providers most affected by the Zika epidemic. As such, the group as convened a special session to review CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations pertaining to the Zika virus. Together with the CDC director, they have emphasized the the concern over Zika is ongoing. Pregnant or potentially pregnant women are encouraged to stay away from places where Zika is spreading. They have cautioned that the worst is not over. 

Meanwhile, insights are being gained into the pathogenesis of the Zika related disease process. (Pathogenesis means the particular way something causes disease.) In looking at the Zika virus genome and several important proteins produced by the virus, researchers from the University of Maryland have obtained what they classify as “ really valuable clues for future research”. 

President Obama meets with Congressional Democrats this week to devise a strategy to save the ACA (Affordable Care Act). Meanwhile some commentators have noted that even repealing the ACA will not make it possible to roll back all of the changes the ACA has wrought. Americans have become accustomed to a new standard in the expansion of health care coverage. Meanwhile, the incoming Republican administration has seemingly settled on a repeal and replace strategy. The health coverage of 20 million Americans is at stake. This December, 8.8 million people enrolled in the Federal Exchange. This is more than the 8.6 million of last year. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and others have come forward with a recommendation that there should be a replacement plan in place before repeal. Yet ate last week, Republican leaders including the House Speaker Paul Ryan as well as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have asserted that a quick repeal and replacement "within this year" is needed. Senator McConnell classifies the ACA as a “ failed, partisan experiment”. 

A new analysis presented by CNN Money indicates that repeal of the ACA will cost the Federal Government $350 billion dollars over the next ten years. In comparison, the ACA was crafted to be budget neutral. 

ACOG and the AMA (American Medical Association) concur that oral contraceptives are appropriate for over the counter use. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is in the beginning steps of this regulatory process. 

There are many patients who have trouble attaining a healthy weight, even some who exercise regularly and eat appropriately. A new study has focused on this group and found some good news. These “non responders” benefit from rotating their exercise routines. Truthfully, I have heard this from many trainers. 

Also in the good news department: a 25 percent decline in cancer death rates since 1991. This is a fresh statistic from the American Cancer Society. They attribute this decline to reductions in smoking, as well as early detection, and better treatment. 

Finally, in the easy and lifesaving department, peanuts are now recommended for the very young. The National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease has issued new guidelines recommending that parents introduce peanuts into their child’s diet early (before 6 months !) and often. This is to prevent the development of peanut allergy in the future. This recombination is a “ significant departure from the past”. These new guidelines could dramatically reduce the prevalence of this deadly allergy. 

Stay tuned for more news from the exciting world of Obstetrics and Gynecology, next week on Medical Monday.  

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Zika is still in the news this new year, but this is definitely the off season. In good news, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has released $184 million dollars to the states and territories to fight to Zika virus. The funds will be used to improve testing and to enable the states to track pregnancies and births affected by Zika. In other good news, two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that the risk of Zika associated microcephaly maybe less than previously estimated. Microcephaly is one of the more severe side effects of perinatal infection with the Zika virus. However it is not the only side effect as Zika affects many other organs and many other aspects of the central nervous system, many of which are yet be fully quantified. It may be that while microcephaly is less prevalent than previously estimated, serious less well defined or obvious side effects are more common than previously estimated.

New research published in the Journal Gynecologic Oncology indicate that there is a new up-and-coming ovarian cancer drug. In this small study, progression free survival was increased from 6.8 months to 15.4 months. This may not sound like much but it's a step in the right direction which, ultimately, may be combined with other such steps.

Republican Representative from Georgia Tom Price has been nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary. This has been a controversial nomination. Dr. Price is an orthopedic surgeon, and as such has been endorsed by the American Medical Association. At the same time, many in the medical field voiced their opposition to this nomination. Several thousand physicians have signed a  petition indicating their displeasure and stated that the American Medical Association does not speak for them. Meanwhile, the President of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Dr. Thomas Gellhaus, has expressed concerns that some of the bills supported by Dr. Price would “…not serve women's health well”.

In other political news the GOP is divided on the issue of the ACA (Affordable Care Act). Basically, the two camps are as follows: repeal and do not replace versus revise and rebrand. GOP leaders have tried to assuage concerns about the repeal or revision of the ACA promising that "no one is worse off". There is concern however that ensuring that "no one is worse off" will be difficult to accomplish, given that the GOP intends to repeal certain taxes which have been used to fund the ACA.

In sobering news, alcohol consumption, bingeing and alcohol related deaths are up sharply among American women. This is the case as reported by the Washington Post on analysis of Federal health data. Analyzing the data has revealed that this is particularly true among American white women. At the same time, findings published in the current issue of the Journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence show that between 2005 and 2013 binge alcohol use and alcohol use disorders are increasing among older adults.

The Journal of the American Medical Association has produced new research which has broken down how we spend on healthcare. Not terribly surprising are the first two diseases that cost us the most as of 2013: coming in at number one for $101 billion dollars is diabetes, number two at $88 billion is heart disease and a surprising tie for number two is back and neck pain at $88 billion. These are nontrivial numbers which are generally spent in the hospital setting. Therefore it comes as no surprise that hospitals have been voicing their warnings to the incoming  administration about the possible repeal of the ACA. They have calculated that they stand to lose $165 billion if the estimated 20 million people lose their insurance they gained under the ACA. They warned of “an unprecedented public health crisis" and possible collapse of the whole healthcare sector.

In perhaps the most interesting news of the week the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is going head-to-head with the FDA over the issue of anesthesia for pregnant women. The FDA recently issued a warning against the extended or repeated use of "general anesthetic and sedation drugs in infants and toddlers and pregnant women in their third trimester”, indicating these "might damage children's developing brains”.  Their recommendation is based on observational studies on animals. ACOG has issued a statement indicating that they are unaware of data on pregnant women that support the FDA's claims. They go on further to state that these warnings may cause patients and providers to inappropriately reject the use of these medically indicated drugs.” As a practicing Obstetrician, I can imagine the difficulties this warning is going to cause with pregnant women who need surgery for trauma, gallbladder removal, appendectomy, or even C section where spinal blocks or epidurals do not work or are contraindicated. 

Back in the good news department, Texas, of all places, has produced seven lawmakers that have filed bills for the upcoming legislative sessions seeking to "eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products". The state of Texas has a 6.25% sales tax on all retail sales. Additionally certain local entities can impose an additional 2% tax. Currently certain hygiene products such as pads, tampons and menstrual cups are designated as luxury items and as such are subject to the retail tax. Changing this law would repeal this so-called"Tampon tax" which is considered unjust because it targets only women. Besides, everybody knows these items are not luxuries, they are necessities.

Stay tuned for more breaking news from the exciting world of Obstetrics and Gynecology, next week on Medical Monday. 

Medical Monday: breaking news from the world of obstetrics and gynecology

Here is some good news on the Zika front. It is been over 45 days without anyone in South Beach Miami contracting Zika virus in from a local mosquito. For this reason Governor Rick Scott has lifted the Zika zone warning in South Beach. Miami's Little River area was cleared earlier this week. Officials are still warning pregnant women to avoid the entire area and to protect against mosquito bites.

Five babies in New York City have been born with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome. Interestingly, eight other infants have tested positive for Zika virus in New York City but have not shown evidence of the syndrome.

Zika remains a threatening and somewhat mysterious disease. A woman in Columbia has been the subject of study because her Zika virus infection lasted so long. Normally the disease is mild and runs it's course over a few days time. However the pregnant patient in question tested positive for Zika for 107 days after the onset of symptoms. Because of this, researchers speculate that the baby may serve as a reservoir for the virus. When this baby was ultimately born at 37 weeks gestation, it did indeed show microcephaly, indicating that it had been infected by Zika as well. However, interestingly, the baby tested negative for Zika in serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid. Even though the Zika virus had done it's damage as evidenced by the babies microcephaly, the baby had already developed Zika antibodies prior to birth.

Three experimental Zika vaccines are under development. One of them has finished the first round of human testing then will move to phase 2 trials in the first quarter of 2017. Four or five more Zika vaccines are expected to begin development next year.

Perhaps the most important comments about Zika came from a Dr. Antonio Crespo the Chief Quality Officer at Phillips Hospital at Orlando Health. Writing in the contributors blog for The Hill, Dr. Crespo indicates the northward migration of Zika virus is probably the first of many such diseases. He cautions that the nation's response to Zika and the outcomes that we will see should be studied in preparation for future such threats. 

In other news, youngsters are not the only ones skipping their vaccines. Older people are more vulnerable to influenza, pneumonia and shingles. Vaccines are available for all of these things. 

Young people between the ages of nine and 26 should be vaccinated against the human papilloma virus (HPV). However, vaccination rates in this case fall short of ideal. A new study indicates a counterintuitive result. It turns out that short conversations between Dr. and parents or Dr. and patient are more likely to result in vaccine utilization than are long conversations. Researchers have interpreted this finding by speculating that long conversations raise more doubt than short ones. I would speculate, by contrast, that when a patient shows reluctance or asks questions, the conversation goes longer. Such patients who are disinclined to vaccinate to begin with are less likely to vaccinate even after the conversation takes place. I think the conversations between caregivers and patients need to be as long as they need to be and they certainly very greatly between patients and circumstances. I'm going to file this in the chickens and eggs category.

Also in the chicken and eggs category is the following study. It turns out that researchers have identified a link between pubic hair grooming and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk. There is a direct relationship between pubic hair grooming and sexually transmitted infection risk. In fact, there is nearly 4 times the likelihood of having an STI among those who are groomed as infrequently as weekly. I ask myself, is this because grooming inherently makes the tissues more vulnerable? Honestly I doubt this. Do those who groom have more partners? Do those who have more partners groom more ? Which comes first?

Officials from the incoming Republican administration have reiterated their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However reporting on more detailed discussions among leader elect reveals a realistic understanding that this change might take two or three years. They even have a name for their strategy: "repeal and delay".

Meanwhile the American Hospital Association has warned the new administration that "repealing the affordable care act could cost hospitals $165 billion by the middle of the next decade" And "trigger an unprecedented public health crisis". 

Similarly the Urban Institute has reported that 30 million people stand to lose coverage if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without putting anything in place to replace it.

Many women are aware of the likelihood of some form of curtailment of the ACA, particularly of reproductive health care coverage. A Kaiser study indicates that many women are flocking in to obtain contraceptives, including longer acting methods to see them through a longer period of time.

In the good news department, the Senate has passed a landslide vote ratifying the 21st Century Cures Act. This is a $6.3 billion measure to "increased federal support for medical research, mental health care, and controlling the opioid epidemic". The bill had strong bipartisan support and cleared by a vote of 94 to 5.

We will finish with a fantastic study on the relationship between optimism and health.The Nurses Heath Study is a very long running and large study of 70,000 women between 2004 to 2012. It is been mined for all kinds of research. In this most recent study released out of Harvard Public Health, those with the most optimism had 40% lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to those with the least optimism. Optimism was linked with lower inflammation and healthier biomarker levels including lipid levels. Researchers concluded that the correlation between optimism and longevity was the result of optimistic people having healthier lifestyles such as diet, sleep patterns, and other factors.

Stay tuned for more breaking news from the exciting world of Obstetrics and Gynecology next week on Medical Monday. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Zika has crossed the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. There are 265 known cases there already, including one whose transmission is believed to have been sexual. People traveling from moderate or high risk areas are asked to abstain, or contracept and use reliable barrier methods. HA ! That’s an oxymoron: reliable barriers. 

It is winter in North America, and that includes the US territory most affected by Zika: Puerto Rico. While Zika transmission continues, it is decreased at this time of year, due to reduced mosquito activity. Attention turns now to the pregnant Zika infected women. There have been 2600 confirmed cases of Zika in pregnancy in Puerto Rico. Many have miscarried, but many are yet undelivered. 

Texas now joins Florida as the only continental US state to document a local transmission of Zika. Local transmission means a Texas mosquito bit a person in Texas and transmitted the Zika virus. What this says about the number of mosquitos in Texas which have Zika is unclear, but it says something. Until now, all other Texas cases of Zika have been linked to travel. 

In other news, the ACA (The Affordable Care Act) has top billing. As mentioned last week, the ACA is now integral to our healthcare system and cannot be easily dismantled. Twenty million Americans now depend on the ACA for their health care. It is becoming more widely acknowledge that for the time being, it will have to stay as it is, notwithstanding the change in administration. Enrollment for 2017 is beginning, and it seems, continuing apace, 2.1 million so far, despite GOP’s vows to dismantle it. 

GOP lawmakers have started discussions with insurers to try to prevent a collapse of the insurance market if they pass a repeal of the ACA. GOP lawmakers are now indicating that it may take them “ years” to repeal the ACA, hopefully more than four. 

As a physician, completely unrelated to politics, I am for some form of the ACA. I have seen women whose only health care was during their pregnancy, who can now come in with pride just for their annual. They are able to get the recommended screening tests, and can begin to think about health maintenance and limiting family size if they chose. I know, as a physician, that prevention saves money. I also know that disease caught early and treated is far cheaper than disease caught late. GOP lawmakers MUST factor this in if they are to modify the ACA or create their own plan in such a way as to make it affordable and sustainable in the long run. 

The GOP is mixed on the Medicaid expansion. Many Republican Governors are glad to get so many more or their poorest patients insured. 

New research published in the Journal of Women’s Health indicates that women with chronic conditions do worse without access to the internet. This may have to do with access to information and social connections with others, especially others who share the same conditions. 

Many women and many providers believe that there is an age cutoff after which mammograms are no longer beneficial. I am unaware of such data. New research using data from 6 million mammograms between 2008 and 2014 confirms there is no clear cutoff point. Mammogram decisions should be made between a patient and her caregiver, and factor in the best available data and the patient’s overall health. 

Tom Price, the Health and Human Services Secretary elect is said to be both anti-abortion and anti-birth control. It is beyond me when someone who is anti-abortion is also anti-birth control. The theoretical planned repeal of the ACA will not ban these things per se, but a report out of Kaiser indicates  that the costs of contraception will rise during this time period. Drug costs across the board will likely rise whether or not the ACA is repealed. 

In the good news department, the House, in a landslide vote, passed the 21st Century Cures Act. This provides an increase in finding to the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) by $500 million, for drug development and testing,  and would also provide $1 billion to address opioid addiction. There’s a billion dollars we theoretically should not have to spend but, we do. This is why we cannot have nice things. 

Planned Parenthood, ACLU, and the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy are filing lawsuits which challenge several laws which limit women’s rights to various reproductive services. The lawsuits are arising as quickly as the limitations these days. 

The House Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health has taken what I consider to be a monumentally positive step in reigning in the US Preventive Services Task Force. They have recommended that the small, non-clinical committee receive more input on formulating their recommendations, from (surprise!) medical authorities before they make recommendations which influence patient care and insurance coverage of various screening procedures. The bill comes from Republican Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee who has pointed out that USPTF recommendations on many issues pertinent to women’s health including mammograms differ from those of, for example, ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The bill provides for input from both primary care medicine and specialist authorities. Bravo Representative Blackburn, and bravo to you for reading all this. 

Stay tuned next week for more exciting news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics andGynecology

Regular readers of this column know that for many months we have started with news pertaining to the Zika virus epidemic. This is of special interest to those in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, since it is both perinatally and sexually transmitted. This means that once a person acquires Zika virus from a mosquito, she may pass it to her unborn child, and anyone may pass it to a sexual partner. Zika has been widespread in South and Central America and has come as far north as the southern part of the United States. During the warm spring and  summer months, officials were frantic to control it, employing measures of all kinds, but without anything truly effective. Many thousands were infected, and many of those were pregnant. This column has not only served to educate readers about Zika; it has also documented in realtime the painstaking progress of work that has been done, bit by bit, to understand and control the disease. 

As a physician of 27 years, I have read about many disease processes. I have never, however, witnessed the observation, diagnosis and gradual clarification of a new disease quite like this. I was in college when HIV/AIDs came to the fore (1979-1983), but by the time my third year of medical school (1987) had come along, we had wards of patients with HIV/AIDS related complications like Kaposi’s sarcoma, pneumocystis  pneumonia, and disseminated herpes. We understood only a bit at that point, and we felt rather helpless. I am by no means a caregiver on the front lines of the Zika Virus battle. However, I can imagine how they must feel, based on my limited experience with HIV. 

Zika is different in that in can affect the next generation. HIV can also be passed perinatally and also by sex. However, when it affects a baby, it leaves that baby neurologically and developmentally alone. Not so with Zika. For some reason, Zika targets the baby’s brain and sets some process into motion which disturbs and potentially stops the brain's growth, while the rest of the baby continues to grow. As with other perinatal viral infections, contracting Zika early in pregnancy makes matters worse, and interferes with development at an earlier stage. This makes sense. However, the latest revelations about Zika are even more troubling. A new study by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) indicates that a Zika affected mother may produce a term baby who appears entirely normal at birth. However, that baby may well go on to develop microcephaly, the hallmark of the Zika's affect on the central nervous system. This seems to indicate that we do not know how long the effects of Zika virus infection can last. It raises questions about newborns, toddlers, or growing children getting their own Zika infections. This has far reaching implications for how all families in Zika affected areas live their lives. It clearly has implications for the medical community and society at large. 

Meanwhile, the WHO (World Health Organization) has declared that Zika is no longer a public health emergency. Well, of course it is. However this designation simply means that the crisis should no longer tap emergency funds, but rather should have it’s own proper ongoing budget. Nonetheless, some authorities feel this is premature, and have urged the WHO to reevaluate the decision come warmer weather. The CDC, by contrast, will retain Zika at the highest emergency level. Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, will continue to consider it an emergency. The hope is that these deliberations and administrative designations will not get in the way of efforts at infection control, basic research and of course, the much hoped for VACCINE. 

In other news, a new study has emphasized the importance of thyroid function in pregnancy. The immune system changes in pregnancy and so does thyroid function. Not uncommonly pregnancy is the time when low thyroid is diagnosed. This new study has highlighted the very important fact that optimizing thyroid function in pregnancy improves birth outcomes in measurable ways. We know that seriously low thyroid functioning pregnancy is associated with mental deficits in children, a condition called Cretinism. However, optimizing thyroid replacement also prevents still birth, and low birth weight infants. 

 A majority of the news otherwise on this short week had to do with the new administration’s plans to dismantle or alter the ACA (affordable Care Act). As time goes by, we hear different things about this. I get the feeling that reality will set in and that pragmatism will have it’s way with lawmakers and their promises. Perhaps the new administration will be satisfied if they can shuffle and rename a few things, then take credit for the good ideas. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The World Health Organization will have convened on Friday to evaluate whether Zika is still to be classified as a “ public health emergency of international concern.” I am not sure of the criteria for such a classification, but it does not seem to me that we have yet seen most of the consequences of Zika in those yet to be born. Furthermore, it is not clear how Zika will fare though the turn of the seasons. 

The effects of Zika are generally serious to devastating. It is fascinating and confounding that these effects vary by geography. This means Zika has different effects depending on where the infection is contracted. The American Society for Tropical Medicine recently convened and examined this question which needs much more formal study. 

Women are more likely to get Zika from men than men are to get it from women. This is because the virus is now believed to suppress the vaginal immune response (Vaginal immune response ! Who knew ? ) and thus go undetected so it can establish infection in both mother and baby. 

Blood banks in affected states have been screening for Zika. Only 40 out of 800,000 positives have been found. This is not meant to represent an assessment of Zika prevalence in these states since the people who come to donate are screened and kept from donating if they have risk factors for the infection. 

In other news, there is another option for women with vaginal atrophy. Many older women and those who have had cancer have vaginal atrophy, which manifests as dry, thin, inelastic tissue. It also manifests as pain during intercourse. Fourteen percent of all women have low equal desire and sex related personal distress. Part of this in older women may related to vaginal atrophy. Unfortunately, this is not always addressed at the doctor’s office. Many such patients are not able or wiling to use vaginal estrogen. They may now use DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, an adrenal androgen, as a daily vaginal capsule, to help with this. The trade name will be Prasterone and it has recently been approved by the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) for this use. 

The idea of using vaginal estrogen in breast cancer survivors has, until recently, not been considered due to concerns that the hormone enters the systemic circulation and might cause increased risk of recurrence. However a recent study published in JAMA Oncology has shown that estradiol secreting vaginal rings and intravaginal testosterone cream are both safe and effective therapies in those breast cancer patients who are receiving aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy. 

In insurance news, President elect Trump has indicated that he favors preserving the prohibition against insurers denying coverage due to preexisting conditions. He also favors allowing parents to keep children on policies until the age of 26. An article in the Wall Street Journal recently opined that keeping these provisions without keeping the universal mandate (requirement for everyone to have insurance or be fined) and the funds it would bring in, would strain the coffers of health insurance companies bound to keep the first two provisions. 

At this point, hearsay reigns in matters of the new administration’s policies. Before the election, Republican politicians spoke of eliminating the individual mandate on health insurance. Now, there is talk of revamping it. Similarly, and more realistically, it is said that Medicaid under the new administration is more like to be altered than it is to be shrunk, as Republican candidates suggested. 

This column has covered the falling teen birth rate. Recent analysis of this data has shown that this is the case much more in urban compared to rural areas. Between 2007 and 2015, the teen birth rate fell 50% in cities, but only 37% in rural areas. Teen birth rates fell most among white and hispanic girls. 

In related news, a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health showed some interesting relationships between childbearing and longevity. Over 20,000 women were followed for over 16 years. Researchers discovered that a larger number of children is associated with less longevity in black women, but more longevity in white women. They also found that women who delay their first birth until at least 25 are more likely that their counterparts to live until age 90. 

Stay tuned next week for more breaking news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Medical Monday:Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Two weeks worth of news will be covered this week !

Nearly two third of infected Zika patients are women. This has been determined recently in Puerto Rico, but also widely across South and Central America. Experts are not sure about the origins of this number, stating this might be because women are more likely to seek care and be diagnosed. 

In the good news department, an experimental vaccine has been shown to protect mice against Zika. This is a promising step, but still many steps from a human vaccine. And in the reminds-me-of-science-fiction department, antibodies from the blood of recently recovered Zika infected mice can be injected into other Zika infected pregnant mice. This causes the levels of Zika virus to drop in the unrecovered mice.  This novel treatment is to be tested next on non-human primates. 

A Zika “ syndrome” is coming into definition. It has five cardinal features: 

1. severe microcephaly
2. decreased brain tissue with  specific pattern of calcium deposits indicating brain damage
3. damage to the back of the eyewash a specific pattern of scarring and increased pigment. 
4. joints with limited range of motion
5. too much muscle tone. 

The very first baby born in Puerto Rico remains hospitalized. This baby and all other Zika affected babies will be followed until age 3 in a registry called the "Zika Active Pregnancy Surveillance System”. 

In non-Zika news, a recent study indicated those who give birth in winter may need extra vitamin D supplementation. Our recent experience substantiates this. We have yet to quantify this, but in our obstetric population, it is not uncommon for us to uncover vitamin D deficiency. Good news: prescription supplementation is easy and works well. 

Did you know that long acting reversible contraceptives such as IUDs can be placed immediately post partum ? This is a breastfeeding compatible way of providing women with reliable contraception especially if they are unlikely to follow up at later visits. 

Preliminary reports on a herpes vaccine in humans are encouraging. This new vaccines reduces lesions and viral shedding for several months. It consists of three shots three weeks apart. 

Rates of preterm birth are increasing in the US. This is especially true among black and native women. 

Antenatal steroids for lung maturity were, until recently used only until 34 weeks. Now, they have found to have been useful for late preterm births between 34 and 36 weeks, and even for women undergoing planned C section 37 weeks and later. Steroids reduce the rate of neonatal distress syndrome these babies. 

In the we-already-knew-this-department, researcher have now shown that low carb meals reduce insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is bad; it means your cells don’t respond normally to insulin and do not transport sugar from the bloodstream into the cells well a they should. Eating low carb restores the cells responsiveness to insulin. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued revised recommendations for antenatal care. This includes double the number of recommended prenatal visits compared to before. (Surprise ! Prenatal visits help ! )

There is yet more good news. When Kenyan women are provided with HIV self test kits, partner and couple testing increases to more than 90%. As they say, knowledge is power. 

Stay tuned for next week, when we will cover more news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and doubtless, reactions to the election from those in health care. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News form the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

As the northern hemisphere encounters fall and winter weather, mosquito activity and the risk of Zika infection by mosquito falls but does not go to zero. Of course, sexually and birth related (perinatal) transmission are not affected and can continue unabated. 

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have honed in on the mechanism of action of the Zika Virus on human cells. It appears that Zika virus alters our RNA directly. 

We now know that Zika can persist in vaginal secretions for two weeks after onset of infection. During this time, a woman can pass infection on to a partner. Additionally, it has been determined that Zika is detectable in serum ( the liquid portion of blood) for a week. However it is present in whole blood for at least 80 days. These insights have been made possible through the contribution of one particular patient infected with Zika since the beginning of the epidemic. Through frequent and repeated testing on her, we have been able to ascertain these findings. We use a debt of gratitude to this female Zika patient who has allowed herself to be the subject of invasive scientific study since the beginning of the crisis. 

Everyone has heard of menstrual migraines. Some happen right before the period and some happen during the period. Those preceding the period are believed to arise from sharply falling estrogen levels. It turns out that the late-cycle migraines may be related to low ferritin levels from the blood loss of the period. This could lend insight into prevention, which of course might involve ongoing iron supplementation. 

In the things-we-already-knew-but-had-not-yet-been-conclusively-documented department, research published on the Arthritis Care and Research site indicated that systemic lupus wanes during pregnancy and flares in the postpartum period. Nonetheless, the research is quite welcome in that it sheds concrete insight into the baseline mechanisms of lupus and autoimmunity in women. Autoimmune disease as a whole is prevalent and predominantly affects women. Most patients are on current treatment strategies which decades old and are rife with significant side effects. This lupus patient applauds any sound research into autoimmunity in general and lupus in particular. 

Also in this same journalistic department we are now assured that smoking and alcohol are linked to 11 of 15 of the worst cancers. By worst, we mean those cancers most "responsible for premature death and loss of healthy life years”. Any second year med student can assure you conclusively of this. 

Pediatricians are being encouraged to change their counseling of parents about the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine. Instead of highlighting the prevention of sexually transmitted HPV infection which can lead to warts, they are being encourage to highlight the cancer prevention aspects of the vaccine. It would be nice if we could simply explain that the HPV virus causes genital warts, precancerous changes on the cervix, which can then develop into cervical, vaginal, penile and even oropharyngeal (mouth and throat) cancer. I am tempted to think that we oversimplify subjects too much for people. People are capable of understanding a great deal if someone takes the time to explain it to them. 

In related news, new data has demonstrated that those children who obtain the HPV vaccine before 15 years of age only need two shots rather than three. Even more incentive to gets your kids done ! 

New research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have show that the C section rate for low risk patients is about 16%, whereas the C section rate for high risk patients is about 76%. Intellectually, I am a splitter rather than a lumper. Consequently, thinking about C section rates in this way is much more useful that saying, the C section rate in the United States is about 32%. I think information presented in this way will help patients understand their own risk factors, and how to prospectively stack the deck in their favor in the future. 

Here is some sobering but critically important news that I suspect will be woefully underreported. Maternal body mass index (BMI) is inversely correlated with newborns’ telomere length. Whoa, what does that mean ? Basically, the heavier a mother is, the less robust her newborn’s DNA strands will be. DNA is protected at it’s ends by segments known as telomeres, and when they are short, DNA is more apt to be damaged. Shorter telomeres means shorter DNA lifespan, which most likely means shorter lifespan overall. 

We have all heard by now of the micro biome, which means the healthy or not so healthy populations of bacteria and other organisms that populate our body. Women mostly focus on the micro biome of the vagina, knowing that if it becomes disturbed, yeast or bacterial vaginosis can result. However, the vagina is not the only concern. It turns out that the breast has a micro biome. Moreover, it turns out that breasts sampled and found to have benign disease versus those with cancer have very different micro biomes. This could be a clue to something, I’m not sure what. But is is a new and interesting concept. 

In disappointing news, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reports that rates of common sexually transmitted diseases have reached all times highs. This include syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. I’m going to give a shout out to bad parenting and network TV here. Thanks so much, guys. Oddly, syphilis was at an all time low in 2001, and gonorrhea was as recently as 2009. 

In surprising news, 43% of those with no type of health insurance could qualify for either Medicaid or coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchange. The reasons for this are unclear. I will say that some people seem to have quite a bit of trouble filling out the forms online. I have joked to my office staff that the government  should outsource both health care and the elections to reliable companies like Amazon or Google who can design a nice reliable website. 

Stay tuned next week for more news from the amazing world of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

Medical Monday: Breaking News form the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The genome of the Zika virus has been isolated. This is an essential step in learning about the virus and how to stop it. 

Meanwhile Zika virus continues its spread in southern Florida with three Zika transmission zones identified. Readers would do well to remember that Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Matthew and all the floodwaters are still receding. Florida has called on the Federal Government to help fund their fight against Zika. 

In chilling news, a new study out of Brazil indicates that Zika can affect a baby’s brain even if the mother contracts the infection a week or two before giving birth. This begs the question of whether newborns or even toddlers or beyond can incur damage to the growth of the brain by becoming infected. 

Breast and ovary cancer, among the most dreaded female cancers, both have new and promising therapies on the horizon. In the case of ovarian cancer, a whole new class of drugs called PARB inhibitors is showing improvement for all women with recurrent ovarian cancer. For breast cancer, an investigational drug Ribociclib combined with the older Letrozole, is showing significant improvement in PFS (progression free survival) for those with hormone responsive cancers. Such drug “cocktails" are becoming increasingly useful in the fight against many difficult diseases such as those from viruses or cancer. 

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have created a free web based app to guide clinicians in their treatment of breast cancer. In these days of precision medicine, tumors can be subjected to ever more detailed molecular and genetic analysis to determine the best possible therapy. These are costly, which hopefully will change. For now, this app helps clinicians decide whether or not these more detailed tests are necessary. 

Have you ever heard of de-prescribing ? Me neither. Apparently this is when a physician takes a patient off medications. Physicians are increasingly trying to help patients avoid medication interactions or unnecessary medications altogether. I can imagine this being important in an internal medicine practice where patients have medication lists a mile long. 

Once again the value of mammograms is being questioned. This time it is in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Once again the concern cited is “ ...needless anxiety, treatment and expense.” Let’s be clear here, by “ treatment”they are referring to biopsy. And now that I think of it, use of this language is really irresponsible. Biopsy is not treatment in the case of breast disease. The authors indicated that over half of breast cancers diagnosed on mammogram are a case of mistaken identity…”. First of all, breast cancer is not a radiographic diagnosis. It is a TISSUE diagnosis. So, they could rightfully say, over half of all mammograms which are suspicious for breast cancer, are actually not on biopsy. This, to me is a cause for relief. Understand that if they want to decrease the mammogram frequency, they will increase the number of women with cancer who are picked up late rather than early. How many inconvenienced women are worth one who gets an early and more curable diagnosis of breast cancer rather than a late one ? I’d say many. Very many. How much inconvenience and expense is worth a life ? 

We are continuing to expand our understanding of how maternal obesity affects babies in utero, newborns, and even children into adulthood. Four recently published studies are showing these risks, and they include increased risks of stillbirth, diabetes, and blood pressure disorders of pregnancy. More interestingly, risks for children born to obese mothers of these same types of diseases persist into adulthood. 

Our national increase in maternal mortality is of paramount concern. Poor maternal health and the conditions which produce poor maternal health are undoubtedly to blame. Accordingly, experts are increasingly beginning to teach that women should attain a healthy weight and attain control of all their medical conditions before attempting pregnancy. 

In that spirit, I will report on a relevant and encouraging story coming from the International Olympic Committee. They have found that “ ...strenuous exercise during pregnancy doesn’t appear to increase the risk of most pregnancy complications for mom or baby”. ACOG (The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) has recommend institution or continuation of “ moderately strenuous” exercise during pregnancy as well. 

Stay tuned next week, for more breaking news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Congress has finally passed legislation allocating $1.1 billion to fund the fight against Zika. This will cover primarily vaccine development, but also mosquito control efforts. This is very good news; however many would argue that this is too little too late.  The director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Dr. Anthony Fauci, has indicated that more fundamental research on Zika "will need to be cut back.

There are over 2000 confirmed cases of Zika among American pregnant women. The majority of these are from Puerto Rico. However, the true number is probably under appreciated, due to lack to testing or delays in getting testing results back. Zika Virus may be transmitted through the bite of the Aedes Mosquito, but also via body fluids. By body fluids they mean tears or sweat, not only blood and sex related secretions. Zika virus causes numerous serious abnormalities in the developing fetal and neonatal brain, and can cause post viral paralysis ( Guillane Barre Syndrome) in non pregnant adults. 

A scandal is developing in Florida. Officials in Miami Dade County are accusing the Florida Department of Health of keeping the mosquito capture sites secret, a charge which the Health Department denies. This all started when the Miami Herald sued to find out the location of the traps. 

Texas, which has not yet experienced a confirmed case of Zika, is still expected to be at risk. This is because such epidemics travel in a delayed fashion. Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National school of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Has stated that we will not know if we've had local transmission of the Zika virus in Texas until seven or eight months from now, when babies are born with microcephaly. He noted that detecting the virus is difficult because most people who are infected are asymptomatic.

ACOG’s Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has published a report indicating that from 2000 to 2014 maternal mortality in the Continental 48 states has increased 27%. A 2015 report from the World Health Organization indicated that the US has a higher maternal mortality rates than Iran, Libya, and Turkey. This is been reported in previous weeks, although these new numbers put it in better global perspective.

In the good news department, the use of antenatal steroids in women at high risk for preterm labor has been expanded. Until recently we used such steroids to accelerate lung maturation in unborn babies through 34 weeks of gestation. For reference, 40 weeks is the due date and 37 to 41 weeks is considered full-term. The period of 34 to 37 weeks was considered preterm, but until recently there was no proof that the use of antenatal corticosteroids helped this group of babies. Now there is. Accordingly the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has published an updated committee opinion on the use of these medications. With this expanded therapy, it would be reasonable to expect fewer breathing complications in this group of premature babies. 

In the "proud of my college" category, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has been solicited by the Federal government to "review and recommend updates to" several preventive health services for women under the Affordable Care Act. ACOG’s draft recommendations states that “ women should be able to get free mammograms as early as age 40 and if any follow-up is required, like a biopsy, it should be considered an integral part of the screening and also covered at no cost.” ACOG has also recommended that male birth control be covered as well.

Also in the good news department, the death rate from ovarian cancer decreased 16% between the years 2002 and 2012. 

In the vaccination success department, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared America free of measles. The WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan has indicated that the Americas is the first region in the world to eliminate measles. It has achieved this after a 22 year vaccination campaign. As the measles may be imported from elsewhere, vaccinations for measles should continue as per usual.

Also in the vaccine success department is this: A recent study indicates that the recent introduction of a prenatal TDAP booster vaccination has been effective. This booster can prevent both the development of pertussis ( whooping cough) and decrease the severity of neonatal pertussis infections that do occur. 

Our last bit of news this week is also in the good news category. Teen pregnancies have declined over the last 10 years and the most recent data is even better. Data from 2015 indicate indicate that the teenage birth rate in the United States has hit a new record low, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate had a one year decline of 8% falling to 22.3 births for every 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 19. Experts attribute this to teenagers having less sex, using more reliable contraception, and being more aware of the difficulty of having a child while still a teenager.

Stay tuned for more news from the world of OB/GYN next week on Medical Monday.

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Greetings from the heart of Silicon Valley. Please excuse the blog silence over the last few days as, believe it or not, I have suffered from sporadic Internet connection. I have been attending a very busy conference, Stanford MedX, on which I will fully brief you later. I could not blog at the conference but I took a lot of notes and pictures and they will serve as the basis for my reports to you sometime late on Wednesday. Where I stayed was a beautiful residence deep in a grove of old-growth trees so dense that it interfered with us cellular and local Wi-Fi coverage. So I right now without pictures, I will make this dispatch to you because I think medical Monday is so important. Text will go, but pictures will have to wait.

Some continue to doubt the association of the Zika virus infection with the development of microcephaly. However this latest study should put this to rest. The Journal Lancet Infectious Disease reported work that studied newborn Zika babies both with microcephaly and without. It turns out that babies with microcephaly we're 55 times more likely to have been infected with the Zika virus in utero. However, none of the 62 newborns in the comparison group who appeared normal showed any sign of infection.

Of chilling significance is another story published the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Those authors note that "for infants about four months and up to eight months of age" babies were "born on average on measures of weight length and head circumference" but "fell even further below average as time passed".

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has now indicated that Zika virus can spread through "contact with bodily fluids such as tears, discharge from infected eyes, saliva, vomit, urine or stool." This has obvious implications for those living with and caring for those affected by the Zika virus.

Florida may offer free Zika virus testing, but that does not mean women are getting results. Apparently results that take a private lab a few days to report are taking weeks for the state run service. Time is of the essence when inquiring about Zika virus infection in pregnancy, since many women consider the option of abortion if there is evidence that their baby could be or is infected. Access to abortion is more restricted in what now could be called the Zika belt of our country.  Women consider this drastic measure because central nervous system manifestations of Zika virus in pregnancy are often devastatingly severe. We now know they're also potentially progressive even after the baby is born.

A recent poll suggests that the risks of Zika virus to pregnant women have caused some Americans to soften their view on abortion. 62% of voters living in the 10 battleground states in the south and along the Gulf Coast have said that they "support abortions after 24 weeks if a doctor believes there is a serious possibility that a woman's fetus could have severe birth defects from the Zika virus."

As of this writing the funding to combat the Zika virus is virtually spent. The Obama administration as well as the CDC, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others have appealed to Congress to put aside partisan politics and fund the fight against the crisis

It is worth reiterating news from last week coming to us from the Zika belt state of Texas. Texas maternal mortality spiked from 18.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010 two more than 30 per 100,000 into thousand and 11 and remains at that level through 2014. This statistic may not seem huge but it has increased dramatically and is a higher rate than anywhere else in the country. It is also higher maternal mortality rate than in most other industrial countries. Numerous writers, ACOG and the State Heath Services of Texas maternal mortality task force all recommend an increase in health care services to women as the solution.

Global maternal mortality rates are not where they should be. The United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) indicate the rate would have to fall by nearly 70% to meet the target globally of 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. It is felt that this should be accomplished by adding an estimated 18 million Women's Health workers including midwives and obstetricians.

A new study by the Urban Institute has indicated that only 31% of women know about the most effective forms of birth control, the LARCs, the long acting reversible contraceptives. ACOG has said that such IUDs and implants are the most effective reversible contraceptives available and are safe to use by almost all women of reproductive age. Of note, weeks ago it was reported that Puerto Rico, which is greatly affected by the Zika virus, had been given a large supply of IUDs but was unable to fully utilize them due to the lack of providers trained to insert them. LARC use in Texas is on the rise.

The rest of the news in brief:

US preventive services task force recommend screening all nonpregnant adults and adolescents at risk for syphilis, which is on the rise.

The British medical Journal reports that pregnant women with higher ambient glucose levels who are not meeting the criteria for gestational diabetes still have an increased risk of complications. These complications would include preeclampsia and overly large infants (macrosomia). Additionally, related complications are noted, such as shoulder dystocia, which is the condition where babies are dangerously difficult to deliver due to a larger girth at the shoulders.

The national Cancer institute is once again encouraging all children adolescents and young adults 26 years of age or younger to obtain the vaccine against the human papilloma virus, HPV. Only 40% of eligible girls and 21% of eligible boys have received the vaccine. Vaccination rates in Australia and the United Kingdom are in the range of 75 to 92%

In the good news and we already knew this department, an article in the Annals of Oncology has reminded us that use of oral contraceptives decreases ovarian cancer risk by 50%. For the record, having children and breast-feeding them also decreases this risk.

In the good news department, The number of Americans without health insurance has fallen to a recent level of less than 10%. This is attributed to people buying insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from the world of Obstetrics , Gynecology, and Women's Health, next week on Medical Monday.