Fertility & Pregnancy News

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...]

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...]

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...]

Antidepressants During Pregnancy Puts Newborns at RiskReported October 12, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Exposure to a certain class of antidepressant medications during pregnancy may put a baby at risk for preterm birth, a low five-minute Apgar score (a measure of overall health of the baby) and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, according to a recent report. One … [Read more...]

Pregnancy does not cloud the brain, says Australian study Reported October 12, 2008 SYDNEY - Pregnancy has long been blamed for addling women's minds but new work by Australian researchers finds this idea may be nothing more than an old wives' tale. A study by the Australian National University's centre for mental health research found that … [Read more...]

Brush Your Way to a Healthy BabyReported April 03, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Could better dental hygiene lead to healthier babies?   Investigators who looked at bacteria in the stomach contents of newborns suggest that might be the case. Their research found two species of bacteria in the gastric aspirates (defined as stomach contents containing amniotic fluid swallowed … [Read more...]

China moves to ban late abortions December 16, 2004 The Guardian-- One of the world's least controlled abortion regimes will be tightened next month, when the Chinese city of Guiyang introduces a pilot programme aimed at halting the widespread termination of female foetuses. The new policy bans doctors from carrying out abortions on most women who … [Read more...]

Delivering Babies Better Reported July 17, 2006 PORTLAND, Ore. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- About 50 babies die each day in the United States during childbirth. Most of them are too small or underdeveloped to live, but some die because of medical mistakes. Now there's a new … [Read more...]

The Effects of Stress during Pregnancy Reported February 05, 2008 There may be a connection between extreme stress in pregnancy and schizophrenia in the offspring some time in the future, scientists say. This has been disclosed in the Archives of General Psychiatry by a team of researchers from the University of Manchester under the guidance of … [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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]