Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident

A total of up to four thousand people could eventually die of radiation exposure from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) accident nearly 20 years ago, an international team of more than 100 scientists has concluded.

5 Sep 2005

Women may not be accurately reporting how many cigarettes they smoke daily during pregnancy

Studies that report lower smoking rates during pregnancy may be flawed by the social stigma attached to mothers-to-be who light up but don’t admit it, suggests a new analysis.

1 Sep 2005

Outcomes of perineal laceration repair following childbirth

Women who have third-or fourth-degree perineal laceration repairs following the birth of their first baby have considerably different outcomes that can adversely impact quality of life and have implications on subsequent deliveries, according to Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

30 Aug 2005

FDA dragging its heels yet again over 'morning after' pill Plan B

Women in the U.S., unlike their counterparts in the UK and other countries, will still be denied easy access to the 'morning after' contraceptive pill, Plan B, after a decision by the Food and Drug Administration to yet again delay ruling on over-the-counter sales.

29 Aug 2005

Drug Cytotec as good as surgery at expelling tissue following failed pregnancy

According to test results just released, the drug Cytotec is almost as effective as surgery for removing tissue that can remain in the uterus after a failed pregnancy.

25 Aug 2005

Stress does not appear to influence the outcome of IVF

New research from Sweden has shown that psychological stress does not appear to influence the outcome of IVF – good news for women who fear that the understandable anxiety that they suffer during fertility treatment might damage their chances of conceiving.

24 Aug 2005

Review on fetal pain creates controversy

A review of medical evidence, which has apparently found that fetuses don't feel pain until the final months of pregnancy, has created controversy and has presented a powerful challenge to abortion opponents.

24 Aug 2005

Building stronger health systems key to reaching the health millenium development

Building up and strengthening health systems is vital if more progress is to be made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report. Unless urgent investments are made in health systems, current rates of progress will not be sufficient to meet most of the goals.

22 Aug 2005

New skin from fetal cells great success in children with burns

Swiss researchers have used skin constructed from fetal skin cells to treat eight children with burns.

21 Aug 2005

Overweight children who can shed their puppy fat by age 14 can expect lower blood pressure

About 2794 children in Brisbane for the study had their blood pressure and body mass or fat index (weight in kilograms divided by height in metres square) recorded at age five then at 14.

16 Aug 2005

Immune system more concerned with damage detected than foreign invaders, such as viruses

A well-respected researcher who is now a chief of an immunology laboratory of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has rocked the boat in the past few years for the experts in the understanding of the autoimmune system.

15 Aug 2005

Australia needs consistent uniform national abortion laws to protect women and doctors

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that the charging of a doctor in NSW with manslaughter and procuring an unlawful abortion sends a clear warning to all doctors and women that they must fully understand the law in their State and Territory in regard to the termination of pregnancies.

15 Aug 2005