Fertility & Pregnancy

C-sections Risky for Mother and BabyReported November 01, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women who want to schedule a C-section may want to re-think that decision. New research from Latin America shows non-emergency caesarean births double the risk of illness or death compared to giving birth vaginally. Researchers looked at data from 97,307 deliveries in eight Latin American … [Read more...]

Use of morning-after pill doubles if sold over counter, study findsTuesday, March 29, 2005 Making the so-called "morning-after pill" available without a prescription has more than doubled demand for the drug in British Columbia, and suggests that emergency contraception is greatly underused in the rest of the country, according to a new … [Read more...]

Emergency Contraception Does Not Reduce Unintended Pregnancy Rate July 15, 2007 Science Daily — The "morning after pill" may be a good option for individual women in crisis, but advance access to emergency contraception is no antidote for the national problem of unintended pregnancy. Contrary to the fears of critics, the presence of Plan B does not … [Read more...]

Fish oil in pregnancy cuts asthma risk Reported July 09, 2008 Mothers who take fish oil supplements in late pregnancy could reduce the chance of their child developing asthma, a new study claims. Currently in Ireland, around 20% of children are affected by asthma. The findings also indicate that fish oil supplements lower the risk of pre-term … [Read more...]

Girl could give birth to her sister July 4, 2007 A seven-year-old girl could one day give birth to her biological half-brother or half-sister after her mother became the first woman to donate eggs to her infertile daughter. Melanie Boivin, 35, from Montreal, has placed 21 of her eggs on ice for Flavie Boivin to use when she grows up. … [Read more...]

Women stressed during pregnancy have unhappy kids Reported December 03, 2008 Sydney (IANS): Women stressed during pregnancy were more likely to have children with a higher risk of developing behavioural and emotional problems. Researchers analysed data from more than 1,700 children in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, … [Read more...]

Benefits of Natural Birth Reported September 08, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- One of nature’s strongest bonds is the one shared between a mother and her child. New research suggests mothers who deliver vaginally may have a heightened bond with their babies compared to mothers who deliver via caesarean section (c-section). Researchers found mothers who delivered their babies … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding Decreases Risk of Diabetes Reported November 23, 2005   (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Type 2 diabetes mellitus affects nearly 9 million adult women in the United States. New research, however, may help lower that number. According to a recent study, women who breastfeed longer have a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Alison M. Stuebe, M.D., from Brigham … [Read more...]

Birth-control pills, low birth weight linkedReported March 09, 2009 Women who get pregnant within a few weeks of taking birth-control pills seem much more likely than others to have low birth-weight or premature babies, concludes a new Canadian study that deals with one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs. The findings suggest couples should consider using … [Read more...]

Women who have abortions face numerous health issues Reported July 04, 2008 Our nation's highest civilian honour has been bestowed upon Dr. Henry Morgentaler, thereby granting him official recognition for his contributions to health care and humanitarian work in Canada. Uh huh. So what exactly are those contributions? Dr. (I use this term loosely) Morgentaler made abortion … [Read more...]

New moms need more time to breastfeed November 24, 2007 Chinese women should be given more maternity leave to better breastfeed their babies, in line with World Health Organization recommendations, a leading pediatrician suggests. Mothers feed their babies during a breastfeeding campaign in Indonesia's Java province August 14, 2007. … [Read more...]

Detecting Danger in NewbornsReported August 22, 2007 TORONTO, Canada (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Fetal anemia is a dangerous pregnancy complication that can wreak havoc on unborn babies. Detecting the condition in the womb is vital, but it takes an invasive procedure to do so. Now, there may be an easier way to spot the condition in moms and babies. Little Warren is … [Read more...]

Gender-bending chemical timebomb fear for boys' fertility Reported May 23, 2009 Chemicals in food, cosmetics and cleaning products are 'feminising' unborn boys and raising their risk of cancer and infertility later in life, an expert warns today. Professor Richard Sharpe, one of Britain's leading reproductive biologists, says everyday substances are … [Read more...]

'Don’t drink' warning for pregnant womenMarch 18, 2007 Women will be told not to drink alcohol while pregnant or when trying for a baby, under Government plans to stick warning labels on bottles of booze. Health ministers have met drinks industry bosses to encourage them to label bottles of wine, spirits and beer with a message of … [Read more...]

Women who use prescription medication to terminate a pregnancy are unlikely to have problems caused by the abortion during future pregnancies. New research reveals medical abortions do not increase the risk of miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, premature birth or low birth weight. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, wanted to know if women who have had a … [Read more...]

Asthma Risk Begins in the Womb Reported May 19, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- During pregnancy, a new mom is conscious of her eating, drinking, exercise and exposure to cigarette smoke for the health of her unborn child. But a less obvious behavior can also have lifelong effects on children. Mom’s stress during pregnancy raises a child’s risk for asthma. A pregnant woman’s … [Read more...]

Hospitals breastfeeding 'key' for new mums   Reported November 14, 2009 A LEADING obstetrician has questioned the worth of the national breastfeeding strategy and instead called for more beds in public maternity hospitals. Gino Pecoraro, the Australian Medical Association Queensland's president-elect, said allowing new mothers to stay in hospital … [Read more...]

Breast Milk Builds Trust Reported July 22, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Results of a new study show how the "trust" hormone, oxytocin, is released in a mother's brain when she is breastfeeding her child. Oxytocin has long been known to be the hormone that, when released in the blood, causes milk to be let down from the mammary glad so a baby can breastfeed. More recent … [Read more...]

BPA may pose greater threat to newbornsReported February 24, 2009 Bisphenol A, the controversial chemical used to make plastic, lingers far longer in the bodies of babies who ingest it than in adults because they lack a crucial liver enzyme needed to break it down, according to researchers at the University of Guelph. The finding prompted one of the researchers to … [Read more...]

Call for Action on Premature Births Reported November 14, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In an evaluation of premature births in each state, the March of Dimes gave the nation a “D” on their first annual Premature Birth Report Card. Not a single state earned an “A.” Every year more than half a million babies are born prematurely in the United States, or before 37 weeks … [Read more...]

No Evidence Older Women Generate New Eggs July 11, 2007 Science Daily — It is highly unlikely that older women generate new eggs, report researchers at the University of South Florida in collaboration with a center in China. The USF study, published in the March 2007 issue of the journal Developmental Biology and highlighted April 26, 2007 in Nature, … [Read more...]

Detecting Fetal Infections SoonerReported February 02, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research may help doctors identify and treat a life-threatening infection that is linked to premature birth, illness and death in order to prevent its devastating effects. Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine identified proteins associated with the bacterial infection early onset … [Read more...]

Hypertension, Other Risk Factors Identified for Small-for-Gestational-Age Births Reported August 08, 2008 August 8, 2008 — In pregnant women, chronic hypertension, young or older maternal age, and recurrent early spontaneous abortions are associated with an increased risk for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births, according to the results of a … [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...]