Fertility & Pregnancy

Water retention -- a cause of bloating -- is associated with changes in sex hormone levels. Many women experience water retention during menopause, but how sex hormones affect water balance is not understood. A new study in in the American Journal of Physiology -- Renal Physiology sheds light on the connection, finding that sex hormones can directly control how the body … [Read more...]

A woman's weight during her first pregnancy can affect how her second baby fares, Saint Louis University research finds. Physicians have long recognized complications can occur when a mother is not at a healthy weight when she first becomes pregnant. Saint Louis University's research, published electronically in the June 20 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and … [Read more...]

Getting sick when you're pregnant is especially difficult, but women whose children are at risk for developing asthma should avoid antibiotics, according to a new study. The study, published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), followed 298 mother-child pairs through the … [Read more...]

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing for the treatment of menopausal symptoms but often without the guidance of a clinician. That's according to a new study reported online today in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). As a result, the authors suggest that healthcare providers -- in particular family medicine … [Read more...]

Elsevier journal Maturitas today announced the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) covering non-hormonal management of menopausal vasomotor symptoms. Hot flashes are a common menopausal symptom. They tend to intensify during the perimenopause and usually subside within 5 years after the final menstrual period. However … [Read more...]

When it comes to getting pregnant, a whole host of factors come into play, and that apparently includes a woman’s diet. Some researchers even think a bad diet may lead to miscarriages. One woman and her doctor think her drastic diet changes resulted in a new addition to her family. After the birth of her son, 34-year-old Sarah Hayes and her husband wanted a second child. … [Read more...]

Mothers who smoke and have a preterm birth more than triple their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to research in more than 900,000 mothers published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The risk of maternal CVD increased in a dose response relationship with the number and severity of preterm births. "Smoking and preterm birth synergistically … [Read more...]

Researchers at The Rockefeller University have found in a study with rats that a mother's consumption of a fat-rich diet during pregnancy increases her offspring's risk of a combined alcohol and nicotine abuse in adolescence. The study performed by Olga Karatayev in the Neurobiology Laboratory of Dr. Sarah Leibowitz at Rockefeller provides insight into early life factors that … [Read more...]

Drinking alcohol while pregnant is common, ranging from 20% to 80% among those questioned in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, reveals a study of almost 18,000 women published in the online journal BMJ Open. Women across all social strata drank during pregnancy, the findings showed. But expectant mums were significantly more likely to be drinkers if they were also … [Read more...]

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, Stanford University, University of Valencia and IGENOMIX have discovered that chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos created for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, can be predicted within the first 30 hours of development at the cell-1 stage which results from the union of a female egg and male sperm. This discovery, … [Read more...]

Only half of women with cystic fibrosis (CF) report using contraception and frequently apt to become pregnant unintentionally, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results of the study were presented at the 2015 American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific … [Read more...]

Sending teen girls periodic text messages reminding them to follow through on their clinic appointments for periodic birth control injections can go a long way toward improving timing and adherence to contraception in an age group that is notoriously noncompliant, according to a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. "Our findings suggest that text messaging … [Read more...]

Previous studies have shown that men find female faces more attractive when the women are ovulating, but the visual clues that allow this are unclear. Now, new research investigating whether it might be to do with subtle changes in skin colour has shown that women's faces do increase in redness during ovulation, but the levels of change are just under the detectable range of … [Read more...]

Women who have just given birth are often motivated to prevent a rapid, repeat pregnancy. For those who prefer a contraceptive implant, getting the procedure in the hospital immediately after giving birth is more cost-effective than delaying insertion to a 6-8 week postpartum visit, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. Published online ahead of … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that high-normal thyroid hormone level in pregnancy may affect fetal brain development. A new study finds that not only low but also high maternal thyroid hormone levels during early pregnancy may significantly lower the infant's IQ later in childhood. The study results, which will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San … [Read more...]

A study has established that there is increased risks in pregnancy for obese mothers and their babies. Women with obesity have a range of increased health risks in pregnancy, both for them and their babies, compared with those in the healthy weight category, according to a new systematic review of research by academics at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College … [Read more...]

A study has concluded that eating less during late night hours may help in getting sleep. Eating less late at night may help curb the concentration and alertness deficits that accompany sleep deprivation, according to results of a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented at SLEEP 2015, the 29th annual … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that black women cope with infertility alone. African-American women are equally, if not more, likely to experience infertility than their white counterparts, but they often cope with this traumatic issue in silence and isolation, according to a new University of Michigan study. African-American women also more often feel that infertility hinders their … [Read more...]

A study has proved that women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have gestational diabetes, and the exercise also helps to reduce maternal weight gain, finds a study published on 3 June 2015 in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Gestational diabetes is one of the most frequent complications of pregnancy. It is associated with an … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that post-menopausal hormones does not improve cognition. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) given to recently postmenopausal women in the US for up to four years does not improve cognition, but may have some positive benefits for some mood symptoms, according to a study published by Carey Gleason and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, … [Read more...]

A study has concluded that Prenatal exercise lowers risks of C-sections, higher birth weights of babies of pregnant women. Pregnant women who exercise can significantly lower the risk of undergoing Caesarean sections and giving birth to large babies, a University of Alberta study has found. Prenatal exercise has been suggested to be a means to prevent childhood obesity … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that Vitamin D, calcium supplements do not improve menopausal symptoms. Women who took vitamin D and calcium supplements had the same number of menopausal symptoms as women who did not take the supplements, according to a study published today in Maturitas, the official journal of the European Menopause and Andropause Society. The study, which involved … [Read more...]

A study has established that at peak fertility, women who desire to maintain body attractiveness report they eat less. Biology isn't the only reason women eat less as they near ovulation, a time when they are at their peak fertility. Three new independent studies found that another part of the equation is a woman's desire to maintain her body's attractiveness, says social … [Read more...]

A study has proved that new contraceptive pills linked to serious blood clots. New evidence to confirm the link between newer contraceptive pills and higher risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolism or VTE) has been provided by a new study. About 9% of women of reproductive age worldwide use oral contraceptives, rising to 18% of women in developed countries … [Read more...]

About 15 percent of all married couples in the United States have a tough time conceiving. Many turn to assisted reproductive technologies or ART, including in-vitro fertilization. A major, published study is shedding new light on the safety of infertility options.Submit Little Keaya Hensley’s first name is Hawaiian for rejoice. A perfect fit for the Hensleys, who tried … [Read more...]

As many as 1.5 million married couples in the United States have a difficult time starting a family, and many of them turn to fertility experts for help. Now a new technology is increasing the odds that an implanted embryo will result in a successful pregnancy and delivery. Submit Ten month old Olivia is the apple of her sister’s eye. The youngest of Chris and Lisa Randle’s … [Read more...]

A study has established that obesity and mood disorders increase the risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) during childbirth. It was revealed in the research presented at Heart Failure 2015 by Dr David P. Kao, assistant professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, US. The study in nearly 7.5 million pregnant women discovered for the first time that the presence of … [Read more...]

A U.K. study has confirmed that antidepressants are beneficial for women with postnatal depression. Antidepressants are associated with better rates of treatment response and remission for women with postnatal depression, when compared to a placebo, according to a new systematic review by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College … [Read more...]