Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Obesity and poorer school attendance go hand in hand

New research in the U.S. has found that there is a connection between school attendance and obesity.

12 Aug 2007

Maternal obesity and birth defects

Mothers of babies born with some structural birth defectsincluding missing limbs, malformed hearts and underdeveloped spinal cordsappear more likely to be obese prior to becoming pregnant than mothers whose children are born without such defects, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Aug 2007

Improved guidelines for providing intrauterine devices

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that intrauterine devices are safe and effective in a population of women previously not considered as good candidates for this method of birth control.

6 Aug 2007

Determinants of inadequate prenatal care utilization by African American women

Fewer African-American women living in urban communities are likely to get adequate prenatal care during their pregnancy than white women are, a new study finds, and the main reason could be their negative views about the need for such care.

6 Aug 2007

Abstinence only sex programmes - a waste of government money?

The latest research confirms and supports earlier work which has stated that programmes which exclusively advocate abstinence from sex in order to stop risky sexual behaviour or help in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, are ineffective.

6 Aug 2007

Abstinence from sex fails to cut risk of HIV infection in high income countries

Programmes that exclusively encourage abstinence from sex do not seem to affect the risk of HIV infection in high income countries, finds a review of the evidence in this week's BMJ.

3 Aug 2007

Study looks at progesterone therapy

Progesterone therapy does not reduce the chances of preterm birth in women pregnant with twins, reported researchers in a network sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

3 Aug 2007

New pregnancy labeling rules should be approved without delay

Marks the tenth anniversary of a public hearing that was hoped to spark substantial changes in the way drugs are labeled for use during pregnancy.

2 Aug 2007

Tips for relief from gastroesophageal reflux disease

Are you suffering from heartburn? Heartburn can be a symptom of a serious problem called "gastroesophageal reflux disease," also known as GERD.

1 Aug 2007

Xenomics issued European patent for Transrenal Nucleic Acid Technology for Prenatal Diagnostics

Xenomics, Inc. has announced the issuance of its first European patent "Methods for detection of nucleic acid sequences in urine", EP 1634966 A2 that covers use of its proprietary transrenal nucleic acid technology in the area of prenatal diagnostics and genetic testing.

1 Aug 2007

Babies born to mothers who smoked have higher systolic blood pressures

Infants whose mothers smoke during pregnancy have substantially higher blood pressures in their first months of life, Dutch researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Aug 2007

Folic acid protects againts exposure to bisphenol A in the womb

Experiments in animals have provided additional and tantalizing evidence that what a pregnant mother eats can make her offspring more susceptible to disease later in life.

1 Aug 2007

Active management of risk in pregnancy lowers Cesarean rates

At a time when national rates of cesarean delivery have climbed above 30%, a four-year study of patients receiving an alternative method of obstetric care experienced a significantly lower rate of cesarean births, according to a study published in the current issue of the Annals of Family Medicine .

1 Aug 2007

Disparities in infant mortality more to do with racism than with race

The cause of low birth weights among African-American women has more to do with racism than with race, according to a report by an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

1 Aug 2007

Contraceptive sponge making a comeback

The contraceptive sponge initially launched in 1983 is now making a comeback ten years down the line.

31 Jul 2007

Proactive chlamydia screening does not represent good value for money

Proactive chlamydia screening for young adults is an expensive intervention that probably does not represent good value for money, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.

27 Jul 2007

More research needed on uterine fibroid treatment options

A systematic review of the research concerning treatment options for uterine fibroids, which affect most American women over 50, reveals surprisingly little evidence to help compare standard treatment recommendations, according to a report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Jul 2007

Gaining or losing weight in between pregnancies can have major health implications for an unborn baby

While weight and obesity have long concerned women in relation to body image and lifestyle issues, few are aware of the possible risks that fluctuating weight could have on their unborn child, write Dr Jennifer Walsh and Professor Deirdre Murphy.

27 Jul 2007

Researchers improve accuracy of thyroid hormone testing

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have developed a fast and accurate way to measure a major hormone released by the thyroid gland--an advance they say may help in the treatment of many women who have overactive or underactive thyroid glands.

26 Jul 2007

Implantable contraceptives are extremely effective

Although the devices are barely used in developed countries and only a bit more popular elsewhere, a new review of research suggests that implantable contraceptives are extremely effective.

25 Jul 2007