Dr. Chapa’s OBGYN Clinical Pearls

In May 2024, the FDA approved vaginal self-collection for HPV as a cervical cancer screening tool. This was limited to health care settings. While this self collection option can help address some of the emotional deterrents to a speculum examination, it fails to overcome the remaining substantial clinic access barriers cited among those who are underscreened, including time off work, arrangement...

In the US, an estimated 70-75% of women who give birth use an epidural for pain relief during labor. Epidural anesthesia during labor can affect bladder function by delaying the return of bladder sensation and potentially leading to urinary retention. This can be due to the nerves that control bladder function being affected by the epidural, reducing the sensation of bladder fullness and the urge...

At the end of April 2025, we released an episode summarizing the ERAS update for 2025. In that episode/update, we summarized the data on extended spectrum prophylactic antibiotics at cesarean section in patients living with obesity. The ERAS protocol recognized the value of oral cephalexin and metronidazole for 48 hours in patients with obesity who receive single agent Cephalosporin prophylaxis pr...

We have covered menopause on this show on various occasions. That’s fitting and non-surprising as we are a women’s health education podcast! While vaginal dryness and hot flashes get most of the attention in menopause, and they should, less attention often is given to skin changes. Nonetheless, these dermal manifestations of perimenopause and menopause can be just as disturbing to those affected....

In 2014, the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health together with the North American Menopause Society introduced the term “Genitourinary syndrome of menopause” to replace the prior term vulvovaginal atrophy. Ten years after that, in 2024, a related term “Genitourinary Syndrome of LACTATION, was introduced to better capture the genitourinary issues lactating women may exp...

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecologic condition that affects approximately 10–15% of women of reproductive age worldwide. For endometriosis related pelvic pain, continuous combination birth control pills have long been the first-line pharmacologic intervention of choice. But new data published May 15, 2025 (ahead of print) in Obstetrics and Gynecology is challenging that tradition. In this epis...

In August 2024, the CDC updated its MEC. This included a recommendation for local anesthesia for IUD/S placement and also had guidance regarding misoprostol for that procedure. Coming up in July 2025, the ACOG will officially release a new clinical consensus on “Pain Management for In-Office Uterine and Cervical Procedures”. Are these recommendations similar to the CDC’s? What about misoprostol? W...

Asthma is more prevalent in adult women than in adult men. Specifically, data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicates that 9.7% of adult women had asthma, compared to 5.5% of adult men. This higher prevalence is observed across various racial and ethnic groups within the adult female population. At the end of April 2025, new population-level data was published (UK) describing an...

Female Genital Mutilation (FGR) is condemned by the WHO, Unicef, and the US. Nonetheless, it is still being performed worldwide, and in North America. In this episode, we will recently published data (April 2025) from BMC regarding this practice. This episode's topic was brought to me by one of our podcast family members who currently has a pregnant patient with FGR. Does this patient require...

(Topic Requested): Serum Magnesium and Calcium have an intimate and complex relationship best described as “love-hate”. One of our podcast family members sent me this fascinating question: “Should we be following serum calcium levels in patients undergoing IV Mag Sulfate use in obstetrics, in order to identify dangerous hypocalcemia?...Should we be giving these patients prophylactic calcium?” Ther...

Some debates in medicine and in OBGYN are “the same ol’ thing”. Like the debate on when to remove the urinary catheter after a “routine” cesarean section. In the original 2019 ERAS publication, the authors stated that “immediate” removal of the urinary catheter was “strongly recommended”. This drew concern and criticism as being too early in the recovery process. Not, in the UPDATED ERAS guideline...

The term "genitourinary syndrome of menopause" (GSM) was introduced in 2014 by the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health and the North American Menopause Society (now the Menopause Society). This new term was created to replace older terms like vulvovaginal atrophy, urogenital atrophy, and atrophic vaginitis, and it encompasses the range of symptoms related to...

The ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) concept was initially developed for colorectal surgery in 1997 to standardize surgical protocols. The ERAS Society then first published a guideline for cesarean section (ERAC) in 2018-2019. Now, as of April 28, 2025, the ERAS Society has released a NEW UPDATE for ERAS-CS. In this episode we will focus on 2 main areas: 1. Vaginal prep at CS, and 2.Extended...

I know this sounds braggadocious, but I'm going to say it anyway: I work with some incredible people! We recently released a podcast on updated TOLAC uterine rupture data. One of our former residents reached out to me with a question about this: “Did they include interdelivery interval in their assessment?” You see, I work with really smart people! There's an answer to that question, and w...

Spontaneous twin pregnancies occur in about 1 out of every 250 pregnancies. A real world clinical question has to do with dating a spontaneous twin gestation: Do we use the smaller crown rump length or the larger for dating in the 1st trimester? Do we use the smaller or larger measurement of biometry in the 2nd trimester? We had this discussion today in our prenatal clinic, and in true form and fa...

In the ACOG Practice Bulletin 205 (Reaffirmed August 2025), the stated risk of uterine rupture with TOLAC is stated as 0.7% (after 1 prior LTCS). However, as our podcast tag list holds true, "Medicine Moves Fast". In an new upcoming publication from Obstet Gynecol (The Green Journal), May 2025, authors looked at the rate of uterine rupture with TOLAC over a 12 year interval. The rate of uterine ru...

As healthcare professions we are often pulled in different directions ALL AT ONCE. It happens. We "multitask" every day. Or do we? Neuroscience actually states that we don't multitask at all; rather, we "task-switch" and that may lead to increased physiologic and mental stress and patient error. Yep, there is a MYTH about multitasking. In this brief episode, we remind ourselves that its OK to put...

I love my home state of TEXAS. I am definitely full of Texas pride. We have Texas barbecue, Texas, hospitality, and of course, the Texas music scene! Our state definitely has some issues to improve on, mainly access to maternity care. We have a HUGE state and 50% of our counties are maternity care deserts. It’s a vast vast Land to cover! Texas has also received a lot of criticism regarding its hea...

There have been various publications and commentaries published on “evidence-based” cesarean section techniques. Still, one of the persistent controversies on abdominal wall closure relates to the rectus. With transverse fascial entries, should we close/reapproximate the rectus or not? In June 2025, a new RCT looking at this very issue will be printed in the European J Obstetrics Gynecology and Re...

On December 13, 2022, we released an episode describing a new concept in prenatal care, called the PATH model. This was to “redesign” prenatal care, as needed, for those who may have limitations for the “traditional” model of prenatal care visits. Well, what we covered 2.5 years ago is NOW an OFFIICAL guidance from the ACOG and will be out in May 2025. Similarly, the SMFM released their vision for...

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a controversial entity that does not currently have validated diagnostic criteria. In the ACOG PB 218 (2020), it states, “Pelvic congestion syndrome is a proposed etiology of chronic pelvic pain related to pelvic venous insufficiency. Although venous congestion appears to be associated with chronic pelvic pain, evidence is insufficient to conclude that there is a caus...

On Monday April 7, 2025, the UK’s publication The Guardian wrote, “Surgeons are hailing an ‘astonishing’ medical breakthrough as a woman became the first in the UK to give birth after a womb transplant. Grace Davidson, 36, who was a teenager when diagnosed with a congenitally absent uterus, said she and her husband had been given ‘the greatest gift we could ever have asked for’. Grace’s sister don...

On March 19. 2025, The American College of Clinical Pharmacy published, "A review of antibiotic safety in pregnancy- 2025 Update". In this episode, we will review some of the confusion surrounding aminoglycosides, sulfa, and nitrofurantoin in pregnancy. Its interesting how different professions view certain medications in pregnancy. Does ACOG say you can use Sulfa in the third trimester?...

Well Podcast Family, in this VERY BRIEF episode, we will highlight a patient's perspective on IUS insertion with lidocaine jelly pre-insertion prep. As we have stated in past episodes, I am a BIG ADVOCATE of lidocaine jelly for IUD/IUS insertion. This patient agreed to share her experience of the EASY BREEZY IUS placement. (NOTE: HIPAA protected, patient agreed to participate in this episode).

Animal bites in humans are a common problem in the United States, with two to five million occurring each year. The vast majority of animal bites are caused by dogs (85 to 90 percent), with the remainder caused by cats (5 to 10 percent) and rodents (2 to 3 percent). Children are bitten more often than adults. The most feared complication of an animal bite is rabies, although skin infection is the...