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Pregnancy News

Collection of pregnancy, maternity, parenting, prenantal, postpartum news items from the media, medical journals, research articles.
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Pregnancy Articles

Flu Shots during Pregnancy no help to the baby [ 12-11-06 ]

According to recent medical research, flu shots for pregnant women expecting to deliver during flu season do not seem to decrease the chances of respiratory illness in their newborn babies. Flu shots are recommended for kids between the ages of 6 and 23 months. Vaccination in children younger than that has not shown to be useful as the vaccine does not stimulate an adequate immune response at that young age. It was thought that one way to protect these newborns might be to give the flu shot to the mother and hopefully the antibodies would be passed to the yet unborn baby. However, it now seems like this strategy does not really prevent respiratory illness in the newborns. The research was done by Dr. Eric K. France of Kaiser Permanente Colorado in Denver and his colleagues. They studied the incidence of respiratory illness in over 3000 infants born to vaccinated mothers and in more than 37000 babies born to unvaccinated mothers. Thet found that mother's flu shots did not significantly affect infant outpatient and inpatient visits for respiratory disease.

Posted By: TG

Caesarean Section Rates in U.S Hit All Time High [ 12-08-06 ]

In 2005, approximately one third of all of the newborns in the Unbited States were delivered via caesarean section, a record high. In 2004, this figure was just over 29%. This represents a 46% increase in caesarean section births over the decade since 1996, representing an upward trend over the last thirty years. The rate of deliveries by caesarean section was only about 5% in 1970. Although, ideally a caesarean section is only undertaken when there is a risk of medical complications by normal vaginal delivery, it would seem that the practice has become more and more routine in what would be otherwise be considered a normal situation. There are related debates over the concerns whether more and more pregnant women are choosing to have a caesarean section delivery just for convenience and whether some obstetricians are performing them due to a concern that they would get sued if they do not. Whereas in the past women of older age were more likely to have a caesarean section, the data suggests that now the procedure is increasingly being used for women of all ages. The recommendation by the World Health Organization is that the caesarean section rates should not be more than 15% of births. Although it is well known that the procedure can be lifesaving for both the mother and the baby in many situations, even its advocates say that a rate of over 30% is too high.

Posted By: TG

New Mothers at High Risk for Psychiatric Disorders [ 12-07-06 ]

Recent research has indicated that post-partum women are at higher risk for many types of psychiatric disorders in addition to the commonly known condition of post-partum depression. The research was done in Denmark and involved review of medical records of 2.3 million people over a 30 year period. It was discovered that the highest risk period was the first three months after childbirth, especially the first few weeks. This coincides with a massive alteration in new mother's responsibilities related to taking care of their newborns. The researchers learned that just 2-3 weeks after giving birth to their baby, these new mothers, who had no prior history of mental disorders, became seven times more likely than other women to develop a serious psychiatric disorder including conditions such as bipolar disorder and even schizophrenia. The researchers felt that these new mothers are at higher risk for mental disorders because their bodies are not only experiencing massive hormonal changes but also because they are going through a whole lot of other psychological and physical changes involving various body systems such as heart and lungs, appetite and sleep deprivation. The study underscores the importance of mental health screening of all new mothers and treatment for those who are affected by psychiatric symptoms.

Posted By: TG

Higher Risk of Placenta Praevia with IVF [ 12-05-06 ]

Medical research for the first time has revealed evidence that directly links assisted reproductive techniques, such as in vitro fertilization, to a higher risk of a potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy called placenta previa. Placenta Previa is a condition in which the placenta fully or partially covers the cervix thereby blocking a baby's passage through the birth canal. The condition can lead to potentially serious or even life-threatening complications such as excessive bleeding and may result in pregnant women to undergo caesarean section as well as complications for the newborn such as prematurity and other perinatal problems. The research study involved more than 800,000 pregnancies in Norway over a 16 years period, from 1988 and 2002. The conclusion was that women who had conceived their single-baby pregnancies via assisted reproductive techniques had a sixfold higher risk of placenta previa, compared with natural conception.

Posted By: TG

Hiding Pregnancy [ 12-05-06 ]

It comes as no surprise that, historically, many women have concealed their pregnancy, but today? A research project in Ireland revealed that it is not just teenagers who are concealing their pregnancies in this day and age. This is a unique study because nothing of this nature has been done before. The researchers found that there are a variety of reasons for woemn wanting to hide their pregnancy, such as career, travel, and relationships both with parents or partners. Some may also feel that there will be a loss of control if people know about the pregnancy.

Posted By: TG

High Fat Diet in Pregnancy Linked to Obesity in Offsprings [ 07-06-06 ]

Researchers have discovered that women who eat a fat rich diet during their pregnancy are more likely to have obesity prone children. Early findings of a European study provide a scientific explanation for the ever-increasing numbers of obese children in the Western World. The lead researcher of the study noted that one's diet in early life could be a crucial determining factor in obesity. The study was done on rats where the pregnant and lactating rodents were fed either a diet high in lard or a normal diet. Later, the amount of fat in their offsprings was measured after a year; the offsprings of rats fed the high fat diet had significantly more internal fat than the offspring of rats fed the normal diet. If these findings are found relevant and applicable to human pregnancy, it would mean that babies may be programmed to become obese or of normal weight depending on their mother's dietary fat intake during pregnancy. The researchers feel that the fat-rich diet during pregnancy is more likely to produce babies who have increased fat stores because of enlarged fat cells, an alteration in the way the body metabolises fat and higher fat levels in the blood.

Posted By: TG

Bulimia & Pregnancy [ 06-22-06 ]

Medical research relating to pregnancy and eating disorders have indicated that women who continue to angage in binging and purging during their pregnancy are at higher risk for miscarriage and pre-mature birth; teh reasearch was conducted at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, United Kingdom. Even prior research studies have pointed out to a relationship between poor outcomes in pregnancy and persistent symptoms of bulimia nervosa. The findings suggest that women who have persisting bulimia sysmptoms during their pregnancies are at 3 times higher risk for miscarriage and are at an increased risk for developing post-partum depression. The research also indicated that women with bulimia nervosa are 30 times more likely to become pregnant in an unplanned manner since the eating disorder is associated with irregular periods. In addition, repeated episodes of (self-induced) vomiting can decrease the efficacy of birth control pills. On a positive note, the investigators believed that pregnancy provides an excellent opportunity for many women with bulimia to get over their eating disorder as pregnancy and motherhood could provide a powerful motivation for a positive change. Among various treatment options, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown the highest efficacy for bulimia patients.

Posted By: TG

Lowering Stress May Help Getting Pregnant [ 06-21-06 ]

Medical research has indicated that women trying to get pregnant may increase their odds for motherhood by decreasing their level of stress. Relationship of stress, in both men and women, to infertility has long been considered. Recently, research findings presented at an an international fertility conference in Prague noted that psychotherapy can increase the chances of getting pregnant by managing and decreasing stress in women suffering from a condition called amenorrhea, in which a woman has interruption of her monthly periods and irregular ovulation cycle. Besides stress, amenorrhea can also be caused by poor nutrition and over-exercising. Early findings of a research study at Emory University showed that a combination of stress management, diet and exercise coaching restored fertility in 80 percent of the women who took part, compared to 25 percent in a control group.

Posted By: TG

Vitamins E and C in Pregnancy may be Risky [ 06-14-06 ]

A new research study indicates that by taking Vitamin E while pregnant an expectant mother may expose her unborn baby to various health problems. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that is found in natural foods such as nutsl and broccoli. Previous research had indicated that vitamin E supplementation during pregnancy especially when taken along with Vitamin C, could help minimize the risk of certain complications such as miscarriage and pre-eclampsia. This new study, however, conducted at Saint Thomas Hospital in London showed that pregnant women could be putting their unborn babies at risk by taking high doses of vitamin E. The research involved 2,400 pregnant women who were at risk of pre-eclampsia and a group of these at-risk women were given 250 mg of Vitamin E with 1,000 mg of Vitamin C on a daily basis from the 14th week of their pregnancy till they gave birth. The study found that the women who took the supplements actually developed pre-eclampsia sooner and had a more severe form of the illness. These pregnant woemn on supplements also had 19 stillbirths as compared with just 7 in those who were no given the Vitamin E & C supplements. Additionally, the birth weight of the babies whose mothers had taken the supplements was on average 60 grams less than the placebo group. The research study was recently published in The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Posted By: TG

ACE Inhibitors Risky During Pregnancy [ 06-12-06 ]

A new research study has indicated that taking ACE Inhibitors (a class of blood pressure medications) during the first trimester of pregnancy can increase the risk of the newborns having major physical malformations; the study was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (or ACE) inhibitors are commonly prescribed for treating high blood pressure, and are are sold under many brand names. A researcher investigator remarked that "Exposure to ACE inhibitors during the first trimester cannot be considered safe and should be avoided". The researchers noted that it is already known that taking ACE inhibitors during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can cause birth defects but until now it was felt that taking these drugs during the first trimester was safe.

Posted By: Source: http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=466&fArticleId=3287816

Reflexology in Pregnancy [ 06-12-06 ]

Reflexology is the science or study of reflexes. It is a type of massage where pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet and hands to help facilitate relaxation and healing in other parts of the body. Some believe that reflexology can be helpful in providing a boost to the immune system, either before or during a pregnancy. It is believed by the proponents that reflexology can be especially helpful for the physical discomforts often associated with pregnancy such as breast soreness, constipation, dizziness, headaches, haemorrhoids, leg cramps, nausea, sleep difficulty, tiredness, and ankle swelling. On the other hand, some conditions such as blood vessel problems like phlebitis and blood clots are considered contraindications to reflexology treatments.

Posted By: Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060612/flair/flair10.html

Millions of Stillbirths Worldwide Annually [ 05-30-06 ]

A new research study indicates that approximately 3.2 million stillbirths occur worldwide in any given year. The study gathered data over 100 countries in various regions of the world. The researchers also noted that one of the persisting problems has been the under reporting of stillbirths and that the countries with highest rate of stillbirth risk have the least useable and most outdated data. They concluded, therefore, that the actual number of stillbirths worldwide could be over 4 million annually. The study found that the rates of stillbirth range from 5 per 1,000 births in developed countries to 32 per 1,000 in under developed, third world countries of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. There are, however, bright pockets such as Egypt which is a low-income country but has had evidenced a remarkable decrease in stillbirth rates; such progress is correlated with a corresponding decrease in maternal mortality. The findings of the study were published in the May online issue of the journal Lancet.

Posted By: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_33028.html

Periodontal Disease during Pregnancy linked to Low Birth Weight Infants [ 05-30-06 ]

A new research study indicates that mother's periodontal disease during pregnancy has an association with fetal growth and that it's presence increases for the infant to be born small for gestational age. One of the indicators of the well being of the growing fetus is the fetal growth. Below normal fetal growth complicates 3 to 7% all pregnancies, translating into almost 200,000 births every year. Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill studied more than 1000 pregnant women, evaluating them for the presence of periodontal disease during their pregnancies and monitoring its effects on the birth weights of their infants. For the purpose of this study, the newborns weighing at less than the 10th percentile for gestational age were considered small for gestational age. In general, 6.6% of the women delivered a small for gestational age baby with the periodontal status being classified as "healthy" for 28%; almost 58% of the pregnant women had periodontal disease and just over 14% had moderate to severe periodontal disease. The reserach showed that the women with moderate to severe periodontal disease were much more likely to give birth to a small for gestational age infant. The rate of small for gestational age babies was almost 14% in women with moderate to severe disease, 6.5% in women with mild periodontal disease, and slightly above 3% in women with healthy gums. In summary, this research study suggets that the risk of having a small for gestational age baby is more than twice for women with moderate to severe periodontal disease.

Posted By: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_33886.html

Higher Risk of Placenta Praevia with IVF [ 05-30-06 ]

A recent research study indicates that various techniques used for treatment of infertility may enhance the risk of complications during pregnancy. The study shows some evidence that women who became pregnant via in vitro fertilization (IVF) are at higher risk to suffer from placenta praevia, which can be a serious condition with potential danger to mother and the child. A researcher commented that there was six-fold higher risk of placenta praevia in women who had had fertility treatment than in those who became pregnant in a natural manner. One should note that despite this increased risk with assisted conception via IVF, the prevalence of placenta remains quite low; the risk being 3 in 1,000 births without assisted reproduction and rising to 16 in 1,000 following the procedure. Placenta provides nourishment and oxygen for the growing baby inside the uterus and in this condition, Placenta Praevia, it gets attached to the lower part of the uterus with the potential to block the passage to the birth canal. The condition can cause bleeding n the mother and increase the need for a caesarean section birth.

Posted By: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_34001.html

No Benefit of Iron Supllementation during Pregnancy [ 05-30-06 ]

An Australian research study indicates that kids whose mothers took iron supplements during their pregnancy don't have higher IQs than those whose mothers didn't take iron supplement. Animal research has revealed that iron deficiency during pregnancy may result in brain damage in the offspring and physicians in many developed countries have been routinely advising their pregnant patients to take iron supplements, but the evidence for their benefits is not clear. The fact is that the US Preventive Task Force has recommended that studies be conducted to determine whether iron supplements in fact have any effect on children's development. To investigate this, the Australian research team assigned 430 pregnant women to take 20 mg of iron daily or a placebo beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy through delivery. Subsequently, the team evaluated the children's behavior and intelligence at four years of age. There was no difference in IQ between the iron group and the placebo group. On the other hand, 16% of children whose mothers took iron during pregnancy had an abnormal behavior score, compared to 8% of children in the placebo group. The researchers noted that this finding needs to be interpreted with caution since it could have been due to chance rather than the effect of iron supplementation. However, they also noted that from a public health perspective, the apparent lack of any benefits and the potential for some risk associated with routine iron usage during pregnancy indicate that the risks may outweigh the benefits in a well-nourished pregnant population.

Posted By: TG

Drink While Pregnant & Lower the IQ of your Child [ 05-30-06 ]

Women planning to get pregnant should know that alcohol consumption during pregnancy, especially during the first or second trimester can negatively impact the intellectual capabilities of their child, lowering his or her IQ. A research study has found that children who were exposed to between two and six drinks of alcohol per week during pregnancy have a lower IQ score compared to their peers who were not exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. This negative impact was especially prominent if the exposure to alcohol happened during the second trimester. Specifically, the researchers found that just one drink a day, defined as 12 oz. of beer or 4 oz. of wine, in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with a 2-point drop in IQ when the child reaches age of 10. The study was conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in Alcoholism.

Posted By: TG

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