C-Section Tied to Higher Risk of Postpartum Surgical Complications in Women With IBD

Sonia Friedman, MD, the Center for Crohn’s and Colitis, Bente Mertz Nørgård, DMSc, MD, PhD, and colleagues conducted the first population-based study to evaluate postpartum surgical complications in women with IBD. They report strikingly higher rates after Cesarian section than after vaginal delivery.

Read More...

Brigham Launches Two Specialized Gynecologic Care Centers for Endometriosis and Fibroids

Pelvic endometriosis lesions
Pelvic endometriosis lesions

For patients with endometriosis, fibroids and uterine anomalies, finding the right care can be difficult. In some cases, physicians discount or misdiagnose their concerns and symptoms. In other cases, patients have a hard time finding the right provider — someone who will look beyond an individual symptom and also take their wishes and goals into account when designing a treatment plan.

Read More

New Tool for Reporting Incidents of Discrimination Reflects System-Wide Effort to Promote Health Equity

Discrimination based on factors like race, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status are widely pervasive throughout society. The medical field is no exception.

Read More

Beryl Benacerraf, MD, Awarded ‘Giant in Obstetrics and Gynecology’ by AJOG

Beryl Benacerraf, MDFrom her revolutionary work using ultrasound for prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies and gynecologic disorders to her discovery that linked nuchal thickening to an increased risk for fetal Down syndrome, Beryl Benacerraf, MD, has changed the way medicine is practiced.

Read More

NIH-Funded Efforts Center on How MicroRNAs Regulate Women’s Health

Pregnant woman and partner with hand on bellyClinical studies for new drugs and vaccines, including the recent trials that led to the approval of COVID-19 vaccines, generally exclude women who are pregnant or lactating. For that reason, little is known about how hormonal changes affect drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Read More

Trial Evaluates Novel Blood Test for Immediate Ovarian Cancer Risk

young woman getting blood drawn

Investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have a clinical trial underway to evaluate the utility and efficacy of a novel blood test that screens women for ovarian cancer risk. Led by Kevin Elias, MD, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the trial aims to enroll 500 women who are estimated to be at increased risk of developing the disease due to a family history of cancer or a known mutation in BRCA1, BRCA2 or another gene linked to ovarian cancer.

Read More

Double Discrimination: A Call to End Pay and Gender Disparities in Gynecologic Surgery

doctor ready for surgery

The disparity in pay between gynecologic surgery and other surgical specialties has been well-established. In a recent commentary, faculty from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Northwestern University describe the history of this issue and other influences that drive what they call “double discrimination” — lower pay in an area of surgery that has the largest proportion of female surgeons and one that serves primarily female patients.

Read More

Fresh Embryos From Fresh Donor Eggs Improve IVF Birth Rates

D5 Blastocyst
D5 Blastocyst

A retrospective study published by JAMA and conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that transferring fresh embryos grown from freshly retrieved donor eggs resulted in a higher live birth rate compared to frozen (cryopreserved and thawed) embryos from freshly retrieved donor eggs.

Read More

Helping Families Navigate Multiple Pregnancy and Beyond

two pairs of newborn feet

In order to meet the unique demands and concerns of mothers and families expecting twins, triplets or higher-order multiples, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) launched the Comprehensive Care Center for Multiples in December. It is the first center of its kind in Massachusetts and one of only a few in the United States.

Read More

New OB/GYN Chair: Reflections and Vision for Future

On October 1, 2020, Nawal M. Nour, MD, MPH, became the chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Upon assuming her role, Dr. Nour became the first African-American department chair at the Brigham, the first department chair of Sudanese descent and the third woman to be named to a chair role. Dr. Nour succeeded Robert L. Barbieri, MD, who served in the role for 27 years and helped establish the department as a world leader in compassionate clinical care, teaching, research, innovation and discovery.

Read More