Joint Statement of ACOG/AAP on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening

(Reaffirmed July 2011)

The problem of perinatal transmission of HIV infection was first appreciated in 1982. In 1991, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended a policy of routine counseling and offering testing (with sp...

Vitamin D - Screening and Supplementation During Pregnancy

Number 495

ABSTRACT: During pregnancy, severe maternal vitamin D deficiency has been associated with biochemical evidence of disordered skeletal homeostasis, congenital rickets, and fractures in the newborn. At...

Code of Professional Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

code of professional ethics of the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists obstetrician–gynecologists, as members of the medical profession, have ethical responsibilities not only to p...

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...

Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness in the Delivery of Health Care

Number 493

ABSTRACT: Communication with patients can be improved and patient care enhanced if health care providers can bridge the divide between the culture of medicine and the beliefs and practices that make ...

Effective Patient - Physician Communication

Number 492

ABSTRACT: Perhaps the greatest contemporary challenge in implementing the principles of effective communication lies in our current health care environment that demands increasing physician productiv...

Health Literacy

Number 491

Replaces No. 391, December 2007

ABSTRACT: According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic he...

Partnering With Patients to Improve Safety

Number 490

(Replaces No. 320, November 2005)

ABSTRACT: Actively involving patients in the planning of health services is recommended as a means of improving the quality of care. This can increase patient engagement and reduce risk resulting in ...

Hepatitis B Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections in Obstetrician - Gynecologists

Number 489

(Replaces No. 332, May 2006)

ABSTRACT: In the health care setting, bloodborne pathogens such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may be transmitted from infected patients to ...

Pharmacogenetics

Number 488

ABSTRACT: Pharmacogenetics is the study of genetic variations in drug response that are determined by specific genes. It is hoped that the use of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice may improve dru...

Preparing for Clinical Emergencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Number 487

(Replaces No. 353, December 2006)

ABSTRACT: Patient care emergencies may periodically occur at any time in any setting, particularly the inpatient setting. To respond to these emergencies, it is important that obstetrician–gynecologi...

Update on Carrier Screening for Cystic Fibrosis

Number 486

(Replaces No. 325, December 2005)

ABSTRACT: In 2001, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Medical Genetics introduced guidelines for prenatal and preconception carrier screening for cyst...

Prevention of Early-Onset Group B Streptococcal Disease in Newborns

Number 485

(Replaces No. 279, December 2002)

ABSTRACT: In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines for the prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease. Although universal screening at 35–37 weeks of ...

Performance Enhancing Anabolic Steroid Abuse in Women

Number 484

ABSTRACT: Anabolic steroids are composed of testosterone and other substances related to testosterone that promote growth of skeletal muscle, increase hemoglobin concentration, and mediate secondary ...

Colonoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Screening Strategies

Number 482

ABSTRACT: Each year colorectal cancer is diagnosed in more women than all types of gynecologic cancer combined. There continues to be a significant need to increase the rate of screening. Obstetricia...

Newborn Screening

Number 481

(Replaces No. 393, December 2007)

ABSTRACT: Newborn screening programs are mandatory, state-based public health programs. They provide newborns in the United States with presymptomatic testing and necessary follow-up care for a varie...

Empathy in Womens Health Care

Number 480

ABSTRACT: Empathy is the process through which one attempts to project oneself into another's life and imagine a situation from his or her point of view. Most individuals do have an innate capacity t...

Methamphetamine Abuse in Women of Reproductive Age

Number 479

ABSTRACT: Methamphetamine abuse has continued to increase in the United States since the late 1980s with its use spreading from the West Coast to areas across the country. Methamphetamine use in preg...

Family History as a Risk Assessment Tool

Number 478

ABSTRACT: Family history plays a critical role in assessing the risk of inherited medical conditions and single gene disorders. Several methods have been established to obtain family medical historie...

The Role of the Obstetrician Gynecologist in the Early Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Number 477

(Replaces No. 280, December 2002)

ABSTRACT: Epithelial ovarian cancer is most commonly detected in an advanced stage, when the overall 5-year survival rate is 20–30%. Detection of early-stage ovarian cancer results in improved surviv...

Planned Home Birth

Number 476

ABSTRACT: Although the Committee on Obstetric Practice believes that hospitals and birthing centers are the safest setting for birth, it respects the right of a woman to make a medically informed dec...

Antenatal Corticosteroid Therapy for Fetal Maturation

Number 475

(Replaces No. 402, March 2008)

ABSTRACT: A single course of corticosteroids is recommended for pregnant women between 24 weeks and 34 weeks of gestation who are at risk of preterm delivery within 7 days. A single course of antenat...

Nonobstetric Surgery During Pregnancy

Number 474

(Replaces No. 284, August 2003)

ABSTRACT: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Obstetric Practice acknowledges that the issue of nonobstetric surgery during pregnancy is an important concern for phy...

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...

Gynecologic Care for Women With Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Number 117

(Reaffirmed 2012)

The increased use of screening tests has led to the identification of large numbers of women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Consequently, there is an increased role for obstetrician–gynecol...