9/22
Obstetrics
A summer optimizing obstetrics health care
A summer optimizing obstetrics health care
Second-year student Antoilyn Nguyen spent their summer as a researcher analyzing labor and delivery charts as part of a long-term cohort study to standardize labor induction for better and more equitable results.
A novel method for monitoring the ‘engine’ of pregnancy
A novel method for monitoring the ‘engine’ of pregnancy
By combining optical measurements with ultrasound, researchers were able to study oxygen levels in the placenta, paving the way for a better understanding of this complex, crucial organ.
High blood pressure conditions during pregnancy increase cardiovascular disease risk 10 years later
High blood pressure conditions during pregnancy increase cardiovascular disease risk 10 years later
A Penn Medicine study sheds light on challenges and potential solutions; Black women are particularly affected.
Daily micronutrient supplements during pregnancy reduce birth complications
Daily micronutrient supplements during pregnancy reduce birth complications
The results of a six-year study of nearly 100,000 women in Botswana suggest iron plus folic acid and vitamins is better at reducing adverse birth outcomes compared to iron or folic acid alone.
A mental health specialist is helping underserved moms find their way
A mental health specialist is helping underserved moms find their way
Lissette “Mitzy” Liriano, Chester County Hospital’s maternal mental health specialist, leads a support group called Moms Supporting Moms, in addition to dividing her time between the hospital and the mental health clinic, where she monitors a largely Hispanic population for mental health needs.
Key to detecting ovarian cancer early may be in the fallopian tubes
Key to detecting ovarian cancer early may be in the fallopian tubes
A lack of early detection or prevention strategies for ovarian cancer is a major cause of poor outcomes for patients, and most do not have a family history or inherited genetic risk, so there is a pressing need for the development of earlier detection methods.
Sister physicians share passion for local and global health equity
Sister physicians share passion for local and global health equity
Trina and Nicole Salva are both OB/GYNs in Philadelphia whose outreach extends to underserved communities in the city, and to the Philippines—their family’s birthplace.
Helen Octavia Dickens: An expanded view of a trailblazing OB-GYN
Helen Octavia Dickens: An expanded view of a trailblazing OB-GYN
Helen Octavia Dickens was not only the first African American woman faculty member in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn, but a vital leader in the community advocating for preventive health for women and teen girls of color.
Pregnancy and opioid-use disorder: How to keep pregnant patients and babies healthy
Pregnancy and opioid-use disorder: How to keep pregnant patients and babies healthy
At the Perinatal Resources for Opioid Use Disorder (PROUD) Clinic at Penn Family Care, patients are screened for mental health conditions and supported with integrated care before, during, and after pregnancy.
Heart Safe Motherhood Program boosts access to care for at-risk new mothers
Heart Safe Motherhood Program boosts access to care for at-risk new mothers
A first-of-its-kind program created by Penn Medicine has radically altered how preeclampsia is treated. Heart Safe Motherhood enables doctors to monitor new mothers with high blood pressure remotely, from the comfort of their own home.
In the News
The New York Times
What to know before getting an IUD
Sarita Sonalkar of the Perelman School of Medicine says that IUDs are safe and effective.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn Medicine’s first living-donor uterus transplant leads to new life and new friendship
Penn Medicine personnel performed a successful live-donor uterus transplant. “How you define success is not if the organ is surviving transplant, like other transplants,” said Nawar Latif. “The outcome we need is to have a healthy baby at the end.”
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Today
Uterus transplant enables woman to have a baby after doctors said she couldn’t
Kathleen O’Neill of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about a Penn Medicine uterus transplant trial. “These women have ovaries, they have eggs, they just don’t have the uterus to gestate the pregnancy,” said O’Neill. “So once we are able to give them that uterus, the vast majority get pregnant and have babies.”
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The Washington Post
2019 was the safest year for women to give birth globally. Then, the pandemic hit
Elizabeth Howell of the Perelman School of Medicine co-wrote an op-ed about global maternal mortality rates, which have risen dramatically since the pandemic began. “Reversing the trajectory of maternal mortality requires action on a global scale,” she said.
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The New York Times
The White House issues its first-ever proclamation on Black maternal health
Elizabeth Howell of the Perelman School of Medicine said that severe maternal morbidity, in which women experience severe complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, impacts more than 50,000 U.S. women each year. “Similar to maternal mortality, Black and brown women have elevated rates of maternal morbidity,” she said.
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The New York Times
I sang through labor to manage the pain
Veena Graff of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on how singing may be able to aid the birth process. “Mechanistically, the act of singing helps with breathing and is a great distraction method, which in turn can relax a woman while experiencing labor pains,” she said.
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