Fertility & Pregnancy

Women's pre-pregnancy weight linked to risk of birth defects 07 August, 2007 TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) — Women who were obese before they became pregnant had a higher risk of having babies with certain birth defects, including missing limbs, malformed hearts and underdeveloped spinal cords, a new study … [Read more...]

Study: Abortion Pills Don't Bring RisksReported August 16, 2007 ATLANTA (AP) -- Women who use abortion pills rather than the more common surgical method seem to face no greater risk of tubal pregnancy or miscarriage in later pregnancies, according to a new study. The federally funded research -- based on nearly 12,000 Danish women -- is considered the best study to date of … [Read more...]

Pre-eclampsia May Be Autoimmune DiseaseReported July 29, 2008 ScienceDaily (July 29, 2008) — Biochemists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston say they are the first to provide pre-clinical evidence that pregnancy-induced high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia may be an autoimmune disease. Their research could provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic … [Read more...]

Smoking while pregnant harms baby's blood vesselsReported November 20, 2008 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who smoke during pregnancy may cause permanent blood vessel damage in their children that may become evident as early as young adulthood and raise the risk for heart attack and stroke, Dutch investigators reported today. The study involved 732 young adults, born … [Read more...]

Many women as they head into their final weeks of pregnancy wonder whether their own obstetrician will deliver the baby or whether the doctor will be someone else on call at the time. A study of deliveries at a Montreal hospital attempted to answer the question, and also looked at how outcomes might vary. Almost 77 per cent of deliveries were by the patient's own … [Read more...]

Milk Supplement Saves PreemiesReported October 09, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Very low birth-weight (VLBW) newborns who received the milk protein lactoferrin alone or in combination with a probiotic had a reduced incidence of late-onset sepsis, according to a new study. "Infections are the most common cause of death in premature infants and a major threat for poor … [Read more...]

Legal Abortion No Longer a Distant Goal for Activists   July 17, 2007 MEXICO CITY - Mexico could join Cuba and Guyana as the only countries in Latin America where abortion is legal in cases other than those involving rape or a threat to a pregnant woman's life. Two draft laws apparently enjoy … [Read more...]

New Warning on Mercury-Contaminated Fish Reported March 8, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new warning is out about the health risks of fish contaminated with mercury. "The Madison Declaration on Mercury Pollution" comes from the latest scientific information about the dangers … [Read more...]

Preeclampsia Raises Risk of Serious Kidney Disease Reported August 20, 2008 WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Women who've experienced the pregnancy complication known as preeclampsia face a much greater risk of end-stage renal disease, new research suggests. In fact, says the report in the Aug. 21 issue of theNew England Journal of Medicine, the … [Read more...]

Online Birth Class Reported January 29, 2008 CLEARWATER, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Most women are busy -- especially when they are pregnant. For many moms-to-be, they are working and don’t have the time to go to weeks of childbirth classes. Now, pregnant moms and dads have a new option. Many moms and dads to-be take childbirth classes … [Read more...]

New research shows the drug fluconazole can help protect preterm babies from fungal infections in the first 30 days of life. Preterm babies are born when a pregnancy lasts fewer than 37 weeks. There are many risks to preterm infants, and one of those is the risk of infection. Infection is a bigger threat to preemies because they're not as able to fight off germs causing … [Read more...]

More Abortions Than Births in Russia — Health Official 23-08-2005 Russians, whose lives are shorter and poorer than they were under communism, have more abortions than births to avoid the costs of raising children, Bloomberg.com reported Tuesday quoting the country’s highest-ranking obstetrician. About … [Read more...]

Nearly 50 percent of abortions carried out in Spain are on immigrant womenNovember 09, 2007 The increase in the immigrant population in Spain has resulted in more abortions being carried out in the country. Half of the women who currently undergo the process are now of foreign origin, according to a new report presented by the … [Read more...]

Study: Breastfeeding Reduces Breast Cancer RiskReported August 12, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – According to a new study, women with a family history of breast cancer were 59 percent less likely to develop breast cancer themselves if they breastfed their children.   "This is good news for women with a family history of breast cancer," Alison Stuebe, assistant professor of … [Read more...]

Foreigners allowed to have abortions in Sweden   Reported November 15, 2007 STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Foreign women will be allowed to have abortions in Sweden from January under changes to legislation passed by the Swedish parliament on Thursday. "The abortion law is going to be changed so that foreign women will be allowed to … [Read more...]

Big increase in home births across UK Reported December 10, 2008 More women are giving birth at home, according to official new data provided by the Office of National Statistics, The General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The biggest increase - more than 14% - has been in Scotland, where 872 … [Read more...]

Seizure Drug May Be Harmful During PregnancyMonday, March 21, 2005 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who take the epilepsy drug valproate during pregnancy may be raising their baby's risk of severe birth defects, according to reports in the medical journal Neurology. In contrast, another drug, lamotrigine, appears to be safe. The … [Read more...]

U.S. Gets a 'D' For Preterm Birth RateReported November 30, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – For the second consecutive year, more than half a million of our nation's newborns were born prematurely and failed to get the healthy start they deserved. In the 2009 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, seven states improved their performance by one letter grade, though two fared … [Read more...]

Too much exercise can affect women's fertility Reported November 09, 2009 New York, November 9-- A Norwegian study suggests spending too much time in the gym can reduce women’s fertility. The findings of the study suggest that while limited physical activity certainly offers health benefits, however, too much of it could possibly deprive the body of … [Read more...]

Study to look into impact of medications taken during pregnancy Reported January 01, 2010 New York, January 1 -- A lot is said and discussed about the advantages of refraining from common medications during pregnancy. However, very little concrete information is documented as to whether the moms-to-be should miss out on helpful medicines in those … [Read more...]

The number of infertility patients who plan to donate frozen embryos to stem cell research has grown, resulting in 2,000 to 3,000 new stem cell lines, according to a study out July 6th. These startling findings contribute to the ongoing debate over stem cell research and who has legal authority of frozen embryos. "This is a significant controversy, the biggest we've ever had … [Read more...]

Fish Tips for Pregnant Women Reported December 27, 2004 ATLANTA (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- If you're pregnant or planning to be soon, it's important to eat a well-balanced diet. Seafood may sound like a good idea, but there are some tips you need to know about. Lisa Harte is ready to have a baby. Not … [Read more...]

Poor Pregnancy Outcome Linked with Reports of Racism Thursday, December 9, 2004 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) --African American women who report experiences of discrimination based on their race or skin color appear to have an increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, according to the findings of two new studies. In one study of black … [Read more...]

Mom antibiotic link to child palsy Reported September 18, 2008 New Delhi, Sept. 18: Antibiotics do not help women with signs of premature labour whose waters have not broken, but increase the risk of cerebral palsy in their children, a study has found. The 14-country trial — the world’s largest medical study on the use of antibiotics in premature … [Read more...]

The care gap in diagnosis and treatment of women with a fragility fracture. July 20, 2007 In women aged 50 years or more who experienced a fracture, 81% suffered a fragility fracture. Six to eight months after fragility fracture, 79% had either not been investigated for osteoporosis or prescribed anti-fracture therapy. Despite fragility … [Read more...]

Killing Tumors, Preserving FertilityReported November 30, 2009 PHOENIX (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It's the most common reason for hysterectomies in the United States: As many as 30 percent of women suffer from uterine fibroids, benign, painful tumors in the uterus. Now there's a treatment that kills the tumors but not the option of having children. Ericka Schwappach and her … [Read more...]

Nursing as baby may not ensure slim adult Reported December 10, 2007 ATLANTA -- Although breast-feeding has many benefits, it won't prevent a child from becoming fat as an adult, says a new study that challenges dogma from U.S. health officials. The research is the largest study to date on breast-feeding and its effect on adult obesity. "I'm the first to say … [Read more...]

Los Angeles Teen Birth Rate Highest In State Reported May 21, 2008 LOS ANGELES The teen birth rate in the Los Angeles area was among the highest in the state, costing the county more than $29 million per year, according to a study released on Wednesday by the nonprofit Public Health Institute. After 15 years in decline, teen birth rates in California are rising, costing … [Read more...]

Women more willing than docs to accept labor risksReported November 19, 2008 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women are more willing to accept potential risks of delivering their baby vaginally than are the medical professionals caring for them, Australian researchers report. And among the health care workers surveyed, midwives were ready to take the greatest risks, … [Read more...]

Manitoba appeals abortion ruling to protect right to set spending priorities Jan. 27, 2005 WINNIPEG (CP) - The Manitoba government must appeal a court ruling ordering it to pay for abortions in private clinics to protect its right to decide how health-care dollars are spent, Health Minister Tim Sale said Thursday. Sale said the case, … [Read more...]