In the last 2 episodes we covered new updates in menopausal hormone therapy. However, we did not address TESTOSTERONE use. This episode idea comes from one our podcast family members and good friend, Eric. Eric is 100% correct: Testosterone replacement, when done correctly, has come along way. When is this indicated? Is this endorsed by professional medical/endocrine groups? What’s the dose? We have fun stuff to review, so listen in!

1. Davis SR, Baber R, Panay N, Bitzer J, Perez SC, Islam RM, Kaunitz AM, Kingsberg SA, Lambrinoudaki I, Liu J, Parish SJ, Pinkerton J, Rymer J, Simon JA, Vignozzi L, Wierman ME. Global Consensus Position Statement on the Use of Testosterone Therapy for Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Oct 1;104(10):4660-4666. doi: 10.1210/jc.2019-01603. PMID: 31498871; PMCID: PMC6821450.

2. Sharon J. Parish, James A. Simon, Susan R. Davis, Annamaria Giraldi, Irwin Goldstein, Sue W. Goldstein, Noel N. Kim, Sheryl A. Kingsberg, Abraham Morgentaler, Rossella E. Nappi, Kwangsung Park, Cynthia A. Stuenkel, Abdulmaged M. Traish, Linda Vignozzi, International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health Clinical Practice Guideline for the Use of Systemic Testosterone for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Women, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 18, Issue 5, May 2021, Pages 849–867, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.10.009

3. Levy, Barbara MD, MSCP; Simon, James A. MD, MSCP. A Contemporary View of Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Obstetrics & Gynecology 144(1):p 12-23, July 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005553

4. NAMS The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/professional/nams-2022-hormone-therapy-position-statement.pdf

This is a requested follow up to our most recent episode. Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) prescribing practices have evolved over the last few decades guided by the changing understanding of the treatment’s risks and benefits. We know that dose, route of administration, and choice of agent (estradiol versus a more synthetic option, and micronized progesterone over other progestins.) alter the risk benefit ratio. Compared to natural progesterone, synthetic progestins have 10-100- fold greater activity. Synthetic MPA is vasoconstrictive while natural progesterone and drospirenone cause vasodilation and lower blood pressure. Micronized progesterone is bioidentical to the hormone made endogenously and has efficient oral absorption. Progestogens come in oral and transdermal forms, and it can also be given vaginally. Is there data that micronized progesterone is safer for the breast for a menopausal hormone therapy? This podcast topic recommendation comes from one of our podcast family members. Listen for details.

1. Gompel A. Micronized progesterone and its impact on the endometrium and breast vs. progestogens. Climacteric. 2012 Apr;15 Suppl 1:18-25. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2012.669584. PMID: 22432812.

2. Stute P, Wildt L, Neulen J. The impact of micronized progesterone on breast cancer risk: a systematic review. Climacteric. 2018 Apr;21(2):111-122. doi: 10.1080/13697137.2017.1421925. Epub 2018 Jan 31. PMID: 29384406.

3. Eden J. The endometrial and breast safety of menopausal hormone therapy containing micronised progesterone: A short review. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2017 Feb;57(1):12-15. doi: 10.1111/ajo.12583. PMID: 28251642.

4. Asi N, Mohammed K, Haydour Q, Gionfriddo MR, Vargas OL, Prokop LJ, Faubion SS, Murad MH. Progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2016 Jul 26;5(1):121. doi: 10.1186/s13643-016-0294-5. PMID: 27456847; PMCID: PMC4960754.

5.AHA J Circulation: Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When, and How Long? 2023

There’s a lot of fear and misinformation around HRT, and one of the biggest myths is that HT is a highly significant cause of breast cancer. That is not the case. This is a remnant concept from 2002, with MANY caveats. Calls for the removal of the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) stems primarily from the outdated and limited nature of the data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study published in 2002. The WHI, while groundbreaking at the time, focused predominantly on a specific formulation of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in older, postmenopausal women, leading to concerns about its generalizability to the broader population of women considering HRT. This is why on July 17, 2025, the FDA met with a panel of experts, in open forum, to hear the petition of removing the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy. Listen in for details.

1. Writing Group for the Women's Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Principal Results From the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA.2002;288(3):321–333. doi:10.1001/jama.288.3.321

2. Manson JE, Crandall CJ, Rossouw JE, Chlebowski RT, Anderson GL, Stefanick ML, Aragaki AK, Cauley JA, Wells GL, LaCroix AZ, Thomson CA, Neuhouser ML, Van Horn L, Kooperberg C, Howard BV, Tinker LF, Wactawski-Wende J, Shumaker SA, Prentice RL. The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: A Review. JAMA. 2024 May 28;331(20):1748-1760. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.6542. PMID: 38691368.

3. NAMS: The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society (Menopause)

Well, I hate to say it, but I'm going to say it: "I Told You So". Back in 2019, we released an episode called "Mycoplasma genitalium: An Overlooked STI". Then, in Sept 2023, we released an episode called, "The Neglected STI", referring to trichomoniasis. Well, on July 22, 2025, a new commentary was released in the AJOG which is making the case why both Trich and MGen SHOULD be reportable STIs, yet they are currently not reportable. Listen in for details and a quick summary/reminder on therapy.

1. https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(25)00498-3/fulltext

2. https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/trichomoniasis.htm

3.https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/mycoplasmagenitalium.htm

Thank goodness for William Morton and Horace Wells- pioneers in anesthesia. Anesthesia has come a long way since them and there is even a professional medical society for OB anesthesia called SOAP. Today, August 07, 2025, there is a new Clinical Expert Series which was just released in the Green Journal. That publication (which is ahead of print) is titled, Key Management Considerations in Obstetric Anesthesiology, is our episode focus. Can you safely have an epidural placed if the patient has platelets under 100K? Can labor epidurals cause pyrexia alone? Do labor epidurals slow labor? Listen in for details.

1. Clinical Expert Series, Key Management Considerations in Obstetric Anesthesiology. Obstet Gynecol; ePub 08/07/2025.

2. ACOG PB 2017; 2019

3. Adams AK. Tarnished Idol: William Thomas Green Morton and the Introduction of Surgical Anesthesia. J R Soc Med. 2002 May;95(5):266–7. PMCID: PMC1279690.

4. Hegvik, Tor-Arne et al. Labor epidural analgesia and subsequent risk of offspring autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-national cohort study of 4.5 million individuals and their siblings.

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 228(2): 233.e1 - 233.e12

5. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/04/Epidural-use-at-birth-not-linked-to-autism-risk-study-finds.html

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a recognized and effective treatment for postpartum PTSD, particularly when related to a traumatic birth experience. EMDR helps individuals process traumatic memories and reduce the associated distress, allowing for a more adaptive way of remembering the event. On Aug 4, 2025, a new publication was released in AJOG pertaining to this therapy. What’s this latest randomized controlled trial data saying? Listen in for details.

    1. Hendrix YMGA, van Dongen KSM, de Jongh A, vanPampus MG. Postpartum Early EMDR therapy Intervention (PERCEIVE) study forwomen after a traumatic birth experience: study protocol for a randomizedcontrolled trial. Trials. 2021 Sep 6;22(1):599. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05545-6.PMID: 34488847

2.     Sajedi, S.S., Navvabi-Rigi, SD. & Navidian,A. Midwifery-led brief counseling on the severity of posttraumatic stresssymptoms of postpartum hemorrhage: quasi-experimental study. BMC PregnancyChildbirth 24, 729 (2024).

3.     8/4/25: Treatment of Traumatic Birth Experiencewith Postpartum Early Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy:Hendrix, Yvette M.G. A. et al.

4.     A Randomized Clinical Trial. American Journal ofObstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 0, Issue 0

Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) affects approximately 1 in 5,000 to 6,000 live births. Patau syndrome (also known as Trisomy 13) is even less common, occurring in about 1 in 8,000 to 12,000 live births. About 20% of cases of Patau syndrome are caused by translocation. On the other hand, approximately 10% of Edwards syndrome cases are caused by a genetic translocation. Both conditions result in a wide range of birth anomalies including the heart, kidneys, and brain as well as cognitive limitations. Both of these conditions are part of maternal cell free fetal DNA testing (NIPTs). Prenatal counseling for expectant parents whose fetus was found to have T13 or T18 once focused exclusively on options for pregnancy termination or postnatal comfort care, on the presumptive basis that all affected infants died. However, examination of contemporary outcomes for these infants suggests that death in the neonatal period is not universal, particularly for infants who receive intensive medical and surgical care after birth. Although severe cognitive and motor impairment and shortened lifespan are anticipated for all survivors, some infants with these disorders live for 1 year or more, and some attain social and interactive milestones, with positive quality of life noted by their caregivers. This has led to newly updated guidance released by the AAP on July 21, 2025. This is a marked shift in counseling for parents of an affected child. Here, we will review what this new guidance is, and what it isn’t. Listen in for details.

1.https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2025-072719/202649/Guidance-for-Caring-for-Infants-and-Children-With Guidance for Caring for Infants and Children With Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18: Clinical Report | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics

Delayed (AKA deferred) Cord Clamping (DCC) is extremely beneficial for both the preterm and term neonate. In September 2025, a new Clinical Practice Update (CPU) will be released by the ACOG regarding the amount of time DCC should be done for preterm newborns. This updates data from a Clinical Expert Series which was released in 2022, called “Management of Placental Transfusion to the Neonate”. Is the recommended amount of DCC 30 sec, 45 sec, or at least 60 seconds for preterm newborns? We will highlight this data in this episode. PLUS, we will very quickly summarize a separate yet related publication from JAMA Pediatrics regarding the use of supplemental O2 (100% PP face mask) during DCC for babies born at 22- 28 weeks. Listen in for details.

1. ACOG CPU, Sept 2025: “An Update to Clinical Guidance for Delayed Umbilical

Cord Clamping After Birth in Preterm Neonates”

2. ACOG Clinical Expert Series, Management of Placental Transfusion to the Neonate”; 2022.

3. JAMA PEDIATRICS (July 21, 2025): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2836681

Podcast family, in this episode we will reply to 2 questions raised by our 2 of our podcast family members. The first pertains to a real world, HORRIBLE tragedy of hepatic rupture in pregnancy (no identifiable information released). We will review how and why this happens and what is the single, 5-letter, clinical diagnosis that makes this a possibility. Secondly, we will answer this question: Can MagSo4 ALONE lead to pulmonary edema. The answer is YES. Listen in for details.

1. ACOG PB 222;2020

2. COMMONLY USED MAGNESIUM SULFATE UNCOMMONLY CAUSING PULMONARY EDEMAVYATA, VISHRUTH et al.CHEST, Volume 162, Issue 4, A1029

3. Singh Y, Kochar S, Biswas M, Singh KJ. Hepatic Rupture Complicating HELLP Syndrome in Pregnancy. Med J Armed Forces India. 2009 Jan;65(1):89-90. doi: 10.1016/S0377-1237(09)80072-5. Epub 2011 Jul 21. PMID: 27408207; PMCID: PMC4921511.

4. Escobar Vidarte MF, Montes D, Pérez A, Loaiza-Osorio S, José Nieto Calvache A. Hepatic rupture associated with preeclampsia, report of three cases and literature review. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2019 Aug;32(16):2767-2773. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2018.1446209. 

Polyhydramnios may be due to excess urine production or impaired fetal swallowing. The ACOG CO 831 states that mild, idiopathic polyhydramnios may be delivered at 39 weeks and 0 days and thereafter, but there is no specific mention regarding moderate to severe poly. In this episode we will cover delivery of moderate to severe poly. Is that data in SMFM consult series 46 (Evaluation and management of polyhydramnios)? The answer is both YES and NO. Listen in for details.

1. ACOG CO 831

2. SMFM CS 46

3. https://med.uc.edu/docs/default-source/obstetrics-and-gynecology-docs/ob-mfm-protocols/a-d/isolatd-amniotic-fluid-disorders.pdf?sfvrsn=75dc58e4_4