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Biomarker can predict depression, poor foetal growth, in pregnancy
A biomarker called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) provides predictive value for depressive symptoms in women, as well as poor foetal growth, found an Ohio State...
Efficacy of popular nausea medication questioned
Previously unpublished research calls into question the efficacy of the most commonly prescribed medication for nausea in pregnancy, found a Canadian study.
The now defunct...
Exercise lowers risk of C-section
Exercise can significantly lower the risk of undergoing Caesarean sections and giving birth to overly large babies, a University of Alberta study has found.
Earlier survival of prem babies raises quesions
A small number of very premature babies are surviving earlier outside the womb than once thought possible, a study found, raising questions about how aggressively they should be treated and posing implications for the debate about abortion.
Cooling cuts post partum blood loss
A pilot study from the Baylor Research Institute found that cooling a woman's uterus after a C-section can dramatically reduce postpartum blood loss.
Pollution's impact on foetal growth
Women pregnant during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when pollution levels were reduced by decree, gave birth to children with higher birth weights compared to those who were pregnant before and after the games.
Obesity with pregnancy up diabetes risk
In women who have developed gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy, being obese before the pregnancy and putting on more weight after it, massively increases the risk of later developing type 2 diabetes
Antibiotics and asthma risk in pregnancy
Women whose children are at risk for developing asthma should avoid antibiotics during pregnancy, according to American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology research.
Safer for mum and baby to treat high BP
The 15-country CHIPS Trial established that normalising a pregnant women's elevated blood pressure (BP) did not result in poorer outcomes for babies. Also, allowing maternal BP to be mildly to moderately elevated led to more episodes of dangerously elevated BP.
Health of ART babies is improving
The health of babies conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART) has steadily improved in the last 20 years with fewer babies being born prematurely or affected by low birth weight, according to the largest long-term investigation into the health of ART babies.
Vitamin D deficiency linked to premature births
Women with the lowest levels of vitamin D were about 1.5 times as likely to deliver early compared to those with the highest levels, a US study has found.
‘Birth spacing’ will help reduce premature birth rates
Women who wait less than 18 months after having a child to get pregnant again are more likely to have a shorter pregnancy and...
Obesity linked to oxygen-deprivation birth problems
Babies of overweight and obese mothers are more likely to have oxygen-deprivation problems at birth, reports Reuters Health. Lead author Martina Persson at the...
High BMI putting pregnant women at risk
The risks for women who have a high body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy or in the early stages of pregnancy are much higher...
Height and weight inaccuracies could affect pregnant mothers and babies
A study by Dr Helen Paterson of the University of Otago, New Zealand, shows that inaccuracies in the documented height and weight of pregnant...
Early-pregnancy test could predict preterm births
A new, non-invasive test could be used in early pregnancy to predict preterm birth and poor foetal development. Medical News Today reports that a...
C-section babies could become overweight adults
Children born by caesarean section may be more likely to become overweight or obese in adulthood, according to a new review of evidence, reports...
Guidelines urge first-time mothers to remain in labour longer
In an effort to curtail caesarean sections, two prominent medical groups in the US, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the...