Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Chagas disease especially harmful for expectant mothers; New, better treatments needed

"Chagas disease -- a parasitic infection transmitted through an insect commonly known as the 'kissing bug' -- is one of the most common infections among pregnant women in the Western Hemisphere," Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

4 May 2012

Scientists identify first gene associated with congenital asplenia

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and Rockefeller University have identified the first gene to be linked to a rare condition in which babies are born without a spleen, putting those children at risk of dying from infections they cannot defend themselves against. The gene, Nkx2.5, was shown to regulate genesis of the spleen during early development in mice.

4 May 2012

Increased maternal intake of choline better for the baby

Pregnant women may have added incentive to bulk up on broccoli and eggs now that a Cornell University study has found increased maternal intake of the nutrient choline could decrease their children's chances of developing hypertension and diabetes later in life.

3 May 2012

15 million preterm babies born each year: WHO global report

According to a new report released this Wednesday, nearly 15 million premature babies are born every year - more than 1 in 10 of the world's births. This is considered by experts an obstetric epidemic. 1.1 million of these fragile new born babies die as a result, and even those who survive can suffer lifelong disabilities. Further most of these babies are born in Africa and Asia the report adds.

3 May 2012

ADM hormone plays a significant role in tubal ectopic pregnancies

Tubal ectopic pregnancy (TEP) is currently the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths during the first trimester and a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) shows that the hormone adrenomedullin (ADM) may help predict this condition.

3 May 2012

Prematurity now the second-leading cause of death worldwide in children under age 5

The first-ever national, regional, and global estimates of preterm birth reveals that 15 million babies are born too soon every year and 1.1 million of those babies die shortly after birth, making premature birth the second-leading cause of death in children under age 5.

3 May 2012

Georgia bans most late-term abortions

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill Tuesday banning most late-term abortions -- those after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The law was pushed after controversial research found a fetus can feel pain at that stage of the pregnancy.

3 May 2012

First Edition: May 2, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that House Republican lawmakers want to cut bonuses to states for enrolling low-income kids in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

3 May 2012

Preterm babies are born at a higher rate in the U.S.

Preterm babies are born at a higher rate in the United States than in 130 other countries of the world, including many poorer nations, according to the just-released report Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth.

3 May 2012

Hypothalamic neuropeptide changes cause obesity in low-birth-weight babies

It seems improbable that a baby born underweight would be prone to obesity, but it is well documented that these children tend to put on weight in youth if they're allowed free access to calories. Now, researchers believe they understand why this happens.

3 May 2012

Maternal intake of choline could reduce risk of hypertension, diabetes in children

3 May 2012

New global strategy to reduce measles deaths and congenital rubella syndrome

Today, the partners leading efforts to control measles announce a new global strategy aimed at reducing measles deaths and congenital rubella syndrome to zero.

2 May 2012

Diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome triples between 2000 and 2009

About one baby is born every hour addicted to opiate drugs in the United States, according to new research from University of Michigan physicians.

2 May 2012

U.S. government celebrates 'remarkable' country-level success in improving maternal health

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Chris Thomas, a health and development officer at USAID, reports on an event held on Capitol Hill on Tuesday during which "the U.S. Government celebrated remarkable country-level success in saving the lives of women during pregnancy and childbirth."

2 May 2012

NIH study indicates safety of anti-HIV drug tenofovir during pregnancy

Infants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes of Health network study.

2 May 2012

LifeCodexx completes PraenaTest clinical study on trisomy 21

LifeCodexx today announced the successful completion of the clinical validation study of its noninvasive test method for the detection of fetal trisomy 21 from maternal blood using Next Generation sequencing.

2 May 2012

Amadeus Consulting develops Android version of iBirth

Amadeus Consulting, a custom software development company, recently developed iBirth for Android a mobile application for Lula B, LLC. Created by two mothers in Boulder, Colorado, Lula B wanted an app to help women through the childbirth process to ensure they have the information available for a safe, healthy, and empowering pregnancy.

2 May 2012

Safe amount of vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation

Women who do not receive enough vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation can experience serious health problems for themselves and their baby, but health experts offer conflicting advice on what constitutes a safe amount.

2 May 2012

Couples with infertility and miscarriages offered detailed embryo screening with 99% accuracy

Termed “preimplantation genetic screening (PGS)” the process involves a full chromosome count of embryos to ensure only the healthiest are implanted. It has a 99 per cent accuracy rate, giving hopeful parents the best chance to conceive and carry a healthy baby to term.

30 Apr 2012

Uncomfortably high rates of maternal deaths during childbirth raise concerns: Study

According to latest figures more than a 100 mothers have died in childbirth in London in the last five years. This is twice the rate in the rest of the country. There were 11 deaths in 2005-6, compared with 29 in 2010-11. Births in London have soared by 27 per cent in the last decade from 106,000 in 2001 to 134,000 in 2011, but numbers of midwives and doctors have not kept pace.

30 Apr 2012