Fertility & Pregnancy

New Hope for Tiny LungsReported December 19, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Hope is on the horizon for premature infants born before their lungs have a chance to fully develop. "Within minutes of birth, a baby relies solely on its lungs to get the oxygen it needs," study author Paul Kemp, from Cardiff University in the U.K., was quoted as saying. But lung development is one of … [Read more...]

Folate does not appear to increase chance of twins NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite some evidence to the contrary, the folate supplements women are advised to take before getting pregnant do not appear to significantly boost the odds of having twins, according to the results of a large study. Folate is a B vitamin found in foods … [Read more...]

Pelvic Pain Relief for Pregnant Women Reported March 21, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows acupuncture and strengthening exercises may help relieve pelvic girdle pain experienced by pregnant women. The pelvic girdle is a complex of bones that connects the trunk and legs. Pain in the pelvic … [Read more...]

Preemies Face Tougher Life Reported July 18, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Babies born prematurely are likely to develop disabilities and face learning difficulties, a recent study suggests. The study, which looked at the progress of 903,402 infants registered in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, revealed the earlier a baby was born, the higher the risks of medical and … [Read more...]

Pregnant women advised to keep weight in check20-3-07 Hadi DP Mahmud BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN MORE than one (12.8 per cent) in 10 females aged 20 and above in Brunei were classified as obese in 1997, a health specialist said, stressing the need for women to be more conscious about their weight … [Read more...]

Report: Induced Labor Doesn't Increase Cesarean RiskReported August 24, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Inducing labor doesn't increase a woman's risk for cesarean section delivery in childbirth, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. "It appears there is misunderstanding regarding the association of … [Read more...]

Sad Moms Equal Sleepless BabiesReported May 05, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Women who suffer from depression before their babies are born are more likely to have infants who keep them up at night. A new study finds these infants have a harder time settling down to sleep, sleep for shorter periods of time, and take shorter daytime naps than infants whose mothers did not … [Read more...]

Snoring During Pregnancy Could Mean Gestational Diabetes Reported June 12, 2009 (Newswire) -- For pregnant women, snoring may mean more than just sleepless nights for their husbands. New research from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine suggests pregnant women who snore at least 3 nights per week are more likely to develop gestational diabetes. This … [Read more...]

Acupuncture can help relieve pelvic girdle pain, that searing ache that can wrap around the lower back and stomach in the last trimester of pregnancy, Swedish researchers find. The addition of either acupuncture or special exercises to standard treatment "offers clear clinical advantages over standard treatment alone for reduction of pain," concludes their study of nearly 400 … [Read more...]

Teens Recover After Bone Loss From Depo-Provera Reported February 9, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Several reports linked the contraceptive Depo-Provera to bone loss, but a new study shows teenagers' bone density recovers after they stop using the drug. Researchers from Group Health … [Read more...]

Turning Back the Reproductive Clock Reported August 31, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Scientific dogma has long asserted that females are born with their entire lifetime supply of eggs, and once they're gone, they're gone. New findings suggest that in nematode worms, at least, this is not necessarily so. Molecular physiologist Marc Van Gilst, Ph.D., and … [Read more...]

Diet: Women warned that junk food in pregnancy may hit child's health Reported 01 July, 2008 Mothers who eat a junk-food diet in pregnancy may seriously damage the long-term health of their child, according to research published today. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, was carried out on rats, but scientists say they have every reason to … [Read more...]

Birth weight appears associated with leukemiaReported July 02, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There may be an association between high birth weight and an increased risk of overall leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appears to be associated with the high and low extremes of birth weight. "There is a growing … [Read more...]

Excess Pregnancy Pounds Hard to ShedReported October 26, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Obese women who gain more weight than recommended during pregnancy are more likely to retain as much as 40 percent of that weight one year after they give birth, according to a Kaiser Permanente study. "We found that nearly three quarters of obese women gain too much weight during pregnancy … [Read more...]

Having a Drink During Pregnancy Is Common for French Women Reported May 04, 2008 More than half of women in France continue to drink alcohol during their pregnancies, according to a new French study. However, the researchers also found that most of these women are uninformed about the risks to their babies’ health. “Our results surprised us because we didn’t think that … [Read more...]

Gestational Diabetes Warrants Post Pregnancy Care Reported May 26, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Women who develop a form of diabetes associated with pregnancy should continue receiving regular checkups for diabetes after they give birth. Why? Researchers who looked at the medical literature on gestational diabetes found women who have the condition are about seven times more … [Read more...]

Growing number of premature babies 'cost NHS extra £1bn a year' Reported February 17, 2009 The growing number of babies born prematurely, often to older and more overweight mothers, is costing the NHS almost £1billion a year more than if they were born full-term, research shows. The first study to assess the financial burden of … [Read more...]

Good news for pre-eclamptic moms Reported January 28, 2009 PUNE: The breast milk of mothers, who faced complications during pregnancy, have found to have factors that brace the child in combating diseases in later life, say scientists of Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA). After decoding fatty acid compositions of breast milk … [Read more...]

Many factors affect region's troubled pregnanciesFebruary 27, 2005 For every 1,000 live births in the United States, seven babies never reach their first birthday, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And next, the perspective on what those numbers mean: The United States falls behind 41 other countries, … [Read more...]

Fertility Drugs Fulfill Dreams For Older WomenReported December 19, 2007 HOUSTON -- As women wait to marry at a later age, some pay the price on another dream -- having a baby. But modern medicine is helping make miracles happen, including to a KPRC Local 2 reporter. For Kym Alvarado-Booth, another woman undergoing the same fertility problems helped her get through an … [Read more...]

Anxiety raises risk of premature birthReported September 05, 2007 NEW YORK -- Women who are particularly anxious about their pregnancy may be at increased risk of premature delivery, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 1,820 pregnant women, those with the greatest concerns about their pregnancy were nearly three times more likely than those with the least … [Read more...]

Low Birth Weight Rates Vary Regionally Reported November 8, 2005  (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The first study of its kind has shown low birth weight varies more than threefold across the United States. The new research offers promise to health care officials on this significant risk factor of infant mortality. A baby born with low birth weight weighs less than 5.5 pounds. … [Read more...]

New Insight into Postnatal DepressionReported January 20, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Roughly 13 percent of women suffer from postnatal depression in the year after they give birth, but new information shows women can be effectively identified and treated. Postnatal depression frequently goes undetected and untreated, often because the symptoms are not recognized or because … [Read more...]

Half of new mums shun breastfeeding Reported October 12, 2008 ONLY half of Irish women are breastfeeding on leaving maternity hospital compared to 99pc in Norway, research shows. Launching National Breastfeeding Week, Minister for Children Barry Andrews said breastfeeding levels are also over 90pc in Denmark and Italy. Catherine Murphy, assistant … [Read more...]

Obesity in Babies?Reported March 31, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The current epidemic of childhood obesity could start when some babies are just six months old. Boston investigators analyzed data on 559 pregnant women and their children. They found babies who gained the most weight during infancy were significantly more likely to be obese at age three. Just a 1.5 pound … [Read more...]

Pregnant women advised to keep weight in check20-3-07 Hadi DP Mahmud BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN MORE than one (12.8 per cent) in 10 females aged 20 and above in Brunei were classified as obese in 1997, a health specialist said, stressing the need for women to be more conscious about their weight … [Read more...]

Prevent Preeclampsia with Vitamin D?Reported September 10, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Preeclampsia is a dangerous condition for pregnant women, often forcing women to deliver prematurely to protect her health and the baby's. Now, new research reveals women who don't get enough vitamin D early in their pregnancy may be at a higher risk of developing preeclampsia. … [Read more...]

Software Makes Childbirth SaferReported April 20, 2009 BOSTON (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Giving birth is supposed to be one of the happiest times in your life, but when things go wrong in the delivery room, it can change your life for the worse. New software is helping cut down on a condition that could leave a baby permanently injured. A strong heartbeat is music to expectant … [Read more...]

Stopping Breast Milk Transmission of HIV Reported July 11, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Breastfeeding is an important source of nutrients for babies, but it can also spread the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Now a drug may offer protection. In sub-Saharan Africa, breastfeeding is critical for infant survival. However, 16 percent of untreated infants breast-fed … [Read more...]

Breast Feeding Beneficial for Mom’s Health, Too   Reported May 15, 2008 More and more research is being done to explore a child’s lifelong benefit from breastfeeding but new research has identified a link between breast feeding and a mother’s reduced risk of developing crippling rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a … [Read more...]