You know when a professional association recommends doing fewer procedures for which its members get paid, there’s probably a good reason. That’s the case with delivering a child by cesarean section. The American Congress of Obstetricians and gynecologists (ACOG) recently called on its members and all medical practitioners to stop doing so many C-sections. As….
Continue ReadingObstetrics/Prenatal Care
A Case Study of Tort Reform’s Misleading Claims
The essence of a long and fascinating examination of a lawsuit over a newborn’s brain damage by Steve Cohen on Forbes.com was distilled nicely on PopTort.com, the civil justice site of the Center for Justice & Democracy. It concerned tort reform, which, as regular readers of this blog know, is the misguided movement to restrict….
Continue ReadingWhat Drugs Can You Take Safely During Pregnancy?
Innumerable websites offer information about medicines that pregnant women can take safely. But because evidence is limited about many of the drugs listed and because the advice about them is inconsistent, the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety conducted a review to see if their guidance is reliable. Guess what? In many cases, it’s not. And….
Continue ReadingDeath of a Young Mother on Downton Abbey: An All-Too-Realistic Plotline
When Downton Abbey’s Lady Sybil died of eclampsia seizures just after giving birth, many viewers wondered: Could it really happen? The answer is yes. Lady Sybil had undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, a condition that affects as many as one in ten pregnant women. It causes high blood pressure (typically at or above 140/90) and protein in the….
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