Matthew L. Zerden

Barriers to Receiving Long-acting Reversible Contraception in the Postpartum Period.

OBJECTIVE To assess why postpartum women who desired long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) did not receive it in the postpartum period and to assess which contraceptive methods they were using instead. STUDY DESIGN This was a subgroup analysis of 324 women enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial to receive or not receive an educational LARC script during their postpartum hospitalization. Participants in this subgroup analysis stated that they were either using LARC (n = 114) or interested in using LARC (n = 210) during a follow-up survey completed after their scheduled 6-week postpartum visit. Modified Poisson regression analysis was used to assess for characteristics associated with using LARC by the time of the follow-up survey. RESULTS Women who were interested in LARC but not using it were more likely to be multiparous (relative risk [RR], 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19-2.11) and to have missed their postpartum visit (RR, 25.88; 95% CI, 3.75-178.44) compared with those using LARC. Among the interested 210 who were not using LARC, the most common reasons provided for non-use were that they were told to come back for another insertion visit (45%), missed the postpartum visit (26%), and could not afford LARC (11%). The most common contraceptive methods used instead of LARC were barrier methods (42%) and abstinence (19%); 18% used no contraceptive method. CONCLUSION Two-thirds (65%) of postpartum women who desired to use LARC did not receive it in the postpartum period and used less effective contraceptive methods. Increasing access to immediate postpartum LARC and eliminating two-visit protocols for LARC insertion may increase postpartum LARC use. As the Affordable Care Act moves toward full implementation, it is necessary to understand the barriers that prevent interested patients from receiving LARC.

Intrauterine Device Placement During Cesarean Delivery and Continued Use 6 Months Postpartum: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare intrauterine device (IUD) use at 6 months postpartum among women who underwent intracesarean delivery (during cesarean delivery) IUD placement compared with women who planned for interval IUD placement 6 or more weeks postpartum. METHODS: In this nonblinded randomized trial, women who were undergoing a cesarean delivery and desired an IUD were randomized to intracesarean delivery or interval IUD placement. The primary outcome was IUD use at 6 months postpartum. A sample size of 112 (56 in each group) was planned to detect a 15% difference in IUD use at 6 months postpartum between groups. RESULTS: From March 2012 to June 2014, 172 women were screened and 112 women were randomized into the trial. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Data regarding IUD use at 6 months postpartum were available for 98 women, 48 and 50 women in the intracesarean delivery and interval groups, respectively. A larger proportion of the women in the intracesarean delivery group were using an IUD at 6 months postpartum (40/48 [83%]) compared with those in the interval group (32/50 [64%], relative risk 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.66). Among the 56 women randomized to interval IUD insertion, 22 (39%) of them never received an IUD; 14 (25%) never returned for IUD placement, five (9%) women declined an IUD, and three (5%) had a failed IUD placement. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine device placement at the time of cesarean delivery leads to a higher proportion of IUD use at 6 months postpartum when compared with interval IUD placement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I

Intrauterine Anesthesia for Gynecologic Procedures: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of intrauterine local anesthesia in reducing pain associated with outpatient gynecologic procedures. DATA SOURCES: We searched online databases PubMed or MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov and hand-searched reference lists from reviews evaluating pain-control methods for gynecologic office procedures. We identified randomized controlled trials using intrauterine local anesthetic in gynecologic procedures. METHODS: Titles and abstracts were screened for 1,236 articles. We identified 45 potential articles for inclusion. We excluded 22 of these studies because: 1) they were not randomized controlled trials; 2) they did not describe a quantifiable dose of medication used in the study; 3) they did not investigate an intrauterine anesthetic; 4) they did not study a potentially awake, outpatient procedure; and 5) they did not clearly report results or represented duplicate publication. Twenty-three articles were ultimately included for review. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Two authors independently reviewed full search results and assessed eligibility for inclusion and independently abstracted data from all articles that met criteria for inclusion. Disagreements regarding eligibility or abstraction data were adjudicated by a third independent person. Our primary end point was the reported effect of intrauterine local anesthesia on patient-reported pain scores. As a result of heterogeneity in study methods, outcome measures, and reporting of outcomes, results could not be combined in a meta-analysis. Good evidence supports use of intrauterine anesthesia in endometrial biopsy and curettage, because five good-quality studies reported reduced pain scores, whereas only one good-quality study reported negative results. We found moderate evidence to support intrauterine anesthesia in hysteroscopy, because one good-quality study and two fair or poor quality studies reported reduced pain scores, whereas two good-quality studies had negative results. Good evidence suggests that intrauterine anesthesia is not effective in hysterosalpingography; three good-quality studies reported that pain scores were not reduced, and no good quality studies showed a beneficial effect in that procedure. Evidence was insufficient concerning first-trimester abortion, saline-infusion ultrasonogram, tubal sterilization, and intrauterine device insertion. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine local anesthesia can reduce pain in several gynecologic procedures including endometrial biopsy, curettage, and hysteroscopy and may be effective in other procedures as well.

Black Lives Matter: Claiming a Space for Evidence-Based Outrage in Obstetrics and Gynecology

The authors reflect on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) social movement in relation to the pregnancy-related deaths of black women in the U.S., and it mentions evidence-based outrage, racial disparities in medical research, and a call for obstetricians and gynecologists to prioritize racial equity in womens health care in America. The use of the phrase BLM in medical literature is examined, along with issues such as family planning for black women, maternal fetal medicine, and infertility.

Effect of an educational script on postpartum contraceptive use: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES Short interpregnancy intervals are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Increased postpartum use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) could reduce short interpregnancy intervals. Therefore, the primary objective of our study was to evaluate if a postpartum educational script about LARC (LARC script) could increase postpartum LARC utilization at the 6-week postpartum visit. STUDY DESIGN We completed a randomized controlled trial (1:1) of 800 postpartum women in Raleigh, North Carolina. Women were recruited from the postpartum unit and randomized to receive (intervention) or not receive (control) the LARC script prior to hospital discharge. We conducted follow-up phone interviews to assess LARC use after their 6-week postpartum visit. We used Pearsons chi-squared test to compare LARC use between arms. RESULTS Between May 2011 and January 2012, 400 women were randomized to each arm. Three hundred sixty-nine women (92.3%) in each arm were successfully contacted after their 6-week postpartum visit. LARC use was reported by 17.6% and 13.3% of women in the intervention and control arms, respectively (p=.103). CONCLUSIONS The LARC script did not increase LARC utilization at the 6-week postpartum visit. Future studies should evaluate interventions that address both educational and systematic barriers to postpartum LARC uptake. IMPLICATIONS Use of a postpartum educational script focused on the intrauterine device and contraceptive implant did not increase their utilization after the 6-week postpartum visit. Future studies should evaluate interventions that address both educational and systematic barriers to postpartum contraceptive uptake.

Pregnancy success after hysteroscopic sterilization reversal.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of hysteroscopic sterilization reversal by assessing pregnancy rates and identifying surgical complications. METHODS: All patients at a single center undergoing elective reversal of hysteroscopic sterilization for fertility were followed from January 2009 to May 2014. Eligible patients met prespecified criteria for outpatient surgery. Patients underwent outpatient reversal using a transverse suprapubic abdominal incision with tubouterine implantation performed with either bilateral cornual or single transverse posterior-fundal uterine incisions. Patients were evaluated on postoperative day 1, called the following day, and e-mailed at 2 weeks and 12 months. Pregnancy outcomes were assessed through a 12-month questionnaire and self-reporting using an Internet-based patient portal. Univariate analysis of patient and operative characteristics was performed. RESULTS: Seventy patients underwent bilateral tubouterine implantation and completed at least 12 months of follow-up. All surgeries were outpatient without any immediate operative complications. Four patients had complications between 2 and 30 days, none requiring extended hospitalization. Women who became pregnant were younger (mean age 34 years) than those who did not become pregnant (mean age 38 years). Twenty-five patients (36%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 25–47%) reported a total of 31 naturally conceived pregnancies. Twenty-seven percent (19/70, 95% CI 17–37%) of those undergoing surgery subsequently reported live births. A single pregnancy complication of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean delivery requiring transfusion was reported; no ectopic pregnancies were reported. CONCLUSION: Hysteroscopic sterilization can be reversed using tubouterine implantation and both pregnancy and live birth rates are promising. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

SMFM Special Report: Putting the “M” back in MFM: Addressing education about disparities in maternal outcomes and care

At the 36th Annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), leaders in the field of maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) convened to address maternal outcome and care inequities from 3 perspectives: (1) education, (2) clinical care, and (3) research. Meeting attendees identified knowledge gaps regarding disparities within the provider community; reviewed possible frameworks to address these knowledge gaps; and identified models with which to address key clinical issues. Collaboration and communication between all stakeholders will be needed to gain a better understanding of these prevailing disparities and formulate strategies to eliminate them.

Abnormally elevated serum hCG in a patient with end-stage renal disease seeking abortion: To be expected or a cause for concern? A case report

A patient with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis was referred to our abortion clinic with a concern for molar pregnancy. By 12 weeks, her human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level was over 500,000. A review of the literature demonstrates that elevated hCG should be expected in this population and should not alter care.