Fertility & Pregnancy

Russia and the Birth Rates in the Country Reported February 05, 2008 Declining population is one of the biggest problems of modern Russia. Mr. Putin said falling birth rates and the rise in mortality made Russia’s demographic situation “critical”.   He outlined a national program to encourage women to have more children, pledging more state help. At … [Read more...]

Single Embryo Transfers Better than Double? December 2, 2004 (Ivanhoe Newswire) --Women opting to undergo a single embryo transfer instead of a double embryo transfer during in vitro fertilization can decrease the chance of multiple births without substantially lowering live births, according to a new study.Researchers in Sweden studied 661 women … [Read more...]

Spring-Loaded Birth Control Reported March 28, 2005 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Each year, about 700,000 women will have their tubes tied to prevent pregnancy. The procedure is highly effective but can be tough on patients. Now, an easier approach gives some women the same benefits without surgery. Sherry … [Read more...]

Stress and class 'have major impact' on premature birth July 20, 2007 Class, education, age, income and a stressful job all play a major role in premature labour, according to a European study. The EUROPOP survey of 16,000 women in 17 European countries shows that a woman is 100% more likely to go into premature labour if she is of low … [Read more...]

Treat Gestational Diabetes to Reduce Birth ProblemsReported October 05, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Treating pregnant women for mild gestational diabetes resulted in fewer cesarean sections and other serious birthing problems associated with larger than average babies, according to a study conducted in part at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "This study is … [Read more...]

Improved detection could prevent stillbirths Reported September 24, 2007 Many stillbirths could be prevented if doctors were able to spot restricted foetal growth, in which babies fail to reach their expected size in the womb, researchers have said. A ten-year study by the NHS's Perinatal Institute is set to reveal that the … [Read more...]

Weight Gain During Pregnancy Reported November 01, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Gaining too much weight during pregnancy may be harder on your baby than you think. A new report from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research shows those extra pounds can nearly double the risk of having a heavy baby. The study looked at more than 40,000 women who gave birth in … [Read more...]

Flu shot in pregnancy benefits baby Reported November 01, 2009 LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pregnant women who get flu shots will have bigger and healthier babies, studies show. Flu shot in pregnancy will also help prevent preterm births and reduce rates of hospitalization for newborns, according to the studies presented at this week's annual meeting of the Infectious … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]

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...]