Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Close pregnancies increase autism risk: Study

According to a new study published in the February issue of Paediatrics, children born within one year of an older sibling may be three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

10 Jan 2011

Viveve's non-surgical vaginal laxity treatment receives European CE mark

Viveve, Inc., a development stage women's health company, announced today that it has received the European CE (Conformite Europeenne) mark for the use of its Viveve System for the non-surgical treatment of laxity of the vaginal introitus (opening), after childbirth, to improve female sexual function.

7 Jan 2011

Better monitoring, new techniques reduce anesthesia-related maternal deaths

The number of women who die from complications of anesthesia during childbirth has plummeted 59 percent over the last two decades thanks to improved monitoring and better medical techniques, according to a recent study.

7 Jan 2011

Home births on the decline in UK: Midwives protest

According to a leader of Britain’s midwives, more and more women are being discouraged from giving birth at home. Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives said that many GPs are citing harms of a home birth like dangerous bleeding where their midwives may be unable to help. Warwick said, “There are doctors that still tell women scary things that aren’t evidence-based that then put them off having a home birth…

30 Dec 2010

Male partners' sympathy levels during menstrual periods lacking

New research from Lloydspharmacy reveals that whilst an overwhelming number of women suffer from menstrual cramps, male partners' sympathy levels at that time of the month appear to be lacking. Although 87% of men claim to be very or fairly compassionate, a quarter of women (25%) who have suffered discomfort with 'Mother Nature's gift' say their partners are unsympathetic.

24 Dec 2010

Teen birth rate at a seven decade low: Report

Figures reveal that fewer teenagers are giving birth and the numbers are a seventy year low. Reasons are not specified but two decades of public-health initiatives to curb teenage pregnancy may be paying off feel experts. Report co author Brady Hamilton, a statistician at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics said, “One of the biggest highlights is the continuing decline in teen births -- down to record lows.”

22 Dec 2010

Mums urged not to delay births for leave scheme

Many Australian couples are delaying having a baby in order to access the federal government’s paid parental leave scheme. The scheme begins at the start of the New Year and allows eligible parents to access up to 18 weeks pay at the minimum wage. Figures show that from January 1, 2011 an estimated 148,000 families will be eligible to receive a payment of $570 a week before tax, or $10,260 over 18 weeks.

20 Dec 2010

Over quarter million women who gave birth in hospitals had pre-existing diabetes or developed gestational diabetes

More than a quarter million women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals in 2008 had pre-existing diabetes or developed it during their pregnancy - a condition called gestational diabetes, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This equals 6.4 percent of the 4.2 million women who gave birth in that year.

17 Dec 2010

Do not delay breast cancer therapy during pregnancy

Do not delay treatment of breast cancer just because a woman is pregnant, said lead researcher Sibylle Loibl, Dr. med, of the German Breast Group.

13 Dec 2010

Research programs embody the promise of anti-aging medicine.

Sometimes the value of research lies as much in exposing false remedies as in discovering true breakthroughs. Scientists at the country's first school of gerontology and in laboratories around the University of Southern California do both, mindful of their responsibility to a society focused on healthful aging.

13 Dec 2010

African, Caribbean, Pacific, EU leaders meet to discuss maternal mortality, climate change, other issues

Leaders from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of nations and the European Union launched "wide-ranging talks" in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports. Approximately 450 lawmakers from 110 countries attended the opening.

4 Dec 2010

Number of big babies rise along with obstetric complications

Doctors say that with more babies born oversized mostly to obese or overweight mothers the risks of shoulder injury and getting stuck during labour is on the rise. Horrifyingly sometimes obstetricians are resorting to breaking baby’s collarbones to facilitate delivery because their shoulders get stuck during childbirth. This is usually done in a potentially life-threatening is known as shoulder dystocia that compresses the umbilical cord or puts pressure on the neck, leaving the child starved of oxygen if not delivered immediately.

30 Nov 2010

UNAIDS 2010 report documents significant progress in reducing pediatric HIV infection

The just-released UNAIDS 2010 report on the global AIDS epidemic reflects that there is increased momentum to eliminate pediatric HIV and AIDS worldwide, and documents significant progress in increasing access to services to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, reducing new infections in children, and providing treatment for children, mothers, and families living with the virus.

24 Nov 2010

CONRAD congratulates Global iPrEx study team for HIV prevention trial

CONRAD is pleased to join in congratulating the Global iPrEx study team for their successful trial of oral tenofovir (TDF) with emtricitabine (FTC) for HIV prevention.

24 Nov 2010

Online interactive world map of maternal health

Researchers from the University of Southampton have helped construct an online interactive world map which gives stark facts and figures about the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and following the birth of their child.

20 Nov 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

New This Week In The Kaiser Global Health Policy Tracker: The President's Malaria Initiative announced a new focus country and USAID released a new fact sheet on the agency's reform initiative. Kaiser's Policy Tracker provides a timely single reference point for the latest information on congressional and administration action on global health.

20 Nov 2010

UNICEF report identifies factors helping, hindering efforts to drive down FGM/C in five African countries

A report released on Thursday by UNICEF highlights the recent progress made in reducing the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) despite ongoing social pressures to continue the practice in five African countries, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports (11/18).

19 Nov 2010

New online interactive world map gives facts about maternal health

19 Nov 2010

Urgent action needed to address urban health inequities

A new report published today by WHO and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) shows for the first time how ill-health is linked to poverty in cities, and not just among the poorest urban populations. It calls for policymakers to take action targeting health inequities.

18 Nov 2010

Children's heart disease affects mental health of mothers

Mothers of children with severe heart disease are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than mothers of healthy children, even once any medical interventions are over.

18 Nov 2010