Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Cindy Farquhar

Position:

Professor, Clinical
 Obstetrics & Gynaecology
School of Medicine
Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 89481
Email: c.farquhar@auckland.ac.nz
Office: 599-1206

Research interests

MB, ChB, MD, DipObst, FRCOG, FRANZCOG, CREI, MPH, MNZM

Postgraduate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Professional Interests

Clinical

My subspecialty interests are chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis, gynaecological endocrinology and infertility, menopause, heavy menstrual bleeding, management of polycystic ovarian syndrome and laparoscopic surgery.  

  • Chronic Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis:  Patients with chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis are seen in an interdisciplinary clinic.  The clinic is a tertiary referral clinic and focuses on pain management. 
  • Infertility/PCOS:  Couples with infertility where anovulation appears to be the major factor.
  • Laparoscopic Surgery:  I have laparoscopic skills to deal with endometriosis, infertility, adnexal masses and, where appropriate, laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy.
  • I have lead guideline development groups on heavy menstrual bleeding, uterine fibroids and the management of women with breech presentation and vaginal birth after caesarean section, as well as assisting with training in guideline development workshops in NZ.  Appointments include Chair of the board of the NZ Guidelines Group (www.nzgg.org.nz) and Chair of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (http://www.newhealth.govt.nz/pmmrc/).

Research

Research interests include clinical trials within subfertility and menstrual disorders, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines. I am focused on seeking strategies for improving clinical practice, through clinical trials, systematic reviews, quality improvement activities, clinical practice guidelines and implementation.

  • Cochrane Menstrual Disorders & Subfertility Group.  Co-ordinating editor. The scope of the group includes premenstrual syndrome, menorrhagia, menopause, cycling disorders, pelvic pain and subfertility. 
  • Randomised controlled trial of fallopian sperm perfusion and intrauterine insemination in women with unexplained subfertility. 
  • Establishment of National Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Database.
  • Association of Body Mass Indices and Semen Parameters in Infertile Men.
  • Mothers with physical disabilities. In collaboration with Auckland University of Technology. PI: D. Payne.
  • Meeting the psychological needs of women with gynaecological cancers. PhD project with Lisa Walton.
  • Randomised controlled trial of post-operative medical treatment for women with endometriosis.
  • Epigenetic regulation of implantation and endometrial differentiation. Joint collaboration with Liggins Institute. Anna Ponnampalam is a co-supervisor. 2009 2011. PhD projects of Sheryl Munro and Zoe Vincent.

Teaching

I am involved in teaching medical students from third year to sixth year, candidates for the Diploma in Obstetrics and Medical Gynaecology, Diploma and Masters students in Public Health, candidates for the RANZCOG membership, general practitioners, midwives and other postgraduate fora.  I am the Academic Coordinator for  the Diploma of Obstetrics & Medical Gynaecology.   I teach medical students and junior doctors on a daily basis on the wards, in the clinics and in theatre.  I have co-edited a textbook in obstetrics and gynaecology for medical students and junior doctors, and have contributed a number of chapters in my various subspecialties for textbooks.

 

Recent Publications (present to 2005)

  1. Farquhar CM, Wang YA, Sullivan EA. A comparative analysis of assisted reproductive in Australia and New Zealand 2004-2007. Human Reproduction 2010. Electronic publication 22/07/2010
  2. Johnson NP; Stewart AW; Falkiner J; Farquhar CM; Milsom S; Singh V-P; Okonkwo QL; . Buckingham KL; on behalf of REACT-NZ (REproduction And Collaborative Trials in New Zealand), a multi-centre fertility trials group. PCOSMIC: a multi-centre randomized trial in women with PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome evaluating Metformin for Infertility with Clomiphene. Human Reproduction 2010; doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq100
  3. Munro K, Farquhar CM, Mitchell MD, and Ponnampalam AP. Epigenetic regulation of endometrium during the menstrual cycle. Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published on February 5, 2010. Mol. Hum. Reprod. 2010 16: 297-310; doi:10.1093/molehr/gaq010
  4. Nelson RL, Furner SE, Westercamp M, Farquhar C. Cesarean delivery for the prevention of anal incontinence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD006756. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006756.pub2
  5. MacDonald A, Herbison P, Showell M,  Farquhar CM. The impact of body mass index on semen parameters and reproductive hormones in human males: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Published on line 4th November 2009. Human Reproduction Update, doi:10.1093/humupd/dmp047. 
  6. Wong CL, Farquhar C, Roberts H, Proctor M. Oral contraceptive pill for primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD002120. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002120.pub3.
  7. Marjoribanks J, Proctor M, Farquhar C, Derks RS. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001751. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001751.pub2.
  8. Furness S, Roberts H, Marjoribanks J, Lethaby A, Hickey M, Farquhar C. Hormone therapy in postmenopausal women and risk of endometrial hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000402. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000402.pub3.
  9. Brown J, Farquhar C, Beck J, Boothroyd C, Hughes E. Clomiphene and anti-oestrogens for ovulation induction in PCOS. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD002249. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002249.pub4.
  10. Mauelshagen A, Farquhar CM. Sadler L, V. Griffiths V, Harilall M. Review of short term outcomes of surgical and medical second trimester termination. BMC Reproductive Health 2009, 6:16.
  11. Farquhar CM, Roberts H, Okonkwo QL, Stewart AW. A pilot survey of the impact of menstrual cycles on adolescent health. ANZJOG 2009; 49: 531-536.
  12. Parker WH, Broder MS, Change E, Feskanich D, Farquhar C, Liu Z, Berek J, Hankinson S, Manson J. Ovarian Conservation and Long-Term Health Outcomes in the Nurses’ Health Study. Obstet Gynecol 2009; 113(5):1027-37.
  13. Farquhar CM. Uncertainty in the management of fibroids. Brit Med J 2009; 338:b126.
  14. Walton L, Reeves J, Brown P, Farquhar CM. Gynaecologic Cancer Patients’ Needs and Perceptions of Supportive Health Services in New Zealand. Psycho-Oncology 2009; on line journal DOI: 10.1002/pon.1553.
  15. Besselink DE, Marjoribanks J, Farquhar C, O'Brien P, Kremer JAM. Cervical insemination versus intra-uterine insemination of donor sperm for subfertility. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD006646. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006646.
  16. Farquhar CM. Postgraduate education in women's health in New Zealand. Editorial. New Zealand Medical Journal.  2008; 121(1282):8-9.
  17. Rettig RA, Jacobsen PD, Farquhar CM, Aubry WM. Randomized controlled trials, clinical use and hope: What Relationship? J Clin Oncol 2008; 26: 6-7.
  18. Farquhar C, Marjoribanks J, Lethaby A, Suckling JA, Lamberts Q. Long term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004143. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004143.pub2. Update
  19. Farquhar CM, Sadler L, Harvey S, Stewart AW. A prospective study of outcomes five years after hysterectomy in premenopausal women. ANZJOG 2008; 48: 510-516.
  20. Das S, Blake D, Farquhar C, Hooper L, Seif MMW. Assisted hatching on assisted conception (IVF and ICSI). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001894. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001894.pub3. Update 2008
  21. Farquhar CM. Pelvic pain in women: common and challenging. Editorial. Medical Journal of Australia. 2008; 189: 131-132.
  22. Ahmad G, Duffy JMN, Farquhar C, Vail A , Vandekerckhove P, Watson A, Wiseman D. Barrier agents for adhesion prevention after gynaecological surgery. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000475. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000475.pub2. Update
  23. Thessaloniki ESHRE/ASRM-Sponsored PCOS Consensus Workshop Group. Consensus on infertility treatment related to polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction 2008; 23(3):462-77 and Fertility Sterility 2008; 89: 505-522 (joint publication)
  24. Mohuiddin S, Besselink D, Farquhar CM. Long term follow up of women with laparoscopic ovarian diathermy for women with clomiphene resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2007;47: 508-511.
  25. Farquhar CM. Marjoribanks J. Lethaby A. Basser R.  High dose chemotherapy for poor prognosis breast cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.  Cancer Treatment Reviews.  2007; 33:325-337.
  26. Hughes E, Brown J, Collins JJ, Farquhar C, Fedorkow DM, Vanderkerchove P. Ovulation suppression for endometriosis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD000155. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000155.pub2.
  27. Johnson N, Blake D, Farquhar C.  Blastocyst or cleavage stage embryo transfer?  Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 2007; 21: 21-40.
  28. Latthe PM. Proctor ML. Farquhar CM. Johnson N. Khan KS. Surgical interruption of pelvic nerve pathways in dysmenorrhea: a systematic review of effectiveness. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 86(1):4-15, 2007.
  29. Farquhar, C.  Endometriosis.  BMJ 2007;334;249-253.
  30. Lethaby A, Augood C, Duckitt K, Farquhar C. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for heavy menstrual bleeding. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD000400. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000400.pub2.
  31. Shoupe D, Parker W, Broder M, Liu Z, Farquhar C, Berek J.  Elective oophorectomy for benign gynaecological disorders.  Menopause: The J of the North American Menopause Society. 2007, 14(3), 580-585.
  32. Johnson NP. Bagrie EM. Coomarasamy A. Bhattacharya S. Shelling AN. Jessop S. Farquhar C. Khan KS.  Ovarian reserve tests for predicting fertility outcomes for assisted reproductive technology: the International Systematic Collaboration of Ovarian Reserve Evaluation protocol for a systematic review of ovarian reserve test accuracy.  BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2006; 113(12):1472-80
  33. Boomsma CM, Heineman MJ, Cohlen BJ, Farquhar C. Semen preparation techniques for intrauterine insemination. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004507. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004507.pub3.
  34. Marjoribanks J, Lethaby A, Farquhar C. Surgery versus medical therapy for heavy menstrual bleeding. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003855. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003855.pub2.
  35. Brown PM. Farquhar CM. Lethaby A. Sadler LC. Johnson NP. Cost-effectiveness analysis of levonorgestrel intrauterine system and thermal balloon ablation for heavy menstrual bleeding. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2006;113(7):797-803.
  36. Roberts HE, Farquhar CM. Advice has changed for hormone therapy in the WHI era. ANZJOG 2006; 46:74-76.
  37. Gillett W, Putt T, Farquhar CM. Prioritising for fertility treatments – the effect of excluding women with a high body mass index. Brit J Obstet Gynaecol 2006; 113:1218-1221.
  38. Proctor M, Farquhar C. Diagnosis and management of dysmenorrhoea. Brit Med J 2006; 332(7550):1134-8.
  39. Farquhar CM, Brosens I. Medical and Surgical Management of Adenomyosis. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2006; 12: 1-14.
  40. Farquhar CM, Vail A. Pitfalls in Systematic Reviews. Current opinion in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2006. 18:433-439.
  41. Farquhar CM, Lathe P. Chronic pelvic pain – aetiology and therapy. Reviews in Gynaecological and Perinatal Practice. 2006; 6:177-184.
  42. Busfield  RA, Farquhar CM, Sowter MC, Lethaby A, Sprecher M, Yu Y, Sadler LC, Brown P, Johnson N.  A randomized trial comparing the levonorgestrel intrauterine system and thermal balloon ablation for heavy menstrual bleeding.  BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2006; 113: 257-263.
  43. Farquhar CM, Gillette W. Prioritising for fertility treatments – The New Zealand experience with limiting treatment only for women with body mass indices less than 32 kg/m2.  Brit J Obstet Gynaecol 2006; 113:1107-1109.
  44. Lavis, J.N., Davies, H.T., Gruen, R.L., Walshe, K, Farquhar CM.  'Working within and beyond the Cochrane Collaboration to make systematic reviews more useful to healthcare managers and policymakers', Health Care Policy, 1, (2), p1-30, 2006.
  45. Brown J, Farquhar C, Beck J, Boothroyd C, Proctor M, Hughes E. Oral anti-oestrogens and medical adjuncts for subfertility associated with anovulation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002249. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002249.pub3.
  46. Blake D, Proctor M, Johnson N, Olive D, Farquhar CM. Cleavage stage versus blastocyst stage embryo transfer in assisted conception. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD002118.pub2.
  47. Seif MMW, Edi-Osagie ECO, Farquhar C, Hooper L, Blake D, McGinlay P. Assisted hatching on assisted conception (IVF & ICSI). The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001894.pub3.
  48. Farquhar CM. Diagnosis and treatment of an Ovarian Endometrioma in a Young Woman with Dysmenorrhoea. Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management 2005; 12, (11), p577-584.
  49. Farquhar CM, Sadler L , Y. Yu, Harvey S, Stewart A. A prospective study of three years of outcomes following hysterectomy with and without oophorectomy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006; 194:711-717.
  50. Thomas E, Moss-Morris R, Farquhar C M.  Emotional coping in women with and without   endometriosis.  Journal of Psychosomatic Research 2006; 60:109-112.
  51. Parker W, Broder M,  Liu Z , Shoupe D,  Farquhar C,  Berek J. Ovarian Conservation at the Time of Hysterectomy for Benign Disease. Obstet Gynecol 2005; 106: 219-226. Cited in Obstetrics and Gynecology as the 1st in the Top 10 articles access in August 2005.
  52. Farquhar CM. Marjoribanks J. Lethaby A. Lamberts Q. Suckling JA.  Cochrane HT Study Group. Long term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (3):CD004143, 2005.
  53. Farquhar CM. Ectopic pregnancy. Lancet 2005; 366: 583-591.
  54. Farquhar CM.  An economic evaluation of laparoscopic ovarian diathermy versus gonadotrophin therapy for women with clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome.  Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2005; 17: 347-353.
  55. Farquhar CM, Sadler L , Harvey S, Bhatta K, Stewart A.  The association of hysterectomy and menopause: a prospective cohort study.  Brit J Obstet Gynaecol, 2005;112:956-62.
  56. Farquhar CM. Commentary. Evidence Based O&G. 2005; 7:35-38.

 




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