Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Researchers identify corin enzyme linked with pre-eclampsia

Researchers have identified an enzyme linked to pregnancy-induced hypertension - also known as pre-eclampsia - a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and swelling due to fluid retention. The findings could be used to better screen for - and treat - this condition.

23 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Health law's threat to individual liberty; Conflicting opinions on the constitutionality of the individual mandate

On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin an extraordinary three-day hearing on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. At stake are the Constitution's structural guarantees of individual liberty, which limit governmental power and ensure political accountability by dividing that power between federal and state authorities. Upholding ObamaCare would destroy this dual-sovereignty system, the most distinctive feature of American constitutionalism.

23 Mar 2012

Prioritizing health for women, girls worldwide

"Africa has the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 48 percent of all global maternal deaths occurring in this region," Jotham Musinguzi, regional director of the Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office in Kampala, Uganda, writes in an Independent opinion piece.

22 Mar 2012

Abortion, contraception legislative battles escalate in states

All across the country, state legislatures and governors are grappling with bills designed to limit access to abortion or contraception. In Virginia, it's affecting a U.S. Senate race.

22 Mar 2012

Computer program could help dementia patients manage their disease

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a computer program that has tracked the manner in which different forms of dementia spread within a human brain. They say their mathematic model can be used to predict where and approximately when an individual patient's brain will suffer from the spread, neuron to neuron, of "prion-like" toxic proteins -- a process they say underlies all forms of dementia.

22 Mar 2012

Thromboembolic events can occur after musculoskeletal injury and related surgery

Below is a news summary of an orthopaedic research study appearing in the March 21, 2012 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), as well as the issues' full Table of Contents.

22 Mar 2012

Advances in Neuroimmune Biology explores maternal-fetal interactions

Fertility problems, recurrent miscarriages, and pregnancy complications can occur when maternal immunological tolerance of the fetus is impaired. G-rard Chaouat and colleagues from Inserm et Assistance Publique et Universit- Paris Sud Orsay, Hopital Antoine B-cl-re, Clamart Cedex, France, trace the evolution of the science of reproductive immunology to show how the current understanding of maternal-fetal tolerance/dialogue has developed, and its implications for the treatment of infertility disorders

22 Mar 2012

TGA clears Bioline's illumigene Group B Streptococcus test

Bioline, The PCR Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Meridian Bioscience, Inc., today announced that it has received clearance from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for its illumigene Group B Streptococcus (GBS) test, the newest molecular product on the illumigene platform.

22 Mar 2012

State lawmakers consider abortion, contraception legislation; Other states deal with fallout

A bill in Arizona would allow employers to deny contraception coverage on religious grounds and a Tenn. bill would require the state publish the names of doctors who perform abortions.

21 Mar 2012

Factors that increase the possibility of having migraines

A migraine is the most common type of headache that propels patients to seek care from their doctors. Roughly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches, with women affected almost three times more often than men, according to statistics from the National Headache Foundation in Chicago.

21 Mar 2012

“Meth” babies more at risk of behavioral problems: Study

A new study shows methamphetamine's potential lasting behavioral effects on kids of mothers who used meth during pregnancy. The behavior differences — anxiety, depression, moodiness — weren't huge, but lead researcher Linda LaGasse called them “very worrisome.”

20 Mar 2012

Study identifies risk factors for postpartum depressive symptoms

Many Norwegian women postpone pregnancy until they have completed their education and are well established on their career path. This may make them more vulnerable to postpartum depression.

20 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The argument for the health law; No one wins contraception battle

It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act -; which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect -; sits in a place of high honor.

20 Mar 2012

Former premature infants to celebrate 25th anniversary of LUHS' NICU on March 20

Former premature infants will return to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Loyola University Health System's (LUHS) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20. These patients are among the more than 18,000 infants who have been cared for by LUHS doctors and nurses since the unit opened its doors in 1987.

20 Mar 2012

Al Jazeera examines global maternal mortality

Al Jazeera examines maternal mortality worldwide, saying, "If the situation continues at its current rate, the world will not meet" the U.N. Millennium Development Goal "to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent between 1990 and 2015."

19 Mar 2012

Eating salmon benefits pregnant women and their babies

University of Granada researchers have proven that eating two servings of salmon reared at a fish farm (enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and only slightly contaminated) a week during pregnancy is beneficial both for the mother and child.

19 Mar 2012

Study of genes may hold the key to improved skin care

Ever wonder why two people who are the same age may look years apart? While extrinsic factors such as sun exposure and smoking can contribute to skin aging, intrinsic factors - namely the genes inherited from our parents - can have an even greater influence on how our skin ages.

17 Mar 2012

States considering wide-ranging abortion, contraception legislation give lingering voice to issue

A host of abortion legislation is winding its way through state legislatures: Democrats are focusing on regulating male reproductive health in at least six states; Michigan abortion providers face greater scrutiny; Arizona could require those seeking birth control give a medical reason they need it; and Wisconsin lawmakers decide if a doctor must be present to give abortion pills.

17 Mar 2012

HGF/C-MET signaling pathway plays a key role in gestational diabetes development

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a cell-signaling pathway that plays a key role in increasing insulin secretion during pregnancy and, when blocked, leads to the development of gestational diabetes.

17 Mar 2012

New book on reproductive treatments

In Vitro Fertilization [IVF] and the related technologies of assisted reproduction are no longer experimental procedures. In some European countries as many as 4% of all babies born are conceived by IVF, and in every kindergarten classroom there will no doubt be at least one IVF child. Assisted reproduction is the solution to today's epidemic of infertility.

17 Mar 2012