Historically ovarian cancer was called the “silent killer” because symptoms were not thought to develop until the chance of cure was poor. However, recent studies have shown this term is untrue and that the following symptoms are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population.1,2 These symptoms include: Bloating Pelvic or abdominal pain Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency) Join discussion...

Cervical Cancer Screening: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Join discussion...

Women with the painful disease endometriosis are prone to certain cancers, mounting evidence suggests. Join discussion...

That the Papanicolaou test has been modified so little during the greater part of its existence is surely a tribute to the insight and inventiveness of the physician scientist from whom it takes its name. When change began to be mooted in the 1980s it was because new levels of computing power were making it realistic to think of automating the microscopic examination of cells from the cervix. But to do so reliably depended on first improving the quality of the smears. This prompted the developme Join discussion...

New research shows that when obstetricians and gynaecologists are away at national conferences the number of births drops (Social Science and Medicine 2007 Jun 27 doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.034). Researchers found that the number of births dropped by up to 4% during five day key annual conferences in the United States and Australia, with nearly 1000 births affected. "Since it is unlikely that parents take these conferences into account when conceiving their child, this suggests that medi Join discussion...

Pregnant women who take calcium supplements reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia, sometimes called toxemia of pregnancy. Join discussion...

The type of attending obstetrician (regular care v. on call) had a minor effect on obstetric outcomes. Join discussion...

Diagnosis and Management of Ectopic Pregnancy Using Bedside Transvaginal Ultrasonography in the Emergency Department: A Two-Year Experience. Join discussion...

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has brought charges against Christine Hutchinson, a 22 yo Pittsburgh woman, for failure to report her spontaneous abortion to the State. Join discussion...

he Canadian government's order to add folic acid to most cereal products has cut the number of neural tube birth defects in half, according to a study published on Wednesday. The research team led by Philippe De Wals of Laval University in Quebec found that the rate of these major defects in newborns fell from 0.158 percent before folic acid fortification became mandatory in 1998 to 0.086 percent afterward. Join discussion...