ABSTRACT
Chronic medical problems and the various medications available to treat them represent an enormous volume of information for the practicing obstetrician. The agents commonly encountered are reviewed here and current literature is explored, where available, including the literature on folates in pregnancy.
Subject(s)
Drug Therapy , Pregnancy Complications/drug therapy , Pregnancy/drug effects , Female , Humans , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine if oral contraceptive use necessitates more than a yearly visit. STUDY DESIGN: Outpatient files of all patients in a gynecologic clinic were evaluated. Patients who were started on oral contraceptives were identified. The findings on their return visits at 6 months and 12 months were compared for any significant differences. RESULTS: There was no increased incidence of elevation in blood pressure noted at the 6-month visit when compared to the 12-month visit. Likewise, there was no significant difference in the incidence of abnormal findings on breast and pelvic examinations at the 6-month visit as compared to the 12-month visit. CONCLUSION: Annual evaluations for patients on low-dose oral contraceptives are adequate. The patients who attended this clinic were working-class, middle-aged women, and as such the data from this study may not be applicable to the population at large.
