Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Folic acid improves a man's chance of becoming a father

According to new research from the U.S. men who want to father a child will improve their chances by taking folic acid supplements.

21 Mar 2008

Low levels of dietary folate linked to sperm abnormalities

Healthy men who report lower levels of the nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

20 Mar 2008

Young girls who are hyperactive face problems as adults

Young girls who are hyperactive are more likely to get hooked on smoking, under-perform in school or jobs and gravitate towards mentally abusive relationships as adults, according to a joint study by researchers from the Université de Montréal and the University College London (UCL).

20 Mar 2008

Healthy male reproductive organs depend on early hormone activity

A discovery by Medical Research Council scientists looking at the development of male foetuses could help explain the origin of common genital disorders that can cause reproductive problems or increase risk of low sperm counts and possibly testicular cancer later in life.

20 Mar 2008

Comprehensive sex education might lead to less teen pregnancy

New research suggests that comprehensive sex education might lead to less teen pregnancy, and there are no indications that it boosts the levels of sexual intercourse or sexually transmitted diseases.

20 Mar 2008

African-American women less likely to reduce drinking during pregnancy

New Saint Louis University research found that although white women are more likely to drink or binge drink prior to pregnancy, African-American women are less likely to reduce drinking during pregnancy, which may be linked to a higher rate of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) among the population.

20 Mar 2008

Uterine fibroid embolization effective in cases where focused ultrasound failed

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment for uterine fibroids, provides significant relief of symptoms for women whose focused ultrasound (FUS) treatment failed, according to a study released during the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C. Primary care physicians and gynecologists can feel confident in informing patients that a failed FUS treatment does not require subsequent gynecological surgery.

19 Mar 2008

New choices bring wider range of women to family planning

A study appearing in the March 2008 issue of the journal Contraception reports that the Standard Days Method, a natural family planning method developed by researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center's Institute for Reproductive Health, brings new women to family planning.

19 Mar 2008

Most women unaware of uterine fibroid embolization

A study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting shows of 105 patients in the Atlanta metro area, only 18 percent of the women who saw a private practice gynecologist were told about uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a minimally invasive treatment for uterine fibroids provided by interventional radiologists.

19 Mar 2008

Chikungunya virus appears seldom to harm infants of mothers infected early in pregnancy

Chikungunya virus, an infectious agent transmitted by mosquitoes, appears seldom to harm infants of mothers infected early in pregnancy, but can frequently cause serious problems, including lasting brain injury, in babies born to mothers who acquire the virus near the time of delivery, according to a study in PLoS Medicine.

18 Mar 2008

Watson Pharmaceuticals files application for generic LYBREL

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has confirmed that it has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market its Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets, USP (0.09 mg/0.02 mg) extended-cycle oral contraceptive product prior to the expiration of patents owned by Wyeth.

14 Mar 2008

SWHR statement on CDC report on young women and STDs

Society for Women's Health Research President and CEO Phyllis Greenberger, M.S.W., issued the following statement in response to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released yesterday, which found that one in four females aged 14-19 has a sexually transmitted disease:

14 Mar 2008

Giving up smoking during pregnancy boosts chances of easygoing child

Giving up smoking during pregnancy may boost the chances of giving birth to an easy going child, indicates research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

14 Mar 2008

Quit smoking during pregnancy for a happier baby

New research from the UK has revealed that women who smoke heavily during pregnancy have the most difficult babies.

13 Mar 2008

Genomic tool helps select best eggs for IVF

A research team supervised by Universite Laval scientist Marc-Andre Sirard has identified genetic markers that allow the selection of eggs with the best chance of leading to successful pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF).

13 Mar 2008

Current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy should be revised, says expert

Current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy - developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1990 - should be revised, according to an internationally recognized obesity expert and chairman of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health at Saint Louis University.

12 Mar 2008

Home test kit confirms men's post-vasectomy sterility

Technology developed at the University of Virginia could soon have a dramatic impact on male contraception practices throughout the U.S. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SpermCheck Vasectomy, a home test that confirms men's post-vasectomy sterility and is based on discoveries made at U.Va.

12 Mar 2008

Maternal obesity not strongly linked to obesity in offspring says study

Professor Debbie Lawlor and colleagues used two approaches to test the 'developmental overnutrition' hypothesis which asserts that if a woman is overweight during pregnancy, high sugar and fat levels in her body might permanently affect her growing baby's appetite control and metabolism, thus increasing the child's risk of becoming obese in later life.

11 Mar 2008

Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy should be revised

Current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy - developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1990 - should be revised, according to an internationally recognized obesity expert and chairman of obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health at Saint Louis University.

10 Mar 2008

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine receives new Gates funding to fight disease

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has been awarded grant funding totalling $46.4 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and $12.7 million from other partners, to help find new and effective ways of treating and preventing malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS.

10 Mar 2008