Fertility & Pregnancy

Girls of 12 could be given contraceptive implants to curb pregnancies Reported January 12, 2009 Schoolgirls as young as 12 could be given contraceptive implants in an attempt to reduce under-age pregnancies. The move is being considered by a local authority at a time when England and Wales has one of the highest teenage birth rates in Western … [Read more...]

The truth about pregnancy Reported January 16, 2009 It’s time to give mums-to-be a break from pregnancy scare stories — having babies is actually getting safer In a week of gloom there was one cheerier piece of news: the risk of epidurals, anaesthetic injections into the area around the spine, is lower than that previously stated. In fact, … [Read more...]

Vitamin D Recommendations Doubled Reported October 14, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vitamin D grows healthy bones and keeps them strong -- and new guidelines suggest your child may need double the amount he or she currently receives. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends double the currently recommended amount of vitamin D for kids. Authors detailed in a recent … [Read more...]

We can prevent tragedies from postpartum illnessReported August 12, 2009 Every new mother is expected to feel joyous at the birth of a new child. After all, the creation of life is supposed to be the height of a mother's life experience. But if you're a mother living with postpartum mental illness, that's not always the case. The recent reports of Otty Sanchez, the San … [Read more...]

Early C-section for full-term babies poses riskReported January 08, 2009 Toronto (ECN) - A scientific study was done on cesarean sections. United States researchers found that more than fifty percent of cesarean sections that doctors perform are done by the choice of doctors and their patients. Many celebrities have even had elective cesareans because they are worried … [Read more...]

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...]