{"title":"Abortion methods: the pros and cons of medical and surgical termination of pregnancy","authors":"Alina-Maria Guna, Kimberley Raynsford","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Termination of pregnancy, also known as abortion, is a common medical procedure undertaken to end a pregnancy. It is a complex and sensitive topic influenced by medical, ethical, legal, and societal factors. Broadly, termination of pregnancy can be classified into two main methods: medical termination and surgical termination. Each approach has its own indications, contraindications, benefits, and risks. This article provides an exploration of these methods, discussing their pros and cons, and signposts to guidelines and resources. This article was designed to provide a concise read on surgical and medical termination of pregnancy, focusing on the pros and cons of each method, risks and benefits, technique and implications. Further, learning on the subject can be found in the guidelines and resources mentioned at the end of this article, suggested for preparation for MRCOG Part II.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 6","pages":"Pages 149-153"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An individualised approach to the management of pre-existing mental health conditions in pregnancy and puerperium","authors":"Elizabeth Swift, Nawal Nasir, Kathryn Parry","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing incidence of perinatal mental health conditions presents a substantial financial challenge to the NHS and significantly affects mothers, birthing individuals, and unborn children if untreated. The literature emphasises that many postnatal psychiatric conditions in women begin during the antenatal period. This article delves into case studies to illustrate some common presentations in perinatal mental health, particularly focusing on antenatal and postnatal management. It underscores the critical role of an individualised birth care plan in enhancing patient outcomes. Through these cases we demonstrate that timely intervention during pregnancy could potentially mitigate the severe postpartum consequences associated with maternal mental health conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 6","pages":"Pages 154-160"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bernadette Jenner, William Jenner, Rahul Chattopadhyay, Catriona J Bhagra
{"title":"Maternal cardiac disease in pregnancy","authors":"Bernadette Jenner, William Jenner, Rahul Chattopadhyay, Catriona J Bhagra","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The 2024 MBRRACE-UK report showed a rise in overall maternal mortality, with deaths from cardiac disease remaining the main indirect cause, barring deaths from COVID-19. Advancing maternal age and a rise in cardiovascular co-morbidities, along with improvements in congenital heart disease management and assisted reproductive technology have all contributed to an increasingly complex maternity population with higher pregnancy risks. Despite improvements in obstetric and cardiac care, health inequalities for women with multiple comorbidities, socio-economic deprivation and those from Black and Asian ethnic groups persist, with these groups being more likely to have poor cardiovascular and pregnancy outcomes. In this review we consider the importance of pre-conception counselling for women with known heart disease, review the physiological changes of pregnancy and explore maternal risk, from a cardiovascular perspective. Importantly, management of women with moderate to severe heart disease during pregnancy should be delivered by the pregnancy heart team, as coined by the European Society of Cardiology in its 2018 guidelines. Individualized care empowers trust and shared decision making, and early access to multidisciplinary care is vital in optimizing maternal and fetal outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 4","pages":"Pages 101-110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modern approaches to surgical treatment for female stress urinary incontinence","authors":"Natalia Price, Paul Moran","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a prevalent condition, affecting a significant proportion of women, with 13.6% requiring surgical intervention during their lifetime. Surgical treatments primarily aim to provide suburethral support or enhance urethral closure mechanisms. Traditionally, colposuspensions and autologous rectus fascial slings have been considered effective first-line surgical options for managing SUI. These procedures have shown reliable outcomes in terms of symptom relief and long-term efficacy. The use of midurethral tapes, once the most popular treatment option in the UK, is currently suspended due to the concerns about the risk of chronic pelvic pain and vaginal mesh exposure. It remains an option for women with deemed ‘exceptional circumstances’ and may be cautiously reintroduced into practice with certain prerequisites. The mesh ‘pause’ has driven a much-improved process of patient counselling, expectation setting, utilizsation of the ‘MDT’, enhanced surgical standards and data collection. It has led to a reassessment of surgical approaches. The current trend is for many women to request intra-urethral bulking (Bladder neck injection) as a first line procedure to treat primary SUI. There is a renewed focus on established methods like colposuspension, open or laparoscopic, and modified autologous fascial ‘sling on a string’. These procedures avoid mesh related risks but are associated with different risks such as new onset vaginal prolapse and post-operative voiding difficulty, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 4","pages":"Pages 89-97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marika Ai Victoria Reinius, Arjun David Napier Kingdon
{"title":"Principles of palliative care for advanced gynaecological cancers","authors":"Marika Ai Victoria Reinius, Arjun David Napier Kingdon","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Women with gynaecological malignancies often suffer significant physical and psychological symptom burden throughout the course of their disease. Despite advances in treatment, up to 25% of women diagnosed with a gynaecological cancers will die from recurrent disease. A palliative approach – delivered by the Gynaecology team, supported by a Specialist Palliative Care team as needed – can be offered alongside curative or life prolonging treatment as well as at end of life. This article reviews the management of common physical symptoms and complications experienced by patients with advanced gynaecological malignancies, including pain, nausea and vomiting, malignant bowel obstruction, constipation, malignant ascites, fistulating and fungating disease, anaemia and bleeding, and ureteric obstruction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 4","pages":"Pages 111-118"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aetiology and management of postcoital and intermenstrual bleeding: a review of literature","authors":"Bidisha Chatterjee, Helen Bolton","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Post coital bleeding (PCB) and intermenstrual bleeding (IMB) are common gynaecological complaints that can result from a wide range of benign, infective, hormonal, structural, psychological and malignant conditions. Though a majority of these cases are benign in nature, persistent and unexplained bleeding warrants detailed assessments to rule out any sinister pathology. It can be a source of great distress in women and a comprehensive evaluation not only facilitates diagnosis and management but also can significantly improve the quality of life of the patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 4","pages":"Pages 98-100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The current landscape of obstetrics and gynaecology surgical training in the UK","authors":"Hannah Pierce, Naomi Harvey","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The surgical landscape of obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) in the UK has shifted dramatically over the past decade, influenced by advances in minimally invasive techniques, outpatient procedures, and non-surgical options. While these innovations improve outcomes and patient satisfaction, they have also reduced training opportunities for essential open and vaginal procedures, creating challenges for skill development in the next generation of surgeons. The rise in complex obstetric procedures, such as Caesarean births and morbidly adherent placenta cases, further widens the gap between surgical demands and resident preparedness. Simulation training and regional collaboration offer potential solutions, yet resource constraints and disparities in access hinder their widespread adoption. Additionally, O&G educators face increasing pressures due to lack of time and funding for training. Addressing these challenges through systemic reforms and investment in simulation technology and educator support is essential to prepare O&G surgeons for the evolving complexities of modern surgical practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 6","pages":"Pages 167-169"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Abdominal pain in pregnancy","authors":"Megan Wright, Alec McEwan","doi":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ogrm.2025.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abdominal pain in pregnancy is a common presentation to obstetric triage, although the wide range of differentials present a diagnostic challenge. Thorough history and examination are vital in forming differential diagnoses. Investigations should then be tailored to the clinical picture, allowing timely diagnosis and management of the underlying cause. Here we discuss the history, examination, investigation and management of abdominal pain in pregnancy though three case vignettes. Good supportive management is the mainstay of care for the majority of cases, though surgical intervention and early delivery are occasionally necessary. Consideration is given to obstetric, gynaecological, medical and surgical causes of abdominal pain in pregnancy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53410,"journal":{"name":"Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine","volume":"35 6","pages":"Pages 161-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}