Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Highest percentage of readmissions occur in 45 to 64 age group

In 2008 nearly 12 percent of hospital stays were readmissions within 30 days of a previous stay, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Jun 2011

Relatives of women who died in childbirth in Uganda sue government

"Relatives of two woman who died in childbirth launched a landmark lawsuit against the Ugandan government Friday to highlight the failure to provide adequate maternal healthcare," Sapa/Agence France-Presse/IOL reports.

2 Jun 2011

AHRQ: 94% of women hospitalized for pregnancy and delivery in the U.S. had complications

Over 9 out of every 10 women giving birth in the United States had some complication in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 May 2011

Loss of elasticity and protein breakdown cause pelvic organ prolapse

A gynecologist and a molecular biologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center have collaborated to show for the first time that pelvic organ prolapse - a condition in which the uterus, bladder or vagina protrude from the body - is caused by a combination of a loss of elasticity and a breakdown of proteins in the vaginal wall.

24 May 2011

16 Countries announce new commitments to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality

Today 16 countries announced new commitments to dramatically reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality, as part of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health.

21 May 2011

16 Countries pledge to reduce maternal, newborn, child mortality

Sixteen countries have announced new commitments aimed at significantly reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality by "focus[ing] on measures proven effective in preventing deaths, such as increased contraceptive use, attended childbirth, improved access to emergency obstetric care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and childhood immunizations," ANI/Sify News reports (5/20).

21 May 2011

Pregnant women warned not to eat for two: Study

According to health experts, there is a “life-long obesity risk of 'eating for two' in pregnancy”. The common advice is reinforced by the results of a study that followed women for a number of years.

19 May 2011

WHO releases annual World Health Statistics report

The WHO on Friday released its annual World Health Statistics report, which includes data on more than 100 indicators - such as life expectancy, mother and child mortality, disease prevalence and health expenditures - from the agency's 193 member states, the Associated Press reports (5/14).

17 May 2011

First Edition: May 13, 2011

Today's headlines include details of Mitt Romney's major health care speech as well as the latest updates on the debt limit and budget talks and the outlook for Medicare's future.

13 May 2011

Mesh surgery more effective for patients with pelvic organ prolapse

A Nordic multicentre study, headed by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, shows that pelvic organ prolapse surgery using synthetic mesh can be more effective than traditional surgery.

12 May 2011

Women who naturally bear twins live longer

Compared with other mothers, women who deliver twins live longer, have more children than expected, bear babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last birth, according to a University of Utah study.

11 May 2011

Breastfeeding leads to better behaviour in kids: Study

A new study shows that just four months of breastfeeding can cut the risk of children becoming badly behaved by almost a third. It found 16 per cent of children brought up on formula milk had problems including anxiety, lying, stealing and hyperactivity – more than double the proportion breastfed for at least four months.

10 May 2011

Inovio reports VGX-3100 Phase I study data in cervical dysplasia and cancer

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, has reported data demonstrating long-term durability of immune responses induced by VGX-3100, its investigational DNA vaccine for treating cervical dysplasia and cancer caused by human papillomavirus.

9 May 2011

U.N. officials recognize International Day of the Midwife

U.N. officials, recognizing the International Day of the Midwife on Thursday, lauded the efforts of midwives worldwide and "called for greater investment to ensure their life-saving services are available to all who need them around the world," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 May 2011

Save the Children releases annual global mother's index

Afghanistan is "the worst place to be a mother, with women having a life expectancy of 45 years - the world's lowest - and one of every 11 women dying in childbirth," according to Save the Children's annual State of the World's Mothers report, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

4 May 2011

Opinions: U.S. development aid, commitment to women; R&D partnerships and development

Once again, Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers report has ranked Afghanistan, where one in 11 women die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, the worst place in the world to be a mother, which "is not surprising," Ret. Army Col. John Agoglia, who served as director of the Counterinsurgency Training Center-Afghanistan in Kabul from 2008-2010, writes in a Politico opinion piece.

4 May 2011

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation honors University Of Colorado researcher for preeclampsia study

A University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher, hoping to find the cause of preeclampsia in pregnant women, won a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Thursday which funds innovative global health and development projects.

29 Apr 2011

C-section deliveries have increased by 72%, episiotomy and forceps use have declined

Use of episiotomy, a surgical incision to widen the vaginal area during childbirth, fell by 60 percent between 1997 and 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

29 Apr 2011

Trig Medical to launch new standard for labor progression management at ACOG 2011

Trig Medical, Inc. announces the U.S. launch of LaborPro®, the new standard for labor progression management, at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2011 Annual Clinical Meeting, taking place April 30 – May 4, 2011 in Washington, D.C. Trig Medical will be demonstrating the LaborPro system in Booth #824 during exhibition hours.

28 Apr 2011

Study questions suitability of anti-retroviral drugs for the young

According to a new major study one in eight children born with HIV becomes resistant to the three main classes of drugs used to suppress the virus within five years of starting treatment. This is the first major study that looks at drug resistance in 1,000 European children born with HIV. It raises questions about the suitability of anti-retroviral drugs for the young.

25 Apr 2011