Obstetrics | Dr. Lori Gore-Green | Gynecology and Obstetrics

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on November 30, 2020

Common Myths Surrounding In Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertilization process that occurs outside of the female’s body. The ovum or ova is removed from the body and artificially fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. The zygote is implanted into the uterus, which creates a pregnancy. There are many facts and myths to clarify about the IVF procedure.

IVF Involves Using the Same Method in All Facilities

In fact, over a dozen methods are used to fertilize eggs in vitro. Natural IVF includes several forms, such as the use of drugs or no drugs, a frozen embryo transfer or the use of a GnRH antagonist protocol. Other methods include ovarian hyperstimulation, final maturation induction and co-incubation.

Certain Foods Increase Your Chances of Pregnancy

Some women claim that eating pineapple or Brazil nuts can increase your chances of getting pregnant. Despite the healthy enzymes and chemicals in these foods, this theory is not proven to benefit the process of embryo implantation.

IVF Is Only Recommended for Infertility

A couple that can conceive but suffers from genetic disorders can pursue an IVF treatment. This is done to prevent the child from developing a serious disorder. IVF is available to any couple who cannot conceive naturally and need assistance.

IVF is the Only Solution to Get Pregnant

There are the additional methods of surrogacy, sperm injections and medication use. Surrogacy is the process of transferring the egg into another woman’s body or using the surrogate’s own egg. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) involves injecting sperm directly into the egg using a medical instrument. Fertility medications are taken to stimulate the development of follicles in the ovaries.

Multiple Births Are a Risk Factor

This side effect occurs only when multiple embryos are transferred out of the body. This practice is not recommended because it could lead to short-term and long-term pregnancy complications. Many countries have strict restrictions to the number of embryo transfers that can be made. However, there are widespread problems with a lack of compliance with the law.

IVF has numerous rules and regulations that vary by country. In addition, society has countless superstitions and myths about pregnancy. It’s important to distinguish fact from fiction for any couple that’s struggling to conceive and is considering in vitro fertilization.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Health, OBGYN, Pregnant, Safety, Women's Health Tagged With: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Gynecology, In Vitro Fertilization, IVF, Obstetrics, pregnancy, women's reproductive health, Womens Health

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on October 2, 2018

5 Other Reasons to Visit Your OB-GYN

A trusted OB-GYN is a critical part of any woman’s professional health team, whether or not you intend to have children. An OB-GYN makes sure your vagina is healthy and your reproductive system is in good working order. But, did you know that you can go to your OB-GYN for more than just those two things?

Screening for Breast Cancer

Think of your OB-GYN as the first line of defense in detecting breast and colon cancers. If your annual appointment includes a breast exam, your obstetrician should be the first to notice any strange growths or changes in your breasts. OB-GYNs can also do rectal exams.

Treating Depression

Though OB-GYNs are not psychiatrists, they’re still trained to screen for and evaluate mood disorders. Depending on the case, your doctor could start you on medication or refer you to psychiatrist. Because of your emotional connection with your OB-GYN, especially if they treated you through a pregnancy, they are a safe person to confide in and share your concerns with. If you’re pregnant, your doctor will also be knowledgeable on how the medication will impact both you and the baby, as well.

Skin Checks

Of course, while a dermatologist is trained to look for signs of skin cancer, your OB-GYN can still perform skin checks. And given how most people have between ten to forty moles, it’s not a bad idea to get a skin check during your annual visit. In the event they notice any suspicious growths, they can alert you early on and get you into the office of a dermatologist to take a closer look.

Family Planning

Unsurprisingly, as they have many pregnant patients, OB-GYNs are great resources in terms of family planning. Whether that means you discuss certain genetic conditions you could pass on or figuring out how to have “the talk” with your daughters, your OB-GYN can help address your fears and provide you with the most current information.

Bone and Joint Issues

Millions of women across the country develop osteoarthritis, which can be a devastating joint problem, and it can happen a good way away from the beginning of menopause. By measuring and recording your height yearly, your OB-GYN can catch signs like losing height. They can also perform bone scans to keep an eye on your mineral levels. If they can catch the development early on, you’ll be much better off.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Health, OBGYN Tagged With: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, gynecologist, Gynecology, health, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, physician, women, Womens Health

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on September 18, 2018

Top 4 Pregnancy Podcasts

Being pregnant is an exciting time for expectant parents, but it can also be a lot of new information and uncertainty, especially when it’s the first child. Parents often turn to books for what to expect, but if you’ve tried all of them and still want to know more, try a podcast! There are entire series dedicated to the topic of pregnancy, parenthood, and everything in between, and you can even listen to them while you’re work or in the car.

If you’re new to podcasts but looking to try one out, consider one of these:

Birthful

Although the host Adriana Lozada isn’t a doctor, her guests come from various medical backgrounds, and they cover a wide range of subjects, drawing on their professional knowledge as well as their own personal experiences. The topics include not just pregnancy, but also the birthing process, breastfeeding, postpartum, and parenting, and each episode is meant to provide tips and tools that new parents can utilize and fit to their own lifestyles. As a birth doula and mother, Adriana’s tone is conversational and knowledgeable, and offers many different perspectives that anyone can enjoy.

Pregnancy Confidential

At only thirty-two podcasts, each one between ten and twenty minutes, Pregnancy Confidential is an easy way to learn about the physical, emotional, and lifestyle markers of that week of pregnancy. From the editors of Parents, Fit Pregnancy, and Baby magazines, this podcast feels more like a conversation among friends that slip right into your day.

Not By Accident

Not By Accident is hosted by Sophie Harper, and in each episode, she talks about what it’s like to be a single mother by choice. This may ring true for parents in similar situations, but it’s also a great podcast for anyone who loves storytelling in general to take a listen to. There are only thirty-four episodes so far, and each one is honest and poignant.

Rockstar Birth Radio

Shalome Stone is seeking to reframe the narrative of being pregnant, and take it from something scary to enriching and inspiring, and she uses her podcast Rockstar Birth Radio to do it. Instead of pain and fear, Shalome Stone wants each mother to embrace the experience and find joy in the process of growing a baby. It’s empowering and uplifting, with wisdom from experienced mothers, as well as the stories of the births of their children. There is information about almost any kind of birth experience you can imagine, and provides a community that expectant mothers can truly find a place with.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Health, New Moms, Pregnant Tagged With: Babies, childbirth, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, gynecologist, health, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, pregnancy, pregnant, women, Womens Health

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on May 14, 2018

C-Section Rates Too High in China

The C-section rate in China stands at about 50% of all deliveries and must be reduced.

According to a commentary recently published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and summarized in an article completed for Science Daily, the rate of cesarean sections in China is far too high and efforts need to be made to reduce the reliance on the procedure. The research completed for the commentary indicates that, of the sixteen million babies born in 2010, approximately half of them were delivered through cesarean section. However, the article did acknowledge that the exact rate of births by cesarean section, but the literature available on the topic in China indicates that the rate of C-sections could range anywhere between thirty six percent and fifty eight percent.

Several reasons for the priority placed on cesarean sections are discussed. With the existing high number of deliveries occurring in the nation, cesarean sections may simply be the preferred method, due to the advantages of managing an enormous volume of births with limited resources. There are also a series of financial incentives for hospitals and physicians who engage in cesarean sections as opposed to traditional vaginal deliveries. Insurance is more willing to cover the costs of childbirth, if the baby is delivered by cesarean section. Physician and hospital revenues are also increased with the procedure as well; in addition, physician salaries are often supplemented, based in patient volume and collections. In this sense, cesarean sections allow for a higher salary for physicians, as they collect more than traditional vaginal deliveries.

Money also plays a role in the staffing influences over choosing cesarean sections as the preferred method of delivery. Staffing levels in China public hospitals are low and limited, due to government regulation. Per one thousand people in the population, there is only one and a half nurses or midwives. As cesarean sections require less nursing hours when compared to vaginal deliveries, it makes sense to pursue this avenue in the interest of staffing. Finally, training is varied and inconsistent in obstetrics and gynecology in China; less than two percent of physicians complete a masters or PhD level in their training.

There is also a factor of patient preference. Since the One Child Policy has been passed, mothers demand perfect outcome on the one and only attempt, particularly in wards that don’t offer pain control, epidurals or much nursing support. Fundamentally, there is a fear of labor that inclines mothers towards cesarean sections. However, in November, a less strict version of the One Child Policy is expected to go into action, which would allow for the birth of a second child. With the increased number of births would come an increased reliance on cesarean sections; therefore, the commentary postulates that this will force medical professionals to return once more to traditional vaginal deliveries, as to cut back on the risks in childbirth.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green Tagged With: birth, BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, c-section, cesarean section, childbirth, China, cost effective, deliveries, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Gynecology, high rate, insurance, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, physician, traditional, vaginal deliveries

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on May 26, 2014

World Health Organization Increases Access to Safe Blood for Pregnant Women

Women lose a large amount of blood during pregnancy and childbirth.

In a recent article published by FIGO, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The World Health Organization (WHO) is making an attempt to further reduce maternal mortality rates by providing better access to safe blood. WHO is targeting this call to governments to improve access to safer and cleaner blood. During pregnancy, after pregnancy and during childbirth, severe bleeding is the world’s leading cause of maternal deaths. This severe bleeding can unfortunately kill a healthy woman in as little as two hours, unless she receives appropriate careas soon as possible.

The World Health Organization is taking action to make sure that these child bearing women receive clean blood transfusionsto keep them healthy.

With increasing the access to safe blood, a large number of women’s lives could be saved with the help of blood transfusions. However, in order to have a blood transfusion, there needs to be access to safe blood for the doctors to use and this is where the problem lies. According to WHO director, Dr. Margaret Chan, “If all facilities provided safe blood for transfusion, many of these mother’s lives could be saved.” This being said, there is still a major need and shortage for safe blood to provide to patients. This continues to prove to be the main contributor to high maternal mortality in many countries.

Many hope that World Blood Donor Day will draw attention to issues surrounding blood supplies to women who are in desperate need of healthy, clean blood. It will be marked as a global event in Colombo, Sri Lanka in order to raise awareness in other countries.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green Tagged With: blood supplies, blood transfusions, childbirth, clean blood, death, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, FIGO, Gynecology, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, maternity, mortality, Obstetrics, pregnancy, The World Health Organization, WHO, women, World Blood Donor Day

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on April 28, 2014

Study Finds that Hormone Treatments Extend Survival of Lung Cancer

Hormones may be utilized for several purposes.

A study was recently conducted by Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH, of Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit, Michigan. Schwartz was the lead author on the study, which sought to observe the potential connection between hormone use and lung cancer outcomes in women. The findings of the study were published in the March issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s journal—the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. An article recently completed by Science Daily summarized the study and the findings.

Four hundred and eighty five women were included in the study. At the start of the study, baseline data was collected, which included the stage of the disease at diagnosis, treatment type (surgery or radiation), smoking status, age, race and educational attainment. Once this data was gathered, the only factor taken under consideration was the use of hormone therapy and its ability to predict the survival outcomes in women with lung cancer. Some women were treated with just estrogen; others were given a combination of estrogen and progesterone. On average, women diagnosed with lung cancer without any hormone therapy as treatment survive 37.5 months. Those who are given hormone therapy survive, on average, eighty months. Specific averages for patients given just estrogen survived approximately eighty-three months, while those who were provided with a combined treatment of estrogen and progesterone survived eighty-seven months.

From these findings, Schwartz was able to declare that reproductive and hormonal factors do influence women who have been diagnosed with non-small all lung cancer. However, she disclaims that research in this field is limited and that further studies would be required to observe the effect these treatments could have on long-term sufferers from lung cancer.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green Tagged With: Ann G. Schwartz, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, estrogen, Gynecology, hormones, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit, Michigan, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, physician, therapy, treatment, women

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on March 20, 2014

Physicians on Social Media

Social media can be a touchy subject for some individuals depending on their lifestyles, careers, areas of expertise, and so on. While social media can help many professionals, if an individual is not careful enough with what the put on the Internet, it is also something that can hurt. In a recent video on obgynnews.com, Dr. Matthew DeCamp, tells us what physicians specifically should leave off the Internet.

Matthew DeCamp is an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and in the Johns Hopkins division of general internal medicine. He expresses in this video that there are certain things that physicians post on their social media forums that can be detrimental to their careers and the lives of their patients. In particular, some dangerous areas to post about are alcohol consumption, profane language, or statements about patients – even without mentioning names.

Many times an individual in the medical field, or any professional field for that matter, will post something on social media that is derogatory or exploits someone’s personal business, and even when they think they are in the clear because they’ve kept names out of it, they are wrong. That patient may be identified by any other individual reading the post. As a physician, there are tons of documents that need to be signed and confidentiality is huge. There is never a reason for a doctor or nurse or assistant to be speaking about a patient or client on the Internet. This is absolutely an invasion of privacy.

Social Media is not a bad thing by any means, however the users must be extremely cautious of what is on their profiles, as well as what is in the fine print. Some social media profiles allow the public to see almost everything you put out there, so awareness is key. Educate yourself on every single profile you are on or wish to be on. Privacy settings are another very important part that individuals must read through entirely. Social media can be the perfect way to market and advertise a business or skill set as well. Learn how to make it a positive and stay away from anything questionable!

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green Tagged With: awareness, confientiality, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Gynecology, internet, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, physician, privacy settings, social media, Texas

by Dr. Lori Gore-Green on February 26, 2014

About Infertility

A number of women suffer from infertility. Infertility is the term for when women try to get pregnant and within a year of trying fails or has miscarriages. This can happen for several reasons.

Women’s ovaries provide them with tons of eggs throughout their lifetime. Normally, during ovulation, eggs are released from the ovaries and they travel down the fallopian tube until they are fertilized. If these eggs are not used, they are shed during a woman’s menstrual cycle. For women who are infertile, they either re not producing the eggs at all, or they are producing eggs that cannot be fertilized. Premature Ovarian failure or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome may be the reason for these two problems.

The good news is that there are treatments for infertility that include medicine, reproductive technologies or surgery. Sometimes it is difficult to find out if one is infertile. The process takes time because everyone’s body is different. It also takes time to find the treatment that is best for each individual.

Infertility in women can come from her environment, a physical problem, lifestyle factors or hormones. Men can also be infertile. 1/3 of the time it is because of the man, 1/3 of them time it is because of the woman, and the other 1/3 of the time, no specific issue is found. More good news is that 2/3 of couples who cannot have children and are found infertile and treated for it, they are then able to have children.

The medical world is extremely advanced and will just keep advancing. When it comes to technology, it has really helped doctors save lives and create lives. Infertility no longer means you absolutely cannot have children, there is usually an answer.

Filed Under: Dr. Lori Gore-Green Tagged With: Dr. Lori Gore-Green, Gynecology, infertile, infertile men and women, infertility, infertility causes, infertility treatments, medical industry, OB/GYN, Obstetrics, physician