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Milestone as pregnant women included in SA TB drug trial
Pregnant women are typically excluded from clinical trials of new tuberculosis medicines, leading to a lack of solid scientific evidence on how best to...
Updated stroke guidelines highlight risks for women
New guidelines for preventing strokes spell out, for the first time, the risks faced by women, noting that pre-term births and conditions like endometriosis...
Tygerberg faces C-section backlog crisis
The backlog of pregnant women awaiting elective Caesareans at Tygerberg Hospital’s maternity ward has increased, according to staff, who say that while the waiting...
RSV deaths now preventable in SA, local experts say
South African experts say the implementation of prevention strategies, combined with public engagement and collaboration between stakeholders, could significantly reduce the high rates of...
Heart defect risk for babies conceived through IVF – Swedish study
Babies conceived through certain fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilisation, are more likely to have major heart defects, although cases are still rare, researchers...
More risk of lupus, diabetes if periods stop early – Finnish study
Women with premature ovarian insufficiency, whose periods stop before 40, have a much greater risk of severe autoimmune diseases like diabetes and lupus, according...
Alcohol consumption linked to rising cancer cases – US study
Adults under 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the past few decades, and alcohol use may...
Pregnancy rates after ‘tubes tied’ higher than thought – US study
American researchers have found that rates of pregnancy after tubal sterilisation may be higher than previously expected, according to their analysis of national survey...
Kenyan project cuts labour ward staff burnout
High-quality care during childbirth is critical for preventing maternal and newborn deaths, with alarming figures showing that an estimated 800 women die every day...
Eastern Cape women's lives at risk in maternity wards, commission finds
The conditions in Eastern Cape maternity wards are so dire that they are contributing to patients’ and infants’ deaths, says a report from the...
Almost 120 000 girls give birth in one year
The number of young girls and teenagers having babies remains constant in South Africa, with more than 2 700 girls aged 10 to 14...
SA experts probe links between placenta and premature births
The socio-economic benefits of finding a blood test that can predict premature births – and prevent these – are incalculable, writes Professor Clive Gray...
First trimester Covid exposure, jab, not tied to birth defects risk
Neither Covid-19 infection nor vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of major birth defects, found a study of...
New fertility drug boosts IVF success rate – Spanish study
Scientists have suggested that a new drug could help improve the odds of successful IVF treatment, after initial trials showed it boosted the rate...
Experts call for change to skin-tone biased Apgar score
A growing body of experts is calling for changes to the Apgar score – the tool assigned to infants immediately after birth to measure...
Rat soup, oracles and traditional birth attendants …
In Lagos, traditional birth attendants are helping to connect women and babies with modern maternity treatments – and although doctors may not always agree...
New Eastern Cape Health MEC vows to fix distressed hospitals
East London’s Frere Hospital has a drastic shortage not just of 18 midwives and nurses but also of beds in its maternity section, which...
Extreme heat in pregnancy can affect future life of baby – SA review
Climate change is a massive public health threat, with increasing temperatures being linked to deteriorating health, especially in vulnerable populations and including pregnant women...
UK flags risks of epilepsy drug during pregnancy
After a major safety review triggered by a recent study in Europe, Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) has prohibited the dispensing of migraine...
Heat in sub-Saharan Africa tied to miscarriage risk – UKZN study
A study by University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) scientists has found evidence linking maternal heat exposure – during the month before conception – with miscarriage,...
Rahima Moosa Hospital again under fire over patient treatment
Gauteng Health has denied allegations that a pregnant patient was badly treated or forced to sleep in chairs and on the floor at Rahima...
Florida passes law allowing C-sections out of hospitals
American doctors have warned of safely risks after a law recently passed in Florida that will allow some Caesarean sections to take place outside...
Second antibiotic not needed after C-section – Pretoria study
A local study that investigated the impact of kefazolin plus metronidazole compared with kefazolin alone on postpartum infection rates in women undergoing Caesarean section...
EMA suspends preterm birth drugs over possible cancer risk
The European Medicine Agency’s safety committee has recommended the suspension of the marketing authorisations for medicines containing 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) in the European Union, after reviews...
Written consent now a must for pelvic exams at US hospitals
American hospitals must now obtain written informed consent from patients before they undergo intimate physical exams, including those performed under anaesthesia – otherwise they...
UK inquiry hears of mothers' maternity trauma
A British parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma has called for a national plan to improve maternity care, declaring that good care is “the exception rather than the...
SA’s 'too high' Caesarean birth rate must be reversed
Although a Caesarean section can save the lives of mother and baby – and is essential in complicated labours or if the baby is...
Health Department weather alert app warns pregnant women
Negative effects of climate change are predicted to intensify as the world continues to warm up, and in efforts to alert pregnant women –...
Hormones safe for menopause – US study dispels old flawed findings
The benefits of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms outweigh the risks, and what is available now is very different from two...
Depression risk ‘40% higher’ in perimenopause – UK meta-analysis
British researchers have suggested that women who are approaching menopause have a 40% higher risk of suffering from anxiety and depression than those with...
Top job for disgraced former hospital CEO
Former Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital CEO Dr Nozuko Mkabayi, slammed by former Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba for her appalling performance during her...
Alarm as syphilis rates rise worldwide, including in SA
One of the oldest diseases in the world, syphilis is making an alarming comeback, with leading scientists describing it as a public health crisis...
Huge IVF cost disparities between private and public sectors
As more women choose to have children later in life, and with the increase of same-sex marriages, there has been an rise in the...
Woman (81) dies after removal of ‘stone baby’ foetus
A Brazilian woman has died after surgery to remove an ultra-rare “stone baby” she had been carrying inside her for around 56 years, the...
Social media fuels birth control backlash
Medical experts are becoming increasingly concerned about searches for “birth control” on TikTok or Instagram unleashing a cascade of misleading videos vilifying hormonal contraception...
Autism risk may rise with in-utero anti-seizure meds – US study
A study by American researchers suggests that the incidence of autism spectrum disorder is higher among children exposed to topiramate in the second half...
Plunging global fertility rates will lead to big world divide
Fertility rates in nearly all countries will be too low to sustain population levels by the end of the century, and most of the...
SA's maternal mortality rate declines, health barometer shows
The Western Cape is the only province that meets the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to below 70 maternal deaths...
Are pregnant women taking too many supplements?
Antenatal care providers should reconsider widespread prescriptions for pregnancy supplements, and promote whole food diets in pregnancy instead, write Linda Gallo and Shelley Wilkinson...
Covid-19’s tragic impact on maternal care in SA
In 2021, pregnant South African women died at a rate not seen for almost a decade, shows a new government report that exposes the...