Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Get Morning-After Pill in Advance, Ob-Gyn Group Urges U.S. Women

Women in the United States should get an advance prescription for the morning-after pill so they’ll have it on hand if they need it, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises in a new “Ask me” campaign.

The effort is meant to increase access to the emergency birth control after the Bush administration refused to allow over-the-counter (OTC) sales of the contraceptive, the Associated Press reported.

Last year, senior Food and Drug Administration officials overruled their own scientists’ decision that OTC sales of the morning-after pill would be safe. The FDA indefinitely postponed a decision on the issue.

The “Ask me” campaign includes distribution of waiting-room posters to the ACOG’s 49,000 members. The posters urge women of childbearing age to ask about getting a prescription for the morning-after pill that they could keep on hand in case they need it, the AP reported.

The morning-after pill reduces the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if it’s used within 72 hours of sex. However, it can be difficult — especially on weekends or holidays — to find a doctor to write a prescription in time.

The morning-after pill is sold without a prescription in Britain, Canada and in a few U.S. states, the AP reported.

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Despite Laws, Many Pregnant Women Not Tested for HIV

Despite state laws requiring that all pregnant women be offered HIV testing multiple times during pregnancy, about 20 percent of Florida women reach their third trimester without being tested for HIV, according to a review of Florida women conducted from 2004-04.

The findings were presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Rapid HIV testing of more than 1,300 women who lacked proof of HIV testing when they reached the delivery room identified one HIV-positive mother. Doctors were able to preventively reduce the baby’s risk of infection, said Dr. Andrew W. Helfgott, chief of the section of maternal-fetal medicine at the Medical College of Georgia who previously worked in a high-risk pregnancy program in Pensacola, Fla.

“The problem we found in Pensacola is the women either didn’t get offered testing in the third trimester or — and this will remain a problem all over the country until we go totally to electronic medical records — we had trouble getting prenatal care records while women were in labor and delivery,” Helfgott said in a prepared statement.

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Surgery Relieves Pressure in Keith Richards’ Head

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was up and talking shortly after surgery Monday to relieve pressure in his head due to an injury he suffered April 27. Conflicting news reports say he fell out of a palm tree or from a jet ski.

The student loan calculator surgery was done at The Ascot Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Richards, 62, is expected to take several weeks to recuperate, the Associated Press reported.

“Last week Keith was under observation in Auckland following a fall in Fiji and was feeling well after being examined by doctors last week,” said a statement released Monday by LD Communications. “However, after complaining of headaches yesterday, doctors thought it prudent to move ahead with a small operation to remove the pressure.”

The Rolling Stones had been scheduled to begin a tour later this month, but it will be postponed until June, the AP reported.

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Gene Variant Increases Prostate Cancer Risk

A variant gene that greatly in