Dr. Chapa’s OBGYN Clinical Pearls

Latest Episodes:

New Data (July 8, 2024) for Maternal RSV Vaccine Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

RSV season is just around the corner (Fall and Winter months). Newborns are 16x more likely to be hospitalized with serious RSV lung infection than the flu. On August 21, 2023, the FDA approved the first RSV vaccine, Abrysvo, for use in pregnant individuals to protect newborns and infants against severe RSV disease in the first 6 months after birth. The FDA approved the vaccine to be administered between 32 and 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation. Then, on September 22, 2023, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend a single dose of maternal RSV vaccination for pregnant people at 32 through 36 weeks of gestation, using seasonal administration, to prevent RSV lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in infants.This resulted in the ACOG’s endorsement, also in September 2023, of Abrysvo in pregnancy. However, the clinical trial resulting in the vaccine’s FDA approval noted “a numerical imbalance” for preterm birth occurrence (1% more) in vaccine recipients. Because of this, there was a call for additional “real world outcomes“ to see if this finding would be replicated outside of the trial. In this episode, we will summarize a brand new (July 8, 2024) publication from JAMA Network Open which provides this data, although some noteworthy study limitations must be acknowledged. Listen in for details!

Is Risk-Reducing OS for Ov Ca Overrated? Jul 08, 2024

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A substantial collection of evidence indicates that the fallopian tube serves as the primary site of origin for a large portion of high-grade serous ovarian cancers. As a result, clinical practice guidelines (including from the ACOG) recommend salpingectomy for permanent contraception- when necessary- rather than simple tubal ligation. But an August 2023 publication, in JAMA Network Open, stated that women who undergo a salpingectomy are no more or less at risk of ovarian cancer compared to traditional tubal ligation. Why? In this episode, we will summarize this controversial publication and contrast that to a systematic review the following month, in September 2023 in JAMA Surgery, which provides an alternative conclusion. Should we still perform opportunistic salpingectomies (OS) rather than tubal ligations in the average-risk patient? We’ll explain the data and provide clinical pearls for practice at the end of the episode. Thank you, Bret, for this clinical conundrum as a podcast episode recommendation! You ask…we do!

SAB: Which Genetic Test is Which, and When? Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

Approximately 20% to 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and there are many medical reasons why it may occur. About half are caused by chromosome aneuploidy. However, less than 5% of women will experience a second first trimester loss, and less than 1% will experience three early losses. The incidence of early spontaneous pregnancy loss increases by maternal age. In this episode, we will highlight an ACOG Clinical Expert Series from May 2024, which discussed the evaluation of recurrent pregnancy loss. Is genetic testing of the POC recommended after the first occurrence, 1st trimester spontaneous loss? If so, which test is the best? What genetic testing applies to parents, and when? Listen in for details.

Do Fireworks Harm a Pregnancy? Jul 04, 2024

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Happy Independence Day, America! We hope you are enjoying this wonderful, national holiday. Yep...Its a PARTY in the USA! In light of the festivities, here's a clinical question for us: Do fireworks affect the fetus? Even broader than that, do loud sounds in general affect the developing child? The answer is both YES and NO. Listen in to this short- yet fun- episode as we prepare to light the night up in celebration of our nation's independence.

Adolescents in the ED Need BC! Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

(Here’s a WONDERFUL QI Project for this New Residency Academic Year) With 70.8% of pregnancies among adolescents being unintended, there is a clear need for increased access to contraceptive services. Many adolescents use the emergency department (ED) as their primary healthcare source, highlighting the importance of providing comprehensive sexual health services in this setting. The risk of pregnancy is high among adolescents seeking ED care, indicating an opportunity to expand pregnancy prevention services in this setting. ED clinicians are in a unique position to address pregnancy prevention among adolescents. Novel ED staff training tools kits do exist for brief contraceptive counseling interventions during the ED visit for interested adolescents who present for any chief complaint. Talking to teens about contraceptives in the ED is feasible, acceptable, and allows ED staff to reach youth that may not have access or choose not to access medical care in any other setting. In this episode, we will summarize striking data from a recent publication (June 28, 2024), in JAMA Network Open, which revealed gaps in addressing contraceptive needs among vulnerable adolescent females and gaps in provisions of EC when needed. Additionally, we will propose an easy to adopt strategy to better equip Emergency Department staff for having these conversations.

Fear the 37.5-37.9 °C Temp with PROM? Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

PROM occurs in approximately 10% of pregnancies and leads to a risk of IAI in women that is 3 times higher than that in non-PROM women. The risk of early-onset sepsis of neonates born to mothers exposed to PROM is 20 times higher than in non-PROM mothers. An increasing time period with PROM increases the risk of infection for both mothers and newborns accordingly. Nonetheless, the ACOG states that there is insufficient evidence to justify the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics with PROM at term in the absence of an indication for GBS prophylaxis (ACOG PB217). HOWEVER, now that the ACOG has provided a clinical practice update on IAI (JULY 2027), emphasizing that the traditional “requirement” of maternal temperature of 38 °C (100.4F) need NOT be present for IAI diagnosis, new data suggests that febrile and infectious morbidity may be increased with PROM after 12 hrs with “low grade” maternal temps. In this episode, we will review the ACOG clinical practice update (briefly, as we covered that previously) in light of a June 11, 2024 AJOG publication analyzing the relation between low-grade fever during prolonged rupture of membranes (>12 hours) at term and infectious outcomes.

THANK YOU (for Daniel and Isaac) Jun 29, 2024

Show notes

Podcast Family, I hope this episode gives you pause and brightens your day 🌞. Just a quick work and acknowledgement to likley our YOUNGEST podcast family member and his mother, a Co-OBGYN preparing for oral Boards. 👏👏 Let this speak to you as the message spoke to me! (and introducing callmestevieray & Connor Price, whose words/song- “GRATEFUL”- always lightens my load). 🎶👏🎶👏🎶

Do OCPS Cause Hypothyroidism? Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

Oral Hormonal contraception gets the blame for a lot of things, including the development of hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting 5 to 10 times more women than men, and its prevalence increases with age. This association of OCPs with hypothyroidism comes from a controversial article in BMJ published in 2021, but is still very active in current social media posts. Does combination oral birth control cause hypothyroidism with prolonged use? Are birth control pills responsible for “micronutrient depletion” which negatively affects the thyroid? In this episode, we will explore and dissect this study and look at a January 2024 case-control study that provides an alternative conclusion. Listen in for details.

PROM: Pit or Cytotec? Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Podcast Fam, on March 27, 2024 our episode was called "Balloon for PROM: Yea or Nay". Although mechanical cervical balloons for induction were the focus, we also discussed which medication is better (based on published data) for labor induction after PROM. Well, in this episode, we pick up from March with ANOTHER NEW STUDY released today (June 25, 2024) in AJOG MFM. This RCT builds on the evidence that going straight to Pitocin (despite an unfavorable cervix) is the way to go after PROM. Although there are study design limitations, this is reassuring- and validating- information. Listen in for the "I TOLD YOU SO DANCE", and for details.

Maternal Stress & The Fetal Brain Jun 23, 2024

Show notes

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States, affecting nearly 1 in 5 adults, or 40 million people. Another 19 million adults – 8% of the population – has depression. Prenatal mood disturbances are known to affect the fetal brain, and endocrine system. Left amygdalar volumes were smaller in newborns whose mothers had high psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, a small cross-sectional study suggested. Infants of mothers with elevated maternal distress during the pandemic had median reductions in white matter, right hippocampal, and left amygdala volumes compared with neonates whose mothers had low distress levels, this is according to research from the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. This was published in JAMA Network Open on June 20, 2024 and is making the medical headlines. This is fascinating data. BUT, this is NOT new news. In this episode, we will review the concerning effect that maternal mood and stress has on the developing fetal brain, and how maternal stress may even be leading to changes in the child’s puberty! Listen in for details.

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