Fertility & Pregnancy

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...]

Pregnancy is no time to stop exercising. Doctors say an active mom-to-be can experience several health benefits, including an easier labor and faster weight loss after delivering. Physicians at Ohio State University Medical Center recommend women with uncomplicated pregnancies exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a week. "More if someone is used to exercising more," … [Read more...]

Asthma Risk Increases with Fall BirthdayReported November 21, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A fall birthday might make kids oldest in their class at school, but it could also make them more likely to develop asthma. Children who are born four months before the height of cold and flu season have a greater risk of developing childhood asthma than children born at any other … [Read more...]

Iron harmful during pregnancy Reported November 14, 2007 Children, whose mothers take iron tablets during pregnancy, may develop abnormality in behaviour, says a new study. Researcher Maria Makrides, a nutritionist from South Australia's Child Health Research Institute and team studied 431 pregnant women. Half of them took a daily … [Read more...]

Brazil doles out 'morning after' pills Reported November 20, 2007 São Paulo, Brazil - As part of a new fight against Brazil's sky-high number of unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions, the country's most populous state is offering "morning after" contraceptive pills at metro stops and 90 percent off contraceptive pills at pharmacies. And … [Read more...]

Breast not Best for AsthmaReported September 14, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There may be lots of good reasons to breastfeed your baby, but protecting him from asthma apparently isn't one of them. A large study conducted by European investigators reveals breastfeeding has no effect on the development of asthma and allergies in the children at the age of six and a half. The … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding has health benefit for moms: StudyReported July 21, 2009 Breast isn't just best for baby: mothers who don't breastfeed their babies may increase their risk of heart attacks and strokes decades later, new research suggests. The evidence comes from the massive Women's Health Initiative trial and involved nearly 140,000 women. Researchers found that women who … [Read more...]

Contraceptives Safe, But Questions RemainReported January 26, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Oral contraceptives are used by 80 percent of women at some point in their lives. The pills are generally safe, but experts warn some risks and benefits have yet to be examined. A recent journal article by experts at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute provides insight into hormonal … [Read more...]

A technique to detect genetic disorders in embryos before they're implanted seems to be relatively harmless for babies once they're born. The research was presented at the European Human Genetics Conference in Nice, France. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a new technique that allows specialists to detect whether or not an embryo contains a gene that will lead … [Read more...]

Double Breakthrough may Combat MalariaReported December 09, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The discovery of new protein biomarkers in the blood may help doctors detect two dangerous forms of malaria earlier. Scientists recently found women with placental malaria -- a form of the disease that develops in the placenta of a pregnant woman and affects her unborn child -- carry a … [Read more...]

Affects of Nicotine and Drugs Start in the Womb Reported June 13, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A child who’s been exposed to drugs in the womb is starting off with two strikes when it comes to a lifetime of healthy sleep. According to a new study, children exposed to cocaine, nicotine, marijuana, alcohol, opiates or some combination of those are more likely to have sleep … [Read more...]

Attacking Autism: Earlier DiagnosisReported February 03, 2009 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Autism is a developmental disorder that impacts a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. A new case is diagnosed every 20 minutes in the United States, but getting to a diagnosis can be a frustrating battle. New breakthroughs may be the key to early … [Read more...]

IVF Use Rises in Australia as Older Women Seek Fertility Help Reported September 17, 2008 Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Fertility treatments rose 4.6 percent in Australia in 2006, spurred by women in their late 30s and 40s seeking help falling pregnant, a new report shows. Australian fertility clinics performed 48,706 treatment cycles in 2006, … [Read more...]

Birth Size Linked to Breast Cancer Risk Reported October 03, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Birth size -- particularly length -- may help predict a baby's risk of developing breast cancer when he or she reaches adulthood. The birth size and breast cancer association had been previously made, but researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine set out to … [Read more...]

Canada's fertility rate at 10-year high: StatsCan Reported September 26, 2008 Canada's fertility rate reached a 10-year high in 2006, when women aged 30 to 34 had more babies than women aged 25 to 29 for the first time, Statistics Canada said Friday. The total fertility rate — the average number of children per women — rose to 1.59 in 2006, up from 1.54 in 2005, the … [Read more...]