Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Treating pregnancy-related diabetes helps babies and improves the mother's health-related quality of life

A major international study coordinated from Adelaide, South Australia has shown that treating pregnant women who develop mild gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes helps their babies and improves the mother's health-related quality of life without increasing the risk of caesarean section.

14 Jun 2005

Anti-cancer drug may help prevent premature births

A team from University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK have found that the anti-cancer drug Trichostatin A (TSA), has the potential to control early labour contractions. They are optimistic the work, which is still in the early stages, will help to reduce the 70,000 premature births in the UK each year.

14 Jun 2005

Anti-cancer drug could be the first effective treatment for premature births

An anti-cancer drug could potentially be the first effective treatment for the many thousands of premature births that occur worldwide each year, scientific tests have found.

13 Jun 2005

Researchers describe emerging strategy for prevention, early treatment of Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes may be significantly delayed or prevented through medication that takes the load off of the body's delicate insulin-producing cells, according to a study released today by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

12 Jun 2005

Half of 580 women diagnosed with breast cancer in one study experienced lymphedema

The good news is that there are nearly two million breast cancer survivors in the United States , and survival rates continue to increase for patients with this disease. But the flip side is that survival can present its own set of little-known complications.

12 Jun 2005

Poor diet during pregnancy increases risk of child being obese

It is common knowledge that a well balanced diet in pregnancy is crucial, but now scientists say they believe a poor diet during pregnancy appears to raise the chances of having an obese child.

12 Jun 2005

Low birth weight - another risk factor for diabetes

Obesity, physical inactivity, genetics and age have long been recognized as risk factors for developing high blood glucose and diabetes. But over the past few years, scientists have discovered another risk - low birth weight.

10 Jun 2005

Women who drink to excess are more likely to experience depression and anxiety

Work done by Dr Rosa Alati, a research fellow from The University of Queensland's School of Population Health, and colleagues from UQ and the University of Bristol, showed women who have more than 15 drinks a week have an increased risk of experiencing mental illness.

8 Jun 2005

Role of toxins in inherited disease

A disease you are suffering today could be a result of your great-grandmother being exposed to an environmental toxin during pregnancy.

3 Jun 2005

Women living longer - infant mortality dropping

In 2003 Washington had a lower percent of low-weight births, a lower infant mortality rate, and a higher life expectancy rate than the nation as a whole.

2 Jun 2005

Pilates and yoga appear to relieve the symptoms of menopause

Pilates and yoga, often referred to as “mind-body” activities, show promising benefits which include increased flexibility, improved quality of life, relief of the symptoms of menopause, and some reduction of lower back pain.

2 Jun 2005

Over four percent of pregnant women ages 15 to 44 used illicit drugs during the past month

...according to new data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The data show that pregnant women ages 15 to 25 were more likely to use illicit drugs than pregnant women ages 26 to 44.

2 Jun 2005

Stress, anxiety, fatigue and other psychosocial characteristics may influence the food choices women make during pregnancy

Our findings suggest that women who are more fatigued, stressed and anxious eat more food, particularly carbohydrates. While eating more food led to an increase in some important micronutrients, it also led to a decrease in others, like folate and vitamin C

1 Jun 2005

Lactose intolerance linked to ancestral environment

Got milk? Many people couldn't care less because they can't digest it. A new Cornell University study finds that it is primarily people whose ancestors came from places where dairy herds could be raised safely and economically, such as in Europe, who have developed the ability to digest milk.

1 Jun 2005

A drug used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 induces resistance more often than previously thought

The incidence of drug resistance associated with single-dose nevirapine, a drug used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, may be substantially higher than previously thought and of particular risk for those infected with HIV-1 subtype C, according to three new studies published in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

1 Jun 2005

Harmful chemicals may reprogram gene response to estrogen

New research shows that exposure to harmful chemicals and drugs during critical developmental periods early in life may actually "reprogram" the way certain genes respond to the female hormone estrogen. This genetic reprogramming may determine whether people with a genetic predisposition for a disease actually develop the disease.

1 Jun 2005

Child's social environment may have only a modest effect on whether very young children become depressed

"Our study found that even dysfunctional family relationships and poor communication styles have a limited impact on the observed mental health of a child," Professor Jake Najman said.

1 Jun 2005

Having twins reduces the risk of many types of women's cancer

...and starting a family later in life increases risk of breast cancer and melanoma but reduces the risk of ovarian, cervix and uterine cancer according to an international study conducted by a team from The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).

1 Jun 2005

Environment factors can interact with genetics to increase disease risk

31 May 2005

Baby boy is first successful birth in Canada from frozen eggs

McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in Montreal yesterday announced the first successful birth in Canada resulting from frozen eggs. A healthy baby boy, weighing 3740 grams was born on April 29 to a 26-year-old mother who had suffered from infertility for two years.

31 May 2005