Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Delayed childbearing may protect against triple-negative breast cancer

Younger women who wait at least 15 years after their first menstrual period to give birth to their first child may reduce their risk of an aggressive form of breast cancer by up to 60 percent, according to a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study.

12 Dec 2012

Rates of reported neonaticide have reduced after 'anonymous delivery' law implementation in Austria

Rates of reported neonaticide have more than halved following the implementation of a unique 'anonymous delivery' law in Austria, finds a new study published today (05 December) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

6 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Disputing Obama's and GOP's commitment to cutting spending and avoiding fiscal cliff

President Obama has said he wants to reform entitlements eventually, someday, after Republicans raise taxes. Republicans want the President to sign on to serious reform now as part of any deal, since AARP and the left will kill anything that isn't passed immediately. Given the political difficulty of reforming entitlements, Republicans are right to try to get Mr. Obama's fingerprints on such a deal this year.

4 Dec 2012

Melinda Gates discusses family planning in Huffington Post blog interview

In the Huffington Post's "World" blog, writer Marianne Schnall interviews Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "about why she considers family planning such a vital issue, how she views the role of philanthropy, her excitement over a new crowdfunding platform she helped launch called Catapult, and the many ways she says giving has enriched her life."

30 Nov 2012

Childhood obesity risk can be predicted at birth

A simple formula can predict at birth a baby's likelihood of becoming obese in childhood, according to a study published today in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

29 Nov 2012

Emergency obstetric care reduced maternal mortality rates up to 74% in two African projects, MSF reports

According to a new briefing paper from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), access to emergency obstetric care, including ambulance service, could help save the lives of up to three quarters of women who might otherwise die in childbirth, AlertNet reports.

21 Nov 2012

Oxytocin regulates social distance between women and men

Flirting brings women and men closer. But the "social distance" ensures that they will keep a certain spatial distance from each other. Researchers under the leadership of the University of Bonn studied whether this distance can be diminished by the so-called love hormone, oxytocin.

16 Nov 2012

Could lactate levels in amniotic fluid help diagnose dysfunctional labour?

With as many as a 30 percent of pregnant women in Australia experiencing a caesarean birth, a study led by researchers from the University of Sydney aims to determine if there is a link between high levels of lactate in amniotic fluid and difficult labours which may end with a caesarean section.

13 Nov 2012

Opportunities to enhance research into pregnancy complications to prevent preterm and stillbirth

New surveys of researchers and funders reveal a lack of consensus regarding researching and developing interventions to prevent prematurity and stillbirth, according to an article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ahead of World Prematurity Day on November 17.

8 Nov 2012

Brain bleeds in premature babies: an interview with Edward Ahn

Premature babies are born during their third trimester and they are vulnerable to having brain bleeds because their brains are not completely developed. There are some fragile blood vessels that are present in every developing infant, but when the babies are born early, these blood vessels can be subject to changes in blood pressure and changes in breathing patterns and, due to their fragility, they can develop a hemorrhage.

6 Nov 2012

Mobile health care centers in India reduce infant and maternal mortality

Infant mortality has fallen by half, and the number of women who died from complications during pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters. This is the result of a four-year health care project in one of India's poorest districts.

4 Nov 2012

Allergies and hygiene: an interview with Sally Bloomfield

Allergies occur when the body overreacts to substances in our environment, such as pollen, dust mites and so forth. What happens is that when we are exposed to these potential threats, the immune system should react, deal with it, and then shut down.

26 Oct 2012

Romney, Ryan would support U.S. cuts in international family planning aid

"If Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, were to win next month's election, the harm to women's reproductive rights would extend far beyond the borders of the United States," a New York Times editorial says.

23 Oct 2012

Viewpoints: LA Times endorses Obama; Romney, Ryan 'obfuscating their plans for Medicare, Medicaid;' Obama's health law polarizes the country

The outcome of the presidential election will determine which of two opposing paths the nation will follow on health care for all Americans. If voters re-elect President Obama, he will protect the health care reforms.

23 Oct 2012

OB-GYN group disputes Rep. Walsh's 'life of the mother' abortion remarks

News outlets are reporting on the developing controversy over Republican Rep. Joe Walsh's comments after a debate last night that abortion is never necessary to save the life of the mother.

20 Oct 2012

In choosing to act, global community can end 'needless death, suffering'

"Not long ago, in Jinja, Uganda, along the grassy, damp banks of the Nile, I sat with six fellows from Global Health Corps, the organization that I helped to found in 2008," Global Health Corps CEO Barbara Bush writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

20 Oct 2012

Support education to reduce child marriage, maternal mortality among teenage girls

"Pregnancy and childbirth is still the leading cause of death for teenage girls in the poorest corners of the world, and despite all the progress in reducing maternal mortality by 47 percent, we have yet to save these young, vulnerable lives," Sarah Brown, founding chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

12 Oct 2012

One type of fat is riskier than another for mums and unborn babies

Carrying too much weight during pregnancy can place both mother and child at risk but new research from the University of Sydney has discovered that one type of fat is riskier than another for mums and unborn babies.

11 Oct 2012

Oral medication as effective as Botox injections for treating incontinence in women

Oral medication for treating a type of incontinence in women is roughly as effective as Botox injections to the bladder, reported researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network study, with each form of treatment having benefits and limitations.

6 Oct 2012

Global Research Nurses to launch this week in Malawi

Today sees the launch of Global Research Nurses, a new interactive network which allows nurses around the world to become a leading voice in global health research.

3 Oct 2012