Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Cytokine PharmaSciences completes misoprostol vaginal insert Phase II study

Cytokine PharmaSciences, Inc. today announced the completion of a Phase II study of the misoprostol vaginal insert (MVI), a proprietary, controlled-release and retrievable polymer chip containing prostaglandin E(1) (PGE1). Results of the dose-finding study in pregnant women at term gestation confirm the efficacy and safety of this investigational product and suggest that the MVI may reduce time to delivery after induction, support more natural labor, and reduce the rate of cesarean delivery.

16 Jun 2010

Billions spent yet millions live in poverty: Radical change needed in science, technology and innovation

Out-of-date innovation policy is undermining unprecedented opportunities for development aid to improve the environment and combat global poverty, according to a new Manifesto published today. We live in an era of rapid scientific advance yet poverty is deepening, the environment is in crisis and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals has stalled.

15 Jun 2010

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

IRIN reports on the Global Food Security Act, a bill aimed at expanding the U.S. government's role in combatting hunger around the world. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

15 Jun 2010

Media examine Women Deliver conference

As the conference closed, Women Deliver President Jill Sheffield said advocates would address the economic dimensions of maternal mortality, the BBC reports. "Finance ministers are on our list - and they're not going to stay safe," she said. "They don't always see this as a critical issue. Our economic arguments for investing in women's health are pretty dramatic."

15 Jun 2010

People under 25 contribute 38% of voluntary blood donations

People under the age of 25 contribute an estimated 38% of reported voluntary blood donations, according to new global data from the WHO, released on World Blood Donor Day, 14 June.

14 Jun 2010

Women Deliver conference concludes

The Women Deliver conference concluded on Wednesday, as attendees "celebrated benchmark achievements in reducing maternal and infant mortality and faced stubborn failures at the same time," Womens eNews reports.

11 Jun 2010

In the news: Senate and jobs bill; Obama appeals to seniors; States' Medicaid squeeze; Beyond COBRA

Today's headlines highlights President Obama's planned visit to a senior center to tout health reform, while several columns examine insurance issues, what doctors say about electronic medical record goals and military treatment of traumatic brain injuries is investigated.

9 Jun 2010

Gates Foundation to invest $1.5 billion for integrated women's and children's health programs

Melinda Gates today urged global leaders to make women's and children's health a top priority, and announced that the Gates Foundation will invest $1.5 billion over the next five years to support maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition programs in developing countries.

8 Jun 2010

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

In a Guardian opinion piece, published on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron says G8 and G20 nations should reduce maternal mortality in developing countries and set "'an ambitious target' of saving three million more lives by 2015," the Guardian reports (Watt, 6/3).

5 Jun 2010

SOGC urges strategy for preventing deaths during delivery, childbirth

As the G8 approaches, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is urging the Canadian government to recognize that a strategy on maternal and child health must focus on preventing deaths during delivery and childbirth as 80% of maternal deaths in low-resource countries take place at that time.

4 Jun 2010

Overall increase of cesarean births not due to maternal request

Fewer than two per cent of cesarean births in British Columbia were a result of maternal request, but the number of cesarean and assisted vaginal deliveries varied widely across health regions in B.C., according to a new study by University of British Columbia researchers.

31 May 2010

Advances in women's health, practice of obstetrics and gynaecology to be discussed at SOGC

The 66th Annual Clinical Meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Leading international and Canadian experts will meet to discuss the latest knowledge and advances in women's health and in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.

29 May 2010

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

"While the G8 is putting maternal health at the top of its agenda for next month's summit, fears are growing that the club of wealthy nations is neglecting one of the biggest killers of women: AIDS," the Globe and Mail reports in a piece that examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and what the newspaper describes as the G8's "backtracking" on previous pledges to provide universal access HIV/AIDS drugs.

29 May 2010

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

Governments and other organizations must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children, particularly in the developing world where the lion's share of deaths occur, says Dr. Philip Baker, an internationally renowned medical researcher in obstetrics & gynecology. Baker is the lead author on a G8 positioning paper that included consultations with 20 of the world's leading medical experts on women and children's health.

27 May 2010

New clinical procedures, better diagnostics improve prognosis for children born with severe acute asphyxia

The prognosis for children born with severe acute asphyxia has improved in recent years owing to new clinical procedures and better diagnostics, according to a new doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. By measuring levels of lactic acid in the blood during childbirth and the brain activity of the newborn afterwards, doctors can make a much more reliable assessment of the risk of serious brain damage.

21 May 2010

Sex may become ‘old news’ when it comes to having babies says Australian scientist

According to researchers most couples over 30 will rely more on artificial methods to conceive. This prediction comes from John Yovich, Medical Director of Pivet Medical Centre, and a scientist acknowledged for his pioneering work in IVF, who calls human natural reproduction “a fairly inefficient process.”

18 May 2010

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

During the release of its five-year plan to help drive down high maternal death and fertility rates in low-income countries, the World Bank on Tuesday said "that family planning and other reproductive health services have fallen off the radar of many governments, donors and aid agencies," Reuters reports.

13 May 2010

U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean

Representatives from the U.S. and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Tuesday signed an agreement to expand PEPFAR programs to 12 other Caribbean nations during a gathering in Georgetown, Guyana, Agence France-Presse reports (5/11).

13 May 2010

Opinions: Abortion in Canada's G8 initiative; Security of Afghan women; U.S. global development strategy; Mother's Day; U.S. food security initiative; Polio eradication

National Post columnist Jonathan Kay examines the ongoing debate over whether Canada's G8 child and maternal health initiative should include abortions, which according to a 2006 Oxford University Press-World Bank report, are "one small chunk of a bigger puzzle. A much larger problem, in terms of the number of female lives affected, is the decidedly less headline-grabbing subject of hemorrhages - which include antepartun hemorrhages … and primary postpartum hemorrhages.

12 May 2010

Postpartum hemorrhage increases 28% between 1995 and 2004

A new study of U.S. maternal outcomes after vaginal and cesarean deliveries published in the May 2010 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, a peer-reviewed academic journal, shows that between 1995 and 2004, postpartum hemorrhage (excessive blood loss after delivery) increased 28% in prevalence. Postpartum hemorrhage is one of today's most common complications for delivering mothers that according to the study, "markedly increases the odds of in-hospital mortality" and causes 19% of in-hospital maternal deaths.

7 May 2010

Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Cytokine PharmaSciences completes misoprostol vaginal insert Phase II study

Billions spent yet millions live in poverty: Radical change needed in science, technology and innovation

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

Media examine Women Deliver conference

People under 25 contribute 38% of voluntary blood donations

Women Deliver conference concludes

In the news: Senate and jobs bill; Obama appeals to seniors; States' Medicaid squeeze; Beyond COBRA

Gates Foundation to invest $1.5 billion for integrated women's and children's health programs

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

SOGC urges strategy for preventing deaths during delivery, childbirth

Overall increase of cesarean births not due to maternal request

Advances in women's health, practice of obstetrics and gynaecology to be discussed at SOGC

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

New clinical procedures, better diagnostics improve prognosis for children born with severe acute asphyxia

Sex may become ‘old news’ when it comes to having babies says Australian scientist

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean

Opinions: Abortion in Canada's G8 initiative; Security of Afghan women; U.S. global development strategy; Mother's Day; U.S. food security initiative; Polio eradication

Postpartum hemorrhage increases 28% between 1995 and 2004

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

Newsletters you may be interested in