Fertility & Pregnancy

Many mums smoke through pregnancy: report   Reported June 03, 2009 Many Australian women who smoke don't quit during pregnancy, a study shows, and when they cut back it's only by a couple of cigarettes a day. Queensland researchers studied the smoking prevalence among a group of more than 260 pregnant women at an antenatal clinic. They found 37 per … [Read more...]

Brazil Offers Morning-After Pill to Poor July 12, 2007 SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Brazil's government has added "morning after" pills to its newly expanded birth control program in hopes of helping poor people reduce unwanted pregnancies and dangerous illegal abortions. Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao announced the addition a month after … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding Better for Girls Reported June 04, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – New information reveals breast milk may benefit girls more than boys, especially when it comes to preventing respiratory infections. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center followed 119 premature babies from Buenos Aires through their first year of life and found girls were protected more by … [Read more...]

High dietary fibre may reduce risk of high blood pressure in pregnant women Reported September 14, 2008 High dietary fibre may reduce risk of high blood pressure in pregnant womenEating a high-fibre diet can improve cholesterol levels and may reduce the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant mothers, according to a study in the American Journal of Hypertension. Preeclampsia is … [Read more...]

Cervix Size Affects Cesarean Birth Odds Reported March 28, 2008 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Cesarean deliveries in the United States are increasing at an alarming rate. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, they’ve doubled within the last decade. Now, a new study says the size of a woman’s cervix halfway through her pregnancy may play a role in … [Read more...]

CT Scans on Pregnant WomenReported March 19, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Although they are potentially hazardous to a developing fetus, the use of CT scans on pregnant women has more than doubled in the last ten years. Used to capture internal images, radiologic imaging like nuclear medicine, CT, fluoroscopy and plain-film x-ray can help doctors diagnose potentially … [Read more...]

Diabetes Linked to Postpartum Depression?Reported March 02, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A first of its kind study discovered pregnant women and new mothers with diabetes were approximately 55 to 60 percent more likely to experience postpartum depression. Investigators at Harvard Medical School and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health gathered the research. … [Read more...]

Non-invasive screening 'halves Down's Syndrome births'June 30, 2007 Offering non-invasive screening to all pregnant women can half the number of children born with Down's Syndrome (DS), new research has found. Researchers from Denmark's Kennedy Institute found that the number of children born in the country with the condition dropped by 50 … [Read more...]

Alcohol Dependence Delays Childbearing Reported August 25, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women with alcohol dependence (AD) may end up having fertility problems. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine finds alcohol use in both teenage and adult females can cause reproductive dysfunctions. AD in women is associated with delayed reproduction. Reproductive … [Read more...]

Age doesn’t affect physical and emotional health during pregnancy   Reported July 11, 2009 It is a socially conceived notion that older women have more problems in coping up with pregnancy, as compared to younger women. A recent study has revealed that first-time ‘older’ mums-to-be can cope with pregnancy, just the way younger mums-to-be do. The … [Read more...]

Maternal death rare in Australia Reported May 12, 2008 Australia continues to have one of the lowest maternal death rates in the world, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report, Maternal deaths in Australia 2003–2005, shows that over the three years from 2003–2005, only … [Read more...]

The Baby Blues ... Or Something Else? Reported November 14, 2005  ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Many women suffer from postpartum depression after pregnancy. Sometimes, however, the baby blues is actually a different disorder. Mary Ellen Lukasiewicz, a mother of three, says, "I would have him sitting on my lap watching TV or reading, and I'd have a thought … [Read more...]

Largest Canadian survey on menopause reveals treatment gapsJune 21, 2007 An unprecedented 2.7 million Canadian women – or one in six – will reach menopause over the next decade. Today, more women than ever face the many disruptive symptoms that can accompany the transition towards this major life event. However, a new national survey on menopause – … [Read more...]

Young women in China too shy to ask for contraceptives November 11, 2007 Young women want more information, but need private and anonymous family planning because of judgemental attitudes surrounding premarital sex and particularly premarital pregnancy. Encouraging contraceptive use among young migrant workers in China to prevent pregnancy and … [Read more...]

Diabetes Risks Could Start in the Womb Reported May 12, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Babies with low birth weight caused by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) are at risk for developing adult-onset, type 2 diabetes. Using a rat model, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found the expression of a gene that is critical for proper functioning of … [Read more...]

Non-invasive screening 'halves Down's Syndrome births'June 30, 2007 Offering non-invasive screening to all pregnant women can half the number of children born with Down's Syndrome (DS), new research has found. Researchers from Denmark's Kennedy Institute found that the number of children born in the country with the condition dropped by 50 … [Read more...]

Another Reason Not to Smoke While Pregnant: Birth DefectsReported August 17, 2007 FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- One of the first things every new parent does is count the baby's fingers and toes. But, women who smoke during pregnancy may be in for an unhappy surprise, because smoking increases the odds that a baby will be born with finger or toe deformities. Just a … [Read more...]

Australian Women Become Mothers Only When Nearing Thirty Reported December 18, 2008 Australian women become mothers only when nearing thirty, and the average age of first-time mothers is around 28 years. The 16th annual report on pregnancy and childbirth in Australia released on 9 December by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare … [Read more...]

Mothers-to-be 'more willing to accept pain' than doctors Reported August 26, 2008 Mothers-to-be will also accept greater physical risks than clinicians to avoid medical intervention, researchers have found. Experts said that many doctor's view could be "biased" by their experiences in dealing with complex deliveries. For the study, … [Read more...]

Baby Blues Reported August 05, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research provides insight into the disabling depression experienced by many new mothers and may lead to better treatment. Postpartum depression has been linked to changes in steroid hormone levels in the brain, but experts believe other factors also contribute to the condition. Researchers recently observed in … [Read more...]

Bleak Outlook for Preemies Reported January 6, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The prognosis for very premature babies is not good. A new study shows most infants born before 26 weeks gestation have moderate or severe mental impairment. Prematurity is a common and serious problem. The number of preterm births is rising each year, … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding May Reduce MS RelapsesReported February 27, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of relapse after pregnancy for women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Researchers followed pregnant women with and without MS during each trimester and up to a year after giving birth. Among the women with MS, 52 percent reported they did … [Read more...]

More links between birth-control patch and blood-clot risk Reported January 22, 2008 A new warning is being issued over the safety of the birth-control patch after a study found women on the patch are twice as likely to develop serious blood clots as those taking oral contraceptives. It's the second study in less than two years that found women using the Ortho Evra patch … [Read more...]

A new study shows women who consume more folate are less likely to develop high blood pressure. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston analyzed data from two large studies, which included more than 156,000 women. Researchers gave the women questionnaires, which asked about their folate and supplemental folic acid intake. None of the … [Read more...]

NRT has no 'serious' impact on still birth Reported August 20, 2008 New research has found the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) by pregnant women has no serious impact on the risk of stillbirth. Smoking during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of stillbirth and pregnancy complications. A report published in the BJOG: An International … [Read more...]

Another Step Toward Polio Eradication Reported October 17, 2008 Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A polio vaccine that targets just one strain of the virus may offer more protection than the older, more comprehensive vaccine, new research shows. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows when the monovalent type 1 poliovirus vaccine is … [Read more...]

Binge-drinking 'may not hurt the unborn' Reported November 14, 2007 PREGNANT women can indulge in binge-drinking without doing any harm to their unborn child, new research suggests. Oxford University’s Jane Henderson and Ron Gray, along with the Danish researcher Ulrik Kesmodel from the University of Aarhus, argued that there … [Read more...]

Baby Quest: Boy or Girl: You DecideReported February 06, 2008 LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People have been trying to play a role in determining the sex of their children for thousands of years. But whether your nursery is pink or blue has always been left up to chance ... until now. Not only is it possible to use science to choose the sex of your child -- … [Read more...]

Blocking Infections, Protecting New MomsReported December 30, 2009 MANHATTAN, N.Y. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- One in three expectant moms will deliver by C-section. The last thing a new mom needs is to worry about is surgical site infections. Now, there's something new to keep moms infection-free. Swapna Reddy and her husband are less than an hour away from one of the biggest … [Read more...]

Most moms report 'positive' birth experience Reported May 07, 2008 Slightly over half (54 per cent) of new Canadian mothers rate their labour and birth experience as "very positive," according to a new report from Statistics Canada. Of women who gave birth during a three-month window in 2006, another one-quarter (26 per cent) said the experience was somewhat positive, … [Read more...]