stroke risk, HPV screening, and more

This week at Contemporary OB/GYN®, we covered topics ranging from pregnancy complications linked to stroke risk to the adverse effects of abortion bans on pregnancy care. Click the links below to read anything you might have missed from Monday, August 18 to Friday, August 22, 2025.

The risk of stroke before the age of 50 years is increased in women with complications during pregnancy, according to a recent study published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, on August 6, 2025.

Complications of pregnancy linked to increased stroke risk included preterm birth, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, miscarriage, and stroke. Investigators noted that while this association was identified, the study did not prove that these complications are responsible for increased stroke risk among pregnant women.

“While the overall risk of stroke is still very low, our study found pregnancy complications may be an early warning sign of stroke risk—even before age 50,” said Frank-Erik De Leeuw, MD, PhD, study author from Radboud University. “Knowing this history could help doctors identify those who may benefit from early prevention and cardiovascular care.”

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A new modeling study projects that South Korea could eliminate cervical cancer within the next 2 decades, with timelines varying based on screening methods and vaccination coverage. Findings published in JAMA Network Open demonstrate that adopting high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing and increasing vaccination rates could accelerate elimination compared with current practices.

Under the current biennial Pap test program, South Korea is projected to achieve cervical cancer elimination by 2044. Extending the Pap interval to 5 years delayed elimination by a decade or more, while 3-year Pap testing produced similar outcomes to the current strategy.

Switching to hrHPV testing substantially improved outcomes. Biennial hrHPV testing could reduce cervical cancer cases by 20% to 27% and deaths by 11% to 14% compared with current Pap-based strategies. Under realistic assumptions, elimination could occur as early as 2038 with hrHPV testing, while in the ideal scenario, elimination could be achieved by 2034.

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Obstetric patients often face trauma and traumatic stress, indicating a need for interventions that enhance patient-centered care, according to a recent study published in Pregnancy.

Perinatal adverse outcomes linked to traumatic stress include pregnancy loss and infertility, with relative risks of 1.96 and 2.75, respectively, among patients with multiple ACEs. Pregnancy complications such as substance use, decreased sleep quality, gestational diabetes, and hypertensive disorders were also more common in these patients.

Adverse effects in offspring were also reported. This included children of mothers with PTSD having a mean increase of 3.6 points in their Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional score. Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, PTSD, and other psychological disorders were also more common in these children.

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The availability of an over-the-counter (OTC) oral contraceptive pill in the United States is significantly improving contraceptive access, particularly among individuals who previously used no method or relied on less-effective options, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

The researchers found a 31.8 percentage point increase in individuals moving from nonuse of contraception to using the OTC pill, compared with prescription users. Similarly, there was a 41.0 percentage point increase in transitions from less-effective methods, such as condoms or emergency contraception, to the OTC pill.

“These findings suggest that removing prescription requirements for [the oral contraceptive pill] can expand contraceptive access, particularly for underserved populations, such as the uninsured and those in rural areas,” the authors concluded.

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In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Katrina Kimport, PhD, professor in the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program at the University of California, San Francisco, discussed her study evaluating the impact of abortion bans and restrictions implemented in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Dobbs) decision on pregnancy care.

Researchers interviewed clinicians who had treated patients affected by these laws, either in states with strict abortion bans or in states where abortion remains legal but received patients from more restrictive regions. The study revealed a stark disconnect between what clinicians were medically trained to do and what they were legally allowed to do under the new restrictions. This gap resulted in patients receiving substandard care, leading to preventable and sometimes severe health consequences.