Seeking and Giving Consultation

Number 365

ABSTRACT: Consultations usually are sought when practitioners with primary clinical responsibility recognize conditions or situations that are beyond their level of expertise or available resources. ...

Sex Selection

Number 360

(Reaffirmed 2011)

ABSTRACT: In this Committee Opinion, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Ethics presents various ethical considerations and arguments relevant to both prefertilizati...

Sexual Assault

Number 499

ABSTRACT: Victims of sexual assault who are of reproductive age are at risk of unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, emergency contraception and prophylaxis for se...

Sexual Misconduct

Number 373

ABSTRACT: The physician-patient relationship is damaged when there is either confusion regarding professional roles and behavior or clear lack of integrity that allows sexual exploitation and harm. S...

Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy

Number 471

(Reaffirmed 2012, Replaces No. 316, October 2005)

ABSTRACT: Smoking is the one of the most important modifiable causes of poor pregnancy outcomes in the United States, and is associated with maternal, fetal, and infant morbidity and mortality. The p...

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Number 432

ABSTRACT: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease that results from degeneration of spinal cord motor neurons leading to atrophy of skeletal muscle and overa...

Standardization of Practice to Improve Outcomes

Number 526

ABSTRACT: Protocols and checklists have been shown to improve patient safety through standardization and communication. Standardization of practice to improve quality outcomes is an important tool in...

Statement on Surgical Assistants

Number 240

(Reaffirmed 2008, Replaces No. 145, November 1994)

Competent surgical assistants should be available for all major obstetric and gynecologic operations. In many cases, the complexity of the surgery or the patient's condition will require the assistan...

Sterilization of Women Including Those With Mental Disabilities

Number 371

(Reaffirmed 2009)

ABSTRACT: Sterilization, like any other surgical procedure, must be carried out under the general ethical principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, and justice. Women requesting sterilization ...

Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy

Number 381

(Reaffirmed 2012)

ABSTRACT: Subclinical hypothyroidism is diagnosed in asymptomatic women when the thyroid-stimulating hormone level is elevated and the free thyroxine level is within the reference range. Thyroid horm...

Substance Abuse Reporting and Pregnancy The Role of the Obstetrician Gynecologist

Number 473

(Reaffirmed 2012)

ABSTRACT: Drug enforcement policies that deter women from seeking prenatal care are contrary to the welfare of the mother and fetus. Incarceration and the threat of incarceration have proved to be in...

Sulfonamides, Nitrofurantoin, and Risk of Birth Defects

Number 494

Abstract: The evidence regarding an association between the nitrofuran and sulfonamide classes of antibiotics and birth defects is mixed. As with all patients, antibiotics should be prescribed for pr...

Supracervical Hysterectomy

Number 388

(Reaffirmed 2010)

ABSTRACT: Women with known or suspected gynecologic cancer, current or recent cervical dysplasia, or endometrial hyperplasia are not candidates for a supracervical procedure. Patients electing suprac...

Surgery and Patient Choice

Number 395

ABSTRACT: Acknowledgment of the importance of patient autonomy and increased patient access to information has prompted more patient–generated requests for surgical interventions not necessarily reco...

Surrogate Motherhood

Number 397

ABSTRACT: Ethical responsibilities are described for obstetrician–gynecologists who choose to participate in surrogacy arrangements by 1) advising couples who are considering surrogacy, 2) counseling...

Tamoxifen and Uterine Cancer

Number 336

(Reaffirmed 2008, Replaces No. 232, April 2000)

ABSTRACT: Tamoxifen may be associated with endometrial proliferation, hyperplasia, polyp formation, invasive carcinoma, and uterine sarcoma. Any symptoms of endometrial hyperplasia or cancer reported...

The Apgar Score

Number 333

(Reaffirmed 2010, Replaces No. 174, July 1996)

ABSTRACT: The Apgar score provides a convenient shorthand for reporting the status of the newborn infant and the response to resuscitation. The Apgar score has been used inappropriately to predict sp...

The Importance of Preconception Care in the Continuum of Women's Health Care

Number 313

(Reaffirmed 2012)

ABSTRACT: The goal of preconception care is to reduce the risk of adverse health effects for the woman, fetus, or neonate by optimizing the woman's health and knowledge before planning and conceiving...

The Initial Reproductive Health Visit

Number 460

ABSTRACT: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that the first dedicated reproductive health visit take place between the ages of 13 years and 15 years. This visit will p...

The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine

Number 385

(Reaffirmed 2010)

ABSTRACT: Health care providers occasionally may find that providing indicated, even standard, care would present for them a personal moral problem—a conflict of conscience—particularly in the field ...