Fertility & Pregnancy

Zinc May Protect Fetus from AlcoholReported February 06, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research conducted in mice suggests taking zinc supplements may prevent some of the damage to an unborn child caused by excessive alcohol consumption. However, while the finding may eventually have implications for women who inadvertently engage in binge drinking before they even know … [Read more...]

Epilepsy Drug may Cause Birth Defects Reported March 22, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Children exposed to the epilepsy drug sodium valproate while in the womb have lower verbal IQs than children exposed to other epilepsy drugs or no epilepsy drugs in the womb, according to a new study. Researchers in Britain studied … [Read more...]

Folic Acid Reduces Risk of Preterm Birth Reported May 13, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) May 13, 2009 -- Women who want to reduce their risk for having a premature baby might want to consider taking folic acid supplements before conception. A new study reveals the supplement was associated with a significant reduction in preterm births. There are currently no effective methods … [Read more...]

The Politics of Teen Pregnancy December 18, 2007 If any evidence were needed to confirm the base nature of political debate in America, the increase in teen birth rates ­ the first in 14 years ­ reported by the National Center for Health Statistics on December 5, provided an opportunity. The Bush … [Read more...]

Herpes Drug Can Control AIDs Virus in Women, Study FindsThursday, February 22, 2007 Treating genital herpes can also help keep the AIDS virus under control in women with both infections, and might reduce the spread of HIV, too, the first major study to test this strategy suggests. Many people with HIV are also infected with … [Read more...]

Doctor's bribe not paid; Dalit woman gave birth under treeJuly 14, 2007 Jagatsinghpur (Orissa in India), SVM News, July 12, 2007: Doctor refused attention insistant on his bribe, a poor dalit woman gave birth to a child under a tree in Orissa in India on 10th of July. The shocking incident took place near the government hospital in the coastal … [Read more...]

South Korea may change abortion law December 11, 2007 Service members stationed in South Korea may find ending a pregnancy easier if a move to modify the country’s abortion laws succeeds. An official with South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said the ministry wants to make its abortion laws more “realistic.” “There are so … [Read more...]

Hotline to guide mothers on breastfeedingReported May 24, 2008 DUBAI - The Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) will soon set up a hotline to guide mothers on breastfeeding, according to a health official. "The ratio of breastfeeding is extremely low among UAE national women in the country. To encourage women to opt for this natural method rather than bottle … [Read more...]

Antidepressants no risk to pregnanciesReported May 24, 2008 Montreal researchers say pregnant women can continue taking antidepressants because the drugs do not pose a risk to their babies. Published in the highly regarded British Journal of Psychiatry, the Montreal study found anti- depressants have little impact on the fetus and do not increase a woman's risk of … [Read more...]

Abortions Drop 1.1% to Lowest Levels Since Year After Roe v. Wade Reported November 22, 2007 Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) -- The Centers for Disease Control has released its latest annual abortion report, covering 2004, and the agency reports abortions nationwide have dropped 1.1 percent to their lowest levels since 1974. Though the report provides some useful insight, the … [Read more...]

Mother's Diet Impacts Fetal HealthReported January 21, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Moms to be may have more reason to stick to a healthy diet while they're pregnant. New research indicates a developing baby's health can be affected by the amount of fat consumed by his or her mother. There has been a recent rise in the United States in the number of children classified as … [Read more...]

Natural Family Planning as Effective as the Pill Reported February 23, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you use it correctly, natural family planning can be just as effective as taking the birth control pill to avoid unplanned pregnancies. New research from Germany shows the symptothermal method (STM) of … [Read more...]

Birth Defects Linked To Preterm Birth Reported May 22, 2008 A new study by March of Dimes reports that preterm birth and birth defects are associated with each other. "Babies born preterm were more than twice as likely to have major birth defects as full-term infants, according to a new analysis of nearly 7 million U.S. live … [Read more...]

Nursing moms warned about codeine useReported August 20, 2007 Breastfeeding mothers who take codeine and break down the drug very quickly may put their infants at higher risk of a morphine overdose, U.S. health officials warned on Friday. Codeine, an ingredient in many prescription pain relievers and some over-the-counter cough syrups, turns into morphine in the body. The … [Read more...]

Predicting Pre-Term Delivery Reported March 14, 2005 AUSTIN, Texas (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Each year, about 13 percent of pregnant women in the United States will go into premature labor. This often happens without warning. But a simple test could tell women their chances of having a pre-term delivery. Monica Burcham … [Read more...]

Women who want to ensure the neurological health of their unborn children would do well to avoid stress. A new study conducted in mice suggests repeated exposure to even mildly stressful situations can increase the risk for cerebral palsy in the developing fetus. The research was conducted in France by investigators who exposed pregnant mice to disrupted cycles of light … [Read more...]

Russia Sees 64 Percent of Its Pregnancies End in Abortion, Causing Infertility Issues Reported September 30, 2008 Moscow, Russia (LifeNews.com) -- Russia has long been a world leader in terms of the percentage of pregnancies that end in abortion and experts say those figures are still high. They say the abortion epidemic is leading to a problem of … [Read more...]

Stay Upright for Shorter ChildbirthReported April 20, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you lie down during the early stages of childbirth, you might endure a longer labor. A new study reveals women who kneel, stand, walk around or sit upright have a significantly shorter first stage of labor compared to women who lie down. Researchers analyzed data from 21 studies that … [Read more...]

Substance Abuse Treatment Helpful in Pregnancies Reported June 30, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research reveals treating pregnant women for substance abuse early in their pregnancy can help achieve the same health and delivery outcomes as pregnant women with no substance abuse. In a new study done by Kaiser Permanente, researchers examined 49,985 women and found … [Read more...]

Women with recurrent miscarriage and infertility are undergoing tests and treatments that have no scientific rationaleMonday, 29-Nov-2004 Women with recurrent miscarriage and infertility are undergoing tests and treatments that have no scientific rationale and are linked with known risks to mother and fetus, warn researchers in this week's BMJ. Fertility … [Read more...]

Treating Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Reported July 25, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The effects of fetal alcohol exposure may be more profound than researchers hoped. Results of a new study reveal the prenatal damage to peptides in the fetal brain may endure into adulthood despite environmental enrichment provided in a child's early years. Neurotrophins -- a family of peptides … [Read more...]

Managing Teenage Pregnancy 01 August, 2007 A new paper to be published in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist ( TOG ) will look at the causes of teenage pregnancy and offers recommendations on tackling this social problem. Though a decreasing figure since 1998, the UK still has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe. … [Read more...]

"Eating for two" and "taking it easy" may not be the safest advice for obese pregnant women. In fact, the opposite applies for most obese women. A recent study reveals the improved overall health of obese women who followed healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy was also passed along to their unborn children. "For a very long time, it was a concern that maintaining the … [Read more...]

Maternal depression affects infants' sleep Reported May 08, 2009 LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Babies born to depressed mothers are more likely to have sleep problems and early-onset depression during childhood, a new study has found. In the first six months of life, these babies, affected by their mothers' depression, took longer to fall asleep at night, slept in shorter … [Read more...]

Autism Study to Follow Pregnant Women Reported June 09, 2009 WASHINGTON -- Researchers are looking for 1,200 women who have a child with autism and who are pregnant with another child, as part of a large study of the disorder. The study is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health along with money from Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. The project, known as … [Read more...]

Ethnicity Impacts Risk for Gestational DiabetesReported December 15, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Korean-American and Chinese-American women's risk of diabetes during pregnancy is one-third higher than average -- and more than double that of Caucasian and African-American women. More than 10 percent of women of Chinese and Korean heritage may be at risk for developing … [Read more...]

Abortion Pill Safe as Surgical Abortion 15 August, 2007 Aug. 15, 2007 -- The abortion pill RU-486 is no riskier to future pregnancies than surgical abortion, a U.S./Denmark study shows. French researchers reported in 2003 that women who had RU-486-induced abortions -- what doctors call "medical abortions" -- were nearly three times as likely to suffer … [Read more...]

Genetic Cause Found for Fetal Movement Disorder Reported June 04, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – As any pregnant woman knows, babies like to kick and turn while in the womb. However, some babies stay still, which can lead to complications and even death. Now researchers are learning why these babies aren’t as active. A mutation on a gene responsible for controlling a portion of … [Read more...]

Women deserve better access to birth control: UNReported September 07, 2009 BERLIN, Germany (AFP) - With a woman dying every minute because of complications in childbirth or pregnancy, the UN on Tuesday appealed for the world to contribute more to improve women's health and access to contraception. "It would cost the … [Read more...]

Eating Anemia Out Reported January 08, 2009 "Our bodies take a long time to replenish such heavy loss of iron. Pregnant women particularly need more iron to cope with the demands of the growing baby and placenta”, says Vasundhara Singh, assistant dietician, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi." A study released by Harvard Health … [Read more...]