Fertility & Pregnancy

The smallest baby ever to survive was born just a few months ago, weighing in at just under 10 ounces -- the size of a large apple. When premature babies are born, they need special care. Now, experts say two new techniques are helping even the tiniest babies survive and thrive. Aidan, Ella, and Zoe weighed less than a pound-and-a-half each when they were born, and they've … [Read more...]

Repeated Prenatal Ultrasounds Safe December 3, 2004 (Ivanhoe Newswire) --Repeated ultrasound exposures during pregnancy may not cause long-term harm to infants, according to a new study.Researchers in Australia evaluated 2,700 children, half of whom had been exposed to repeated ultrasound and half of whom had only one ultrasound exposure … [Read more...]

Study: Teen Weight Linked to Adult Fertility Reported November 12, 2007 Teenagers who are either underweight or obese are likely to have fewer children in adulthood, a study has found. It's known that both obesity and abnormally low body weight are related to reproductive difficulties, and that obesity raises the risk of a number of pregnancy … [Read more...]

STD Education With Videos Reported June 25, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Playing a simple video on the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) while people are waiting to be seen in an STD clinic can reduce the prevalence of these conditions. That’s the key finding from investigators who tested a video called “Safe in the City” in clinics in three … [Read more...]

Trigger for Learning Discovered Reported August 11, 2008 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In a study with surprising results, scientists recently identified a protein necessary for learning. The protein, called Otx2, works with cells called parvalbumin cells to enable the brain to learn at critical periods of development. Parvalbumin cells are responsible for making … [Read more...]

Maternity care worsening in UK Reported 25 January, 2008 The largest ever survey of maternity care in England has found widespread failings, with services in London criticised as the worst, the government's health watchdog said on Friday. The Healthcare Commission said many women were receiving inferior screening of their unborn babies. It said there … [Read more...]

Women waiting longer to give birth, UK 17 Dec 2004 Women in Britain are choosing to have children later than ever, according to a new report. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its Populations Trends study show that the average age of a woman giving birth is now 29.4 years old, compared to 26.2 in 1971, the year when records … [Read more...]

State teen birth rate rises for second year in a row Reported March 19, 2009 More teenagers are just saying yes to sex —- and having babies as a result. The teen birth rate in the United States increased 1 percent in 2007, the second year in a row the rate has gone up, according to a national study released Wednesday. The two-year hike —- 5 percent —- reverses 14 years in … [Read more...]

Which Milk is Best for Fertility? Reported February 28, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Drink whole fat milk and eat ice cream to get pregnant? A new study reveals high-fat dairy products may decrease a woman's risk of having problems with ovulation. Harvard researchers also report low … [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...]

Home or Hospital Birth?Reported January 08, 2009 TAMPA, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Each year, 99 percent of all the babies delivered in the United States are born in hospitals, but many midwives around the country say homebirths are becoming more popular. The question of home or hospital has become a hot debate. Dawn Felski is expecting. So is Marsibil. Felski's baby will … [Read more...]

Village delegates to plan panel: Focus on health of mothersJuly 12, 2007 New Delhi : KEEPING in view the highest Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India, as per the last sample registration survey conducted by the Government of India, women from different parts of rural areas have come down to Delhi to meet the Planning Commission and the … [Read more...]

Infection Linked to Preterm Delivery Reported August 29, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- About 12 percent of all births in the United States are preterm, putting children at risk for lifelong physical and neurological damage. Results of a new study may have found a preventable cause of many of these premature births. From an analysis of amniotic fluid samples from women in … [Read more...]

Japan should do its utmost to keep birthrate rising Reported June 04, 2009 Japan's total fertility rate (TFR), or the average number of children that a woman gives birth to in her life, rose for the third consecutive year to 1.37 in 2008. An increase in the overall number of births and a decrease in the number of women at … [Read more...]

Leptin for Infertility Reported January 24, 2005 BOSTON (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- If you have extremely low body fat that has caused you to stop menstruating, you may want to learn more about the hormone leptin. A landmark study shows the hormone can regulate periods. And that's not all … [Read more...]

Another reason not to smoke while pregnantReported November 20, 2008 Children of women who lit up during pregnancy have more damage to their arteries and might face related cardiovascular troubles later in life, according to new research that adds another ailment to the list of problems common to smokers' children. People born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had … [Read more...]

Proximity to highways affects newborns' health: studyReported July 30, 2008 MONTREAL - Wealthy pregnant women living near highways on the island of Montreal are more likely to deliver pre-term, low weight or small babies, researchers say. The odds of delivering a low-weight infant are 81 per cent higher for expectant mothers living in affluent neighbourhoods within … [Read more...]

Pregnant Smokers May Suffer DepressionReported September 10, 2007 WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than one in 10 pregnant women smoke, and new research suggests many of them also may suffer from depression, making kicking the habit even harder. The emerging science suggests that decades-old "quit for your baby" messages are too simplistic an approach for many women -- and that … [Read more...]

Multiple Births Up Depression RiskReported April 01, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Having more than one baby at a time puts new moms at significantly higher risk for postpartum depression. That’s the key finding from Johns Hopkins researchers who looked at data from a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. Compared to mothers of single babies, mothers of … [Read more...]

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...]