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Group B Streptococcus screening with antenatal culture and intrapartum polymerase chain reaction: A prospective cohort study

Dear Editor, Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common genital and gastrointestinal tract commensal in healthy women. Vertical transmission of GBS may cause neonatal early-onset GBS disease (EoGBS), and this is prevented by intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) GBS colonisation,1 coupled with long turnaround time of GBS culture, challenges the accuracy...

Oocytes on ice: Exploring the advancements in elective egg freezing for women

Elective egg freezing (EEF), otherwise known as oocyte cryopreservation for age-related fertility loss, has become a viable option for single women to preserve their fertility.1 It is well known that female fertility decreases gradually, but significantly after the age of 32 and even more rapidly after age 37.2,3 As...

Freezing hope: Balancing realism and optimism in elective egg freezing

The 2022 White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, which aimed at a fair and inclusive society where both women and men can pursue their aspirations fully, announced the option for elective egg freezing (EEF) and that the age limit for EEF was planned to be set at 35 years....

Polycystic ovary syndrome v.2023: Simplified diagnostic criteria for an East Asian phenotype

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition affecting 6–19% of women of reproductive age, depending on the reference population and definition used.1,2 The incidence of PCOS is increasing and the syndrome can be considered the single most common endocrine abnormality among women of reproductive age.3 Although its...

Enhancing the accuracy of polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder, experienced by 1 in 10 women of childbearing age. Its aetiology is multifactorial and complex, and its clinical presentation is heterogeneous with menstrual irregularities, high levels of androgens and the presence of multiple follicles or cysts in the ovaries...

A case series of higher-order multifetal pregnancies managed at a tertiary maternity unit

Dear Editor, Delayed childbearing and increased use of assisted reproduction technology (ART) have resulted in a dramatic rise in the incidence of multifetal pregnancies. In 2022, the incidence of twin birth was 1 in 38.2 (932 live births) and triplet birth 1 in 1978 (18 live births) in Singapore.1 Preterm...

Perinatal mental health in Singapore: Implementation opportunities and relevance of gender-carer roles in screening

In this issue of the Annals, the consensus statement on perinatal mental health by Chen et al. covers the handling of depression and anxiety symptoms in pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.1 The guidelines were developed by a workgroup involving experts in perinatal mental health and obstetrics using a...

Fetal congenital heart diseases: Diagnosis by anatomical scans, echocardiography and genetic tests

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common major congenital anomaly at up to 28%1 and are responsible for 5.7% of all infant mortality.2 While earlier studies in developed countries reported an overall CHD birth prevalence of 3.7–5.54 per 1000 live births,3,4 more recent studies report a global and...

Systemic methotrexate in the management of ectopic pregnancy and pregnancy of unknown location

Dear Editor,  Ectopic pregnancy (EP) occurs in 2% of all spontaneous conceptions. It can be a life-threatening condition and is the most common cause of mortality during the first trimester of pregnancy, contributing to 7% of all pregnancy-related deaths.1,2 The risk factors for EP include tubal damage following surgery or...

Clinical efficacy of primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening with partial genotyping for HPV-16 and HPV-18 subtypes in women from 25 years old

The World Health Organization has launched a campaign to eliminate cervical cancer on the basis of effective vaccines against oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes, with mass screening and eradication of high-grade pre-malignant lesions, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade-2 (CIN2) and grade-3 (CIN3).1,2 HPV-based screening has been shown to be sensitive...

Association between body mass index, body image and self-esteem with sexual function: A survey of young women in Singapore

Satisfaction with sexual activity is a good predictor of global life satisfaction.1 Problems with sexual function can lead to lower partner satisfaction and affect a woman’s mental and physical health.2 The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in premenopausal women globally was found to be 40.9% (95% confidence interval 37.1–44.7).3...

Robotic surgery in morbidly obese women with endometrial cancer in Singapore

Dear Editor, The standard of care for endometrial cancer is a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and pelvic lymph node dissection (THBSO-PLND). Obesity is a known risk factor for endometrial cancer, and obese patients are challenging to operate on due to their anatomy and comorbidities. A recent database search showed...

Factors associated with deep infiltrating endometriosis, adenomyosis and ovarian endometrioma

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynaecologic disease marked by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus.1 Debilitating chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, and subfertility in women of reproductive age are commonly associated with endometriosis. The disease is estimated to affect about 1 in every 10 women of reproductive age,...

Case studies of fetal mosaicisms detected by non-invasive prenatal testing

Dear Editor, The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recommended that all pregnant women be offered non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) regardless of the patient’s risk profile.1 With increasing NIPT uptake, encounters with genetic conditions other than the 3 common fetal trisomies are becoming prevalent. We report 2 cases of...

‘Roe’lling with the punches: Telehealth contraception and abortion

Unsafe abortion is a global health issue as it is a key preventable cause of maternal mortality. It has been estimated that up to 13% of maternal deaths per year are due to unsafe abortions.1 Women in developing countries make up 97% of all unsafe abortions and more than...

Contemporary Management of Fibroids

Fibroids are the most common, solid benign pelvic tumours occurring in about 30% of women beyond the age of 30. They are asymptomatic in most women. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Younger Women with Ovulation Disorders and Unexplained Infertility Predict a Higher Success Rate in Superovulation (SO) Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) with or without stimulation is the most common assisted reproductive technique (ART) in the world. Currently, IUI is widely used for treating infertility as a cheaper, simpler and less invasive method compared to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques. While there is good evidence of the efficacy...