The latest on labor patterns, the risk of major infection during pregnancy, and prenatal screening tests.

Over the past year, much attention has been devoted to labor curves. Is the original Friedman labor curve, which dates to the 1950s, still applicable today? Or do contemporary women labor differently? And if we update our approach to labor management, can we reduce the rate of primary cesarean?

In this Update, we explore these questions, as well as two others:

* How do we minimize infectious morbidity in pregnancy?

* How much prenatal screening is too much?

Jaimey M. Pauli, MD Dr. Pauli is Assistant Professor, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Penn State University College of Medicine, and Attending Perinatologist at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

John T. Repke, MD Dr. Repke is University Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn State University College of Medicine. He is also ObstetricianGynecologist-in-Chief at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dr. Repke serves on the OBG Management Board of Editors.

Dr. Pauli reports that she receives research support from the Penn State Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Repke reports no financial relationships relevant to this article.