Fertility & Pregnancy

You are What Your Mother Eats Reported April 23, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- What your mother ate during pregnancy may have helped determine your sex. Particularly, eating more during the time of conception is now linked to having a baby boy. A study by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford looked at 740 first-time pregnant mothers in the United Kingdom who did not know the … [Read more...]

Embryonic Hearts Heal Themselves Reported October 14, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Embryonic hearts appear to have a surprising ability to generate new, healthy tissue when faced with a significant amount of diseased tissue. In a new study conducted in mice, researchers found animals that were bred to have “mosaic hearts” featuring mixed cells -- about half normal and half … [Read more...]

FDA Approves Drug for Rare Blood DisorderMarch 19, 2007 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it's approved a first-of-its-kind drug to treat a rare blood disorder called paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), which can cause disability and premature death. The newly approved drug, Soliris (eculizumab), is a … [Read more...]

Focusing on School Could Prevent Teen PregnanciesReported November 17, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Programs that help kids enjoy school are successful in reducing teen pregnancy rates, according to researchers. A recent evaluation of the Young People's Development Program (YPDP) in Britain found that it did not decrease the number of teenage pregnancies. Researchers … [Read more...]

Oral contraceptives don’t affect women's fertilityReported September 07, 2009 The study led by German researchers showed that neither the length of time the pill was taken nor the type of hormones used had an affect on pregnancy rates. In the European Active Surveillance Study on Oral Contraceptives, the … [Read more...]

Hepatitis E Vaccine Shows Promise Reported March 1, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A form of hepatitis common in developing nations of the world may have met its match. U.S. Army researchers who tested a vaccine against hepatitis E ( HEV) report the vaccine was about 95-percent … [Read more...]

Threat to morning-after-pill ads in IndiaReported September 09, 2009 NEW DELHI — Indian authorities have threatened to pull advertising for two brands of morning-after-pills off the air amid concern they promote the drugs as regular contraceptives and misrepresent abortion, an official said Wednesday. The manufacturers of "Unwanted 72" and "I-Pill" have launched an … [Read more...]

IVF and Acupuncture Reported November 17, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Reducing the stress and anxiety women feel when undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) is considered important in improving the pregnancy rate in these women. Acupuncture has shown promise in easing these symptoms, but a new investigation out of Hong Kong suggests a sham version of the treatment may … [Read more...]

Mom's Work Schedule Affects Child's Development Thursday, February 10, 2005 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children whose mothers work nights, evenings or rotating shifts are more likely to be behind the curve in mental development at age 2 and in language ability at age 3, new … [Read more...]

Premature Birth Risk Higher For Women Taking SSRIsReported March 20, 2009 Untreated major depression, as well as the use of antidepressant medications, may increase the risk for premature (preterm) birth, but the risk of other problems in fetuses such as breathing, gastrointestinal, or motor problems, may not be increased, according to a study of pregnant women published … [Read more...]

Folic Acid May Help Prevent Premature BirthReported January 31, 2008 THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Long known to help prevent birth defects, folic acid may also help prevent premature births, new research suggests. In a large study that included almost 40,000 women, a team of U.S. and Irish researchers found that women who took folic acid supplements for a year or … [Read more...]

Bariatric Surgery Lowers Pregnancy Risks for Obese WomenReported November 19, 2008 Toronto - Researchers say that women who get pregnant after undergoing weight-loss surgery seem to remain in better health and deliver babies with fewer complications than obese women who do not undergo such surgery. It was also found that undergoing weight-loss surgery may regulate … [Read more...]

Moms-to-be, Watch What you Breathe Reported January 18, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study out of Great Britain suggests expectant mothers may want to be careful what they inhale while they’re pregnant. Researchers have linked breathing cancer-causing compounds during pregnancy to an increased risk of … [Read more...]

Working with pesticides impacts women's fertility. Reported 15 January, 2009 Women with potential exposure to pesticides at work or at home took longer to get pregnant than women without pesticide connections. Pregnant women living in a migrant, farmworker community in California participated in the study. Although all women were pregnant, … [Read more...]

Nitric Oxide Benefits Some Preemies Reported July 7, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows certain premature newborns may benefit from inhaled nitric oxide. Inhaled nitric oxide works by widening blood vessels in the lungs to allow for a more efficient flow of oxygen and elimination of carbon dioxide. It also helps send blood to the most oxygenated areas of the lung … [Read more...]

Smoking During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Cleft Lip in Infants Reported December 12, 2008 (NaturalNews) Women who smoke while pregnant increase the risk that their children will be born with cleft lips, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, and published in the journal Epidemiology. "First trimester … [Read more...]

Overweight Couples Have More Problems Conceiving Reported March 8, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It may take longer for a couple to conceive if both the man and woman are overweight or obese. A new study from Denmark looked at 47,835 Danish couples between 1996 and 2002. Results … [Read more...]

Pre-natal Alcohol Exposure Linked to Trouble SleepingReported August 07, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A nightcap while you’re pregnant may disturb your child’s sleep later on. A new study found alcohol consumption during pregnancy and small body size at birth predict poorer sleep and higher risk of sleep disturbances in 8-year-old children born at term.   The importance of … [Read more...]

Pregnancy Protein Prevents Breast Cancer?Reported December 28, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Hormones produced during pregnancy induce a protein called alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) that directly inhibits the growth of breast cancer and may serve as a viable agent for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. "Hormones in pregnancy, such as estrogen, all induce AFP, which … [Read more...]

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Leads to Behavioral ProblemsReported July 21, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have significantly weakened social cognition and emotion-processing abilities, according to a study that is the first to compare cognitive factors and social behavior in children with FASD and attention deficit … [Read more...]

Spain's Rate of Abortion Doubles in a Decade Reported December 03, 2008 MADRID, Spain, DEC. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Surgical abortions in Spain have increased in all age groups, especially among young unmarried women, reported the health ministry. A Tuesday statement reported that abortions numbered 112,138 in Spain last year, indicating an increase of 10% … [Read more...]

Study Shows Antidepressants Safe for Nursing Mothers Reported March 8, 2005 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Thirteen percent of women experience postpartum depression. Many breastfeeding women, however, elect to not take antidepressants because of fear of exposing the infant to the drug through her breast milk. Now, … [Read more...]

Pregnant Women & New Mums with Eating Disorders   Reported November 20, 2007 The number of pregnant women and new mothers suffering from eating disorders is on the rise here in Sweden. Newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports that it’s a problem midwives and child health care centres are ill equipped to deal with. A new … [Read more...]

Women Deliver: Global Conference, London, October 18-20 - Curbing Needless Deaths During Pregnancy And Childbirth, UK 08 August, 2007 A landmark global conference in London this October aims to halt the needless deaths of 10 million women and girls who die in each generation during pregnancy and childbirth, and four million newborn … [Read more...]

Two children should be limit, says green guru Reported February 07, 2009 COUPLES who have more than two children are being “irresponsible” by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government’s green adviser has warned. Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population … [Read more...]

In Vitro Fertilization and Birth Defects Reported December 5, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows babies conceived through in vitro fertilization have a slightly higher risk of major birth defects. The study, headed by Brad Van Voorhis, M.D., the F.K. "Ted" Chapler Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of … [Read more...]

Pregnant Women With Bowel Disease Face Higher RisksReported March 20, 2009 FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease have an elevated risk of developing adverse pregnancy and maternal outcomes, according to research published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Geoffrey C. Nguyen, M.D., Ph.D., of the … [Read more...]

Epilepsy Drug & AutismReported December 05, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The cause of autism remains a mystery to the medical community, but researchers have found a link between an epilepsy drug and an increased risk of a child developing autism. A new study shows women who take the epilepsy drug valproate while pregnant may significantly increase their unborn baby’s … [Read more...]

Gene Linked to Early Menopause Reported May 27, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Scientists have identified genetic factors that influence the age at which a woman experiences menopause, and they said the discovery could eventually help improve fertility treatments. Dutch researchers analyzed data from nine international studies that involved more than 10,000 menopausal women. … [Read more...]