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Review the contraceptive options you currently discuss with your female patients. Where does natural family planning enter into the conversation? You may want to include a discussion of the Standard Days Method (SDM). Defined as a fertility-awareness-based method, the SDM is appropriate for women with regular menstrual cycles between 26 and 32 days long. It identifies days 8-19 of the menstrual cycle as the fertile window the days when pregnancy is very likely.
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The first head-to-head comparison study of an ACE inhibitor and an angiotensin receptor blocker, to assess renoprotective effects in type 2 diabetes, has shown that the drugs are comparable in their benefit.
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Abdominal fat increases with advancing age and has been linked to increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While insufficient exercise and overeating certainly contribute to age-related acquisition of abdominal fat, hormonal and metabolic factors also have been implicated. Even thin individuals who exercise regularly display increased abdominal fat as they age.
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This study demonstrates that a sequential screening program that provides patients with first-trimester results and offers the option for early invasive testing or additional serum screening in the second trimester can detect 98% of trisomy 21-affected pregnancies. However, such an approach will result in 17% of patients being considered at risk and, hence, potentially having an invasive test.
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Raloxifene treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis is associated with a lower incidence of estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancer.
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Arguably the most important new trial to be reported in New Orleans was the African-American Heart Failure Trial; the use of a combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine in African-Americans with congestive heart failure.
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Promising advances are being made on the microbicide front: U.S. funding appears imminent for microbicide research and development, a new corporate partnership has been struck with an international research group to step up testing of antiviral AIDS gels, and a number of potential candidates are moving through the research pipeline.
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What is the policy for providing emergency contraception (EC) at your facility? About 81% of respondents to the 2004 Contraceptive Technology Update Contraception Survey say their facilities prescribe EC on site and provide emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) at any time, which continues a trend of strong support for the method.
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Should a woman who is obese and continues to gain weight on Depo-Provera [depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), Pfizer, New York City] be allowed to continue its use if she so desires? Are providers contributing to the health risk of obesity by allowing a woman to do so?
