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Obstetrics
New guidance urges universal cannabis screening in pregnancy
Experts are now advising universal screening about cannabis habits before, during and after pregnancy in efforts to reduce potential risks following an alarming analysis...
SA expert groups dismiss Trump's paracetamol link to autism
South African health professional groups have added their voices to the global outcry against the Trump administration urging pregnant women against using paracetamol (or...
Indian doctor probed after doing 21 C-sections in 10 hours
A senior gynaecologist in Assam, India, who is under investigation after performing 21 emergency Caesarean deliveries within a single shift, has justified the numbers, saying...
Paracetamol link to autism rears again
For more than a decade, studies of the use of acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in South Africa) in pregnancy – including a recent scientific...
Fathers’ role in foetal alcohol spectrum disorder – global study
Recent research by international scientists, including a team from Stellenbosch University, has shown that it’s not only mothers whose drinking habits can affect their...
‘Miracle’ Cape baby grew outside mother’s womb
A year ago, little Joshua Nodela was successfully delivered from his mother’s belly instead of her uterus, testimony to the skills and teamwork of...
Doctors find rare case of foetus growing in woman’s liver
Doctors in Uttar Pradesh, India, were flabbergasted recently when an MRI scan of a 30-year-old woman revealed that she was 12 weeks’ pregnant –...
Rare heart surgery saves pregnant Chinese woman and twins
A Hong Kong medical team successfully saved a pregnant woman expecting twins who was suffering from a rare and potentially fatal heart condition –...
Higher still birth risks from climate change – Wits research
Pregnant women in Southern Africa face a higher risk of preterm and still birth due to rising temperatures than their counterparts in the Global...
World’s ‘oldest baby’ born from embryo frozen in 1994
The world’s “oldest baby” has been born in the United States from an embryo that was frozen in 1994, reports The Guardian.
Thaddeus Daniel Pierce...
FDA panel punts stronger warnings for anti-depressants in pregnancy
Over nearly four decades since Prozac was approved for the treatment of depression, waves of concern about the effects of anti-depressants during pregnancy have...
First trimester UTI meds raises birth defects risks – US cohort study
A recent study suggests the risk of antibiotic use during the first trimester of pregnancy was higher for infants exposed to TMP-SMX versus β-lactam...
Planned C-sections tied to childhood cancer risk – Swedish cohort study
Researchers from the Swedish Karolinska Institutet have suggested that children born via planned Caesarean section procedures might have a heightened risk of developing certain childhood cancers,...
Gynaecologists should tune into TikTok for patient insight
Online stories can supplement scientific literature and experience, and doctors, particularly in obstetrics and gynaecology, should acknowledge the importance of forums like TikTok and...
US doctors report first pregnancy using new AI system
The first pregnancy using an artificial intelligence (AI) procedure has been carried out by doctors at Columbia University Fertility Centre in a couple that...
Common drug may reduce preterm births – Zimbabwe randomised trial
A study of almost 1 000 pregnant women in Zimbabwe found that a daily dose of a commonly used, safe and inexpensive antibiotic may...
Inquiry after baby lands on floor during birth
A Limpopo mother from whose pleas for help were dismissed when she went into labour, and whose baby was born and fell to the...
Doctors urged to treat pain for IUD insertion in new guidelines
Countless patients have suffered through in-office gynaecological procedures like IUD insertions or cervical biopsies with nothing more than ibuprofen and white knuckles, but in...
Late first birth and weight increases breast cancer risk – UK study
A British study has suggested a link between weight gain and having children later in life with a heightened risk of breast cancer, finding...
Pre-eclampsia risk flagged among African women
The complication of pre-eclampsia is a danger to pregnant women, which, characterised by high blood pressure and organ damage – and arising during the second...
Cape Town mother's twins born a month apart
In an unusual case, a South African woman has given birth to twin girls – born a month apart, which is a rare occurrence,...
Deadly effects of marijuana on the foetus – US meta-analysis
Using marijuana during pregnancy has been linked to poor foetal development, low infant birth weight, dangerously early deliveries and even death, according to a...
Study links maternal diabetes to ADHD risk in children
Experts have issued reassurances after a recent study where researchers reviewed data from 56.1m pregnancies to probe possible connections between diabetes and ADHD, autism...
Global experts flag high mortality rates linked to pregnancy
Worldwide, more than a quarter of a million women died during their pregnancy or within six weeks of giving birth in 2023, WHO figures...
Israeli study maps pregnancy’s lasting effects on the body
An "unprecedented view" of how the body changes during and after pregnancy has revealed many long-lasting impacts on the liver, kidneys and more, said...
Court gives the nod to surrogate for sixth C-section
The Gauteng High Court said there is no specific rule or regulation in the country guiding or regulating the maximum time a woman can...
WHO study sheds light on maternal deaths
Haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders like pre-eclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths globally, according to a study released this week by the World...
Time for change in the world of contraception?
Something is changing when it comes to contraception. Lots of people aren’t using it. In The Guardian, columnist Martha Gill observes that when contraception has...
Common painkiller in pregnancy tied to ADHD risk – US study
Children may have a higher risk of developing ADHD if their mothers used paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen – during pregnancy, adding weight...
Some hormonal contraceptives linked to clots – Danish study
A team of researchers has suggested that some progesterone-only hormonal contraceptives may carry similar clot risk to certain combined pills, according to their study.
The Danish...
Steroids in pregnancy tied to brain disorder risks – Danish cohort study
Scientists from Denmark who analysed data from more than 1m births have suggested that children exposed to glucocorticoids prenatally may have an increased risk...
AI analysis IDs warning signs for stillbirth, newborn issues
An artificial intelligence (AI) based analysis of almost 10 000 pregnancies has discovered previously unidentified combinations of risk factors linked to serious negative pregnancy...
SA mental health and motherhood guidelines ineffective without resources
In South Africa, mothers and pregnant women suffer from high levels of mental health issues, with at least one out of every three experiencing...
Hysterectomies still not clear-cut for most women
Aside from C-sections, hysterectomies are still the most common surgical procedure among women, but most women who undergo the procedure don't understand their full...
Rare embolism sees mother 'die' for 45 minutes in triplet birth
A mother from Texas says she has no recollection of giving giving birth to triplets after she was declared “clinically dead” for 45 minutes...
Chewing gum linked to drop in preterm births – randomised Malawi study
Results from a study in Malawi showed that chewing gum containing xylitol, a naturally occurring alcohol sugar, was associated with a 24% reduction in...
Babies' reduced sugar intake leads to lower later chronic disease risk – UK study
Children whose sugar consumption was restricted during their first 1 000 days after conception had up to 35% less chance of developing type 2...
Vitamin D in pregnancy helps children’s bones – UK analysis
Children whose mothers had taken extra vitamin D during pregnancy continue to have stronger bones at age seven, say researchers from University of Southampton...
Criticism over updated menopause guidelines
New guidelines which recommend women with menopause symptoms be offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a first-line treatment, not therapy, have been slated by...
Triplets becoming less common in the US
Giving birth to triplets, quadruplets or even more has become increasingly less common in the United States, the decline being particularly noticeable in mothers...