Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Umbilical cord blood may safely preserve insulin production in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes

University of Florida researchers sought to determine whether it is feasible to use a patient's own cord blood stem cells to neutralize the body's autoimmune attack on the pancreas and help restore the organ's ability to make insulin, which regulates how the body uses sugar and other nutrients for energy.

27 Jun 2007

Fine particulate matter from traffic may influence birth weight

After the scientists had investigated the effects of the exposure of adults and children to particulate matter in the past, they are now first focussing on the risks to unborn life in this recent study.

26 Jun 2007

Basically eating fish may protect against type of blindness

Increasing intake of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, found in popular fish-oil supplements, may protect against blindness resulting from abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye, according to a study published online by the journal Nature Medicine on June 24.

26 Jun 2007

Americans better at coping with their diabetes

According to the latest figures Americans are now much better at controlling their diabetes.

25 Jun 2007

Vaccine for human cytomegalovirus

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have patented a strategy for developing a human vaccine to prevent against Human Cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection and disease.

23 Jun 2007

Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcome study (HAPO)

Gestational diabetes may place a much higher percentage of pregnant women -- and their unborn babies -- at risk for adverse outcomes than previously believed, according to a major international study presented at the American Diabetes Association's 67th Annual Scientific Sessions.

23 Jun 2007

Deficiencies in antenatal HIV testing

The current antenatal HIV screening system fails to take into account the ongoing risk of exposure, warn doctors in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

23 Jun 2007

Morning sickness may indicate lower risk of breast cancer

It may not seem so at the time, but women who suffer through morning sickness during their pregnancies actually may be fortunate.

23 Jun 2007

More effective treatment for malaria control during pregnancy in Africa

A review of previous studies indicates that two doses of a malaria preventive therapy during pregnancy provides substantial benefit to HIV-negative women in Africa, with more frequent dosing apparently necessary for HIV-positive women, according to an article in the June 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Jun 2007

Dutch research project designed to reduce maternal and child mortality

Top Institute Pharma, which carries out pioneering research projects with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Health in order to develop better and safer medicines, is starting a unique research project designed to reduce maternal and child mortality.

20 Jun 2007

New target for therapies for retinopathy

A protein long thought to be one of the body's supporting players has quietly been taking a lead role in healthy eyesight, a discovery that could rapidly lead to treatments for babies born before their eyes are finished growing, University of Florida and Harvard Medical School researchers have found.

19 Jun 2007

Noninvasive screening in early pregnancy reduces Down's births by 50 percent

Non-invasive screening of pregnant women with ultrasound early in pregnancy, combined with maternal blood analysis, has reduced the number of children born in Denmark with Down Syndrome by 50%, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today.

19 Jun 2007

Safe blood for safe motherhood

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the theme of which this year is "Safe blood for safe motherhood", WHO is launching a new initiative to improve the availability and use of safe blood to save the lives of women during and after childbirth.

19 Jun 2007

Breast feeding for thirteen months or more reduces mother's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

In the study, the longer the breast feeding period, the lower the mother's risk of developing RA in later life.

19 Jun 2007

Embryos that are selected out as abnormal can undergo chromosomal modifications

Ms Tsvia Frumkin, from the Racine IVF unit, LIS Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel, will tell the conference that her team's findings meant that the results of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) for chromosomal abnormalities were not always reliable and should be interpreted with caution.

19 Jun 2007

Health of babies not affected by embryo screening

New research has shown that babies born after pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) are as healthy as those born after conventional IVF treatment.

18 Jun 2007

Research on rare women's lung disease may yield insights into common diseases

For many decades, medical research studies focused primarily on men and the results of countless studies were then applied to women.

18 Jun 2007

Study shows improvement of rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy

Disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is significantly reduced during pregnancy, according to new data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain.

17 Jun 2007

Tumor vessels identified by unique molecular markers

Results from a new study have made it easier for scientists to distinguish between growing blood vessels in healthy tissues and those that are associated with tumors.

16 Jun 2007

Childbirth-related hospitalizations among adolescent girls

The rate of teenage and younger girls giving birth in U.S. hospitals dropped by a quarter between 1997 and 2004 - from 55 to 41 admissions per 100,000 girls under age 18 - according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Jun 2007