Trying to Conceive with the Help of an Electronic Ovulation Calendar Application

This is a guest post by Tania Tod, RN.  If you're interested in submitting a guest post, please contact me.

Trying to Conceive with the Help of an Electronic Ovulation Calendar Application

With many different revolutions being made in the world of reproductive medicine, couples are frantically trying to keep abreast of the latest information and technology.  Apple has come up with an iPhone application which takes all the guesswork out of ovulation charting and simplifies the process.  The program is easy to use and by using personal information from a female, the application provides a personalized calendar for each woman.

For the average couple trying to conceive , an electronic ovulation calendar can be very helpful.  Some people might wonder what a web application can do. It is something that simply combines the advantage of the Internet with the simplicity of a 3.5 inch screen.  A person can easily flip through news, play music or games, and track monthly ovulation cycles.  The iPhone application for fertility charting will show a woman her most fertile time of the month.

FDA Approves Lysteda to Treat Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 13, 2009

Media Inquiries: Sandy Walsh, 301-796-4669, sandy.walsh@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Approves Lysteda to Treat Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lysteda tablets (tranexamic acid), the first non-hormonal product cleared to treat heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). Lysteda works by stabilizing a protein that helps blood to clot.

Heavy menstrual bleeding is reported each year by about 3 million U.S. women of reproductive age. Women with uterine fibroids may experience heavy menstrual periods. But in most cases, there is no underlying health condition associated with the condition.

“Menorrhagia can be incapacitating for some women,” said Kathleen Uhl, M.D., FDA’s associate commissioner of women’s health. “Heavy menstrual periods can cause pain, mood swings, and disruptions to work and family life.”

Tranexamic acid was first approved by the FDA in 1986 as an injection, under the brand name Cyklokapron, and is used to reduce or prevent bleeding during and following tooth extraction in patients with hemophilia, a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by the lack of a blood clotting factor.

The most common adverse reactions reported during clinical trials by patients using Lysteda included headache, sinus and nasal symptoms, back pain, abdominal pain, muscle and joint pain, muscle cramps, anemia, and fatigue. There was a statistically significant reduction in menstrual blood loss in women who received Lysteda, compared with those taking an inactive pill (placebo).

Use of Lysteda while taking hormonal contraceptives may increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack, according to Scott Monroe, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Women using hormonal contraception should take Lysteda only if there is a strong medical need, and if the benefit of treatment will outweigh the potential increased risk.

Lysteda is manufactured by Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals of Newport, KY

To learn more, visit the FDA site here.

iPhone Application for OB/GYN

If you're on your OB/GYN rotation and you have an iPhone, then you should take a look at this application if your hospital has the Airstrip application. AirStrip Technologies has developed an iPhone application called AirStrip OB. Looks like a great application for those sleepless nights on the OB floor.