Caroline de Costa
Academic writing
Over the past fifteen years Caroline has been involved in research and peer-reviewed publications in many different areas:
​
-
The health of Indigenous women and babies
-
The health of immigrant women and babies
-
Vitamin D levels of pregnant women in tropical regions
-
Maternal mortality and morbidity
-
The many different aspects of caesarean section
-
Abortion services and abortion law reform
-
The health of asylum seeker women
-
The history of obstetrics and gynaecology
Find out more about Caroline’s recent academic writing with The Cairns Institute.
Caroline is also the first author of a popular textbook for undergraduates published by McGraw-Hill, Clinical Cases in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health which has now appeared in two editions : 2009 with Dr Paul Howat, and 2013 with Professor Stephen Robson and Associate Professor Boon Lim. She has also published with Paul Howat Caesarean Section – a manual for doctors, Australasian Medical Publishing. In 2022 Caroline published Clinical Cases in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health co-authored with Professor Robson, Associate Professor Lim and Dr Kiarna Brown.
Other non-fiction health titles
​
de Costa C. Tying the Tubes -A guide for women considering sterilisation. Hale and Iremonger, Sydney: 1990. (Also translated into Bahasa Malay.)
​
de Costa C. All About Hysterectomy -The operation and the alternatives. Wild and Woolley, Sydney: 1994.
​
de Costa C. Sensible Decisions -A guide to hysterectomy and other surgery for women. Wild and Woolley, Sydney 1999.
​
Moore M, de Costa C. Cesarean Section –Understanding and celebrating your baby’s birth. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore: 2003. Also translated into Chinese.
​
Moore M, de Costa C. Do You Really Need Surgery? A guide to hysterectomy and other procedures for women. Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, USA:2004.
​
de Costa C. Moore M. Dick – a guide to the penis for men and women. Allen and Unwin, Sydney:2003; Marlowe, New York: 2004.(Also translated into Spanish.)
​
Moore M, de Costa C. A Woman’s Concise Guide to Common Medical Tests. Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, USA: 2005.
​
Moore M, de Costa C. Mid Life – New Life: Pregnancy and Parenting After 35. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore:2006.
​
de Costa C. RU486 – The Abortion Pill. Boolarong Press, Brisbane, 2007.
​
de Costa C. Hail Caesar – why one in three Australian babies is born by caesarean section.
Boolarong Press, Brisbane: 2008. Shortlisted for Queensland Premier’s Literary Prize for Science Writing.
​
de Costa C. Never ever again – why Australian abortion law needs reform. Boolarong Press, Brisbane, 2010.
​
de Costa C, Miller F. The Diva and Doctor God – letters from Sarah Bernhardt to Doctor Samuel Pozzi. Xlibris, Bloomington Indiana, 2010; also published in French as Sarah Bernhardt et le Docteur Pozzi, Editions Glyphe, Paris, 2013.
​
Book Chapters
de Costa C. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease 2002; MIMS Current Prescriber Series, 2002 and 2010.
​
de Costa C. Abortion and the sexual health physician. In Russell D, Bradford D, eds. Sexual Health Medicine, 2nd edition, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne: 2010.
​
de Costa C. Miscarriage; Induced abortion; Contraception. In Goh J, Flynn M eds. Examination Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Elsevier, Chatswood NSW: 2010.
​
de Costa C. Carrette M. Early medical abortion. In Rowlands s ed. Abortion Care, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014.
​
de Costa C. Anatomy of the female genital tract. In Symonds I, Arulkumaran S. Essential Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Elsevier, London, 2014.
​
Critical Essays on Medico-Social Topics and Medical History
​
de Costa C. Hysterectomy – A personal view. Med J Aust 1992; 157:707-8
​
de Costa C. A gynaecological view of history. Med J Aust 1995; 163:622-3
​
de Costa C. Consanguineous marriage and its relevance to obstetric practice. O&G, September 2001.
​
de Costa C. A sort of progress Lancet 1998; 351: 1202-3
​
de Costa C. A matter of choice Lancet 2000; 355: 648-50
​
de Costa C.A place on the map Lancet 2001; 357:878-79
​
de Costa C. Out of the shadows Med J Aust 2001;175:331-2.
​
de Costa C. Flora’s Legacy Lancet 2001, 358: 2162-3.
​
de Costa C. ‘Toward a healthy conservatism’ – the early history of hysterectomy O&G
2002;1:37-40.
​
de Costa C. Medico-legal commentary – Caesarean section Australian Doctor 26-10-02
​
de Costa C. Saving Grace Med J Aust 2002;177:673-4 (MJA Christmas Prize)
​
de Costa C. Dr and Mrs Papanicolaou – a short history of cervical cytology O&G 2003;1:23-24.
​
de Costa C, Doherty J, Walker N. Leaving a mark on history – the career of Hermann Johannes Pfannenenstiel O&G 2003;3:206-08.
​
Robson S, de Costa C. Vaginal birth after caesarean section O&G 2004; 6 (3): 191-2.
​
de Costa C. Rural women’s access to termination of pregnancy. O&G 2005;1:58-60.
​
de Costa C, Breeze C. Indigenous women and cervical cancer.O&G,2005;3:28-29.
​
de Costa C, Howat P. The ‘difficult’ caesarean section. O&G 2006;1:54-57.
​
de Costa C. A bloody business: a short history of placenta praevia. O&G 2006;3:36-38.
​
de Costa C. Snow- at Christmas – the career of Dr John Snow Med J Aust 2007;187:690-2.
​
de Costa C. Should medical students deliver babies? O&G 2008;1:30-35.
​
de Costa C. ‘Holding a mirror to life’ – Molière, William Harvey and the circulation of the blood. O&G 2009;3:42-44.
​
de Costa C, Miller F. Sarah Bernhardt’s Missing Leg Lancet 2009 25;374284-5.
​
de Costa C. Childbed fever. O&G 2009;1:45-46.
​
Robson S, de Costa C. Forceps delivery: Science wears its art on its sleeve. O&G 2009;4:19-20.
​
de Costa C, Russell D, Carrette M. Abortion in Australia: still to emerge from the 19thcentury Lancet 2010;375:804-5.
​
de Costa C. The sometimes painful history of the Pouch of Douglas. O&G 2011; 13(3): 50-52.
​
de Costa C. Robert Proust: a gynaecologist’s contribution to world literature, Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2013; 170 (1):47-9