Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

States have initiated tort reform experiments

President Barack Obama can look to a variety of models as he seeks to fulfill a pledge to fund state tort reform experiments, a longtime wish-list item for physicians, the New York Times reports. States have so far tried a few approaches, with mixed results, and considered more.

14 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: Ban addresses women's health; Afghanistan's health services; PMI Africa grants; Q&As

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday called for countries around the world to "renew their commitment to educate girls, end sexual violence, and provide access to modern birth control," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

14 Oct 2009

Novasys Medical's Renessa named the most promising new product for 2009

Novasys Medical, Inc., a developer of innovative therapies in women's health, announced today that its Renessa® non-surgical treatment for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) was inducted into the Phoenix Hall of Fame as the 2009 Most Promising New Product at the Phoenix Medical Device and Diagnostic Conference for Chief Executive Officers.

14 Oct 2009

Acupuncture can help prevent caesarean delivery

Debra Betts, an international expert, educator and author of the Essential Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Childbirth will be presenting a workshop for dulas, midwives and acupuncturists in Vancouver, October 13th and 14th.

13 Oct 2009

'Tens of thousands' of pregnant Indian women die from 'preventable causes,' report says

Despite a government guarantee of free maternal health care, tens of thousands of pregnant women in India die from mostly "preventable causes," according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, released on Wednesday, the BBC reports.

9 Oct 2009

More than 2m infants, women die from childbirth annually, study says

Each year, more than 2 million infants and women around the world die from childbirth-related complications, according to a study released Tuesday at the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, the Associated Press reports.

8 Oct 2009

Challenges surround the calculation of costs associated with illegal immigrant care

PhillyBurbs.com examines the cost of caring for undocumented immigrants and whether it really is cheaper to exclude them under a health care overhaul. Despite widespread support for requiring people to prove their citizenship to receive government health benefits, PhillyBurbs.com reports: "Public health and immigration experts worry excluding undocumented immigrants would put everyone at risk, hamper attempts to prevent the spread of disease and lead to an increase in health care spending."

5 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: U.S. food aid declines; agriculture in Zimbabwe; U.S.-backed ITN network; reducing maternal mortality; DNDI expands; healthcare in Congo

Although U.S. food aid funding has increased by 53 percent over the last two years, a Government Accountability Office report on Wednesday said that during the same time period, the "amount of food delivered to address emergencies abroad fell 5 percent," the Washington Independent reports.

3 Oct 2009

Treatment of gestational diabetes benefits both infant and mother

A National Institutes of Health network study provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.

1 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: News outlets explore AIDS vaccine research; chloroquine resistance unraveled; authorities contest maternal mortality report

The Associated Press examines the role of the Thai participants in the recent clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine which showed modest potential for preventing infection. "Nearly 16,000 Thais ignored the false rumors that they were being infected by the AIDS virus, and overcame their fears of becoming social outcasts to participate in trials of the first vaccine found to prevent infection with the deadly virus," the news service writes (Ahuja/Casey, 9/27).

29 Sep 2009

Maternal Health Task Force and Ashoka to create international fellowship program for young professionals

The Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth and Ashoka will partner to create the first international fellowship program that links committed young professionals with seasoned social entrepreneurs to improve maternal health in developing countries.

28 Sep 2009

Study reveals that kidney transplants do not affect pregnancy

Women who have had a kidney transplant and have good kidney function can get pregnant and give birth without jeopardizing their health or the health of their transplant. Having children does not affect patients' kidney function or their life-span compared with transplanted women who do not have children, according to a matching cohort study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

25 Sep 2009

Palmetto GBA-TrailBlazer Health cover Renessa treatment of female SUI

Novasys Medical, Inc., a developer of innovative therapies in women's health, announced today that Palmetto GBA and TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC -- two large regional Medicare carriers serving over 10.2 million beneficiaries in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia -- have agreed to cover the Renessa(R) treatment for female SUI (stress urinary incontinence) in appropriately selected patients with documented medical necessity.

24 Sep 2009

Amnesty International report highlights maternal mortality 'emergency' in Sierra Leone

"One in eight women in Sierra Leone risks dying of pregnancy and childbirth complications exacerbated by a combination of poverty, discrimination, inequality and government mismanagement," according to an Amnesty International report, released Tuesday, Reuters AlertNet reports (Fominyen, 9/22).

23 Sep 2009

IPS examines maternal mortality in Mozambique

Inter Press Service examines efforts to curb maternal mortality in Mozambique. The article profiles the work of English medical doctor Peg Cumberland and her team, who have trained "around 400 local people in remote health care" since she came to the country more than 13 years ago.

21 Sep 2009

Two-day forum addresses maternal, child mortality in Asia-Pacific region

Poor health care, gender inequality, violence and poverty are to blame for Asian-Pacific countries' failure to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the region, Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said during the Asia-Pacific Forum on International Conference on Population and Development in Bangkok.

18 Sep 2009