FRIDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women who received a flu shot to protect them against the H1N1 swine flu virus had a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and of having a baby small for gestational age, according to a new study.
The researchers examined data from nearly 56,000 single-child births that took place in Ontario, Canada, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — Being overweight or obese before and during pregnancy is the most reliable predictor of a woman’s risk of giving birth to a large baby, which can increase the chances of cesarean section and other complications during delivery, a new study says.
The Canadian study of 472 women also found that elevated levels of blood glucose (sugar) and fats had little effect on the risk of having a big baby. A large baby is defined as a newborn whose weight is in the 90th percentile or above on Canadian fetal growth charts, or more than 8.8 pounds.
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that long-term birth control options, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and under-the-skin implants, are 20 times more effective for preventing pregnancy than short-term contraceptives, such as birth control pills, patches and rings.
“IUDs and implants are very effective; they rival tubal ligation in terms of preventing pregnancy,” said study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Peipert, vice chair of clinical research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) — The use of oral contraceptives by younger women or hormone therapy by older women may be linked with inflammatory bowel disease, new research indicates.
Birth control pills are associated with a higher risk for Crohn’s disease, said researcher Dr. Hamed Khalili, a clinical and research fellow of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Crohn’s causes inflammation of the lining and wall of the large or small intestine, or both. The lining can become so inflamed it bleeds.
SUNDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) –
Exposure to air pollution while in the womb might harm the lung-function development of children with asthma, a new study finds.
Researchers conducted repeated evaluations of 162 asthmatic children between the ages of 6 and 15 in Fresno, Calif., and used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data to determine the children’s mothers’ exposure to air pollution during pregnancy.
FRIDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) — Eating a healthy, calorie-controlled diet during pregnancy can helps prevent excessive weight gain and cut the risk of obstetric complications, researchers report.
In Europe and the United States, up to 40 percent of women gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy and this excess weight is associated with a number of major health problems, according to background information in the study published online May 17 in the BMJ.
THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) — Too many American women still smoke during their pregnancies, a new report finds, and rates of such smoking vary widely depending on race.
Researchers found that almost 22 percent of pregnant white women aged 15 to 44 smoked cigarettes within the previous 30 days, compared with just over 14 percent of pregnant black women and 6.5 percent of Hispanic women in the same age range.
TUESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) — Sperm cells navigate the complex fluid-filled channels of the female reproductive tract by crawling along walls and swimming around corners, a new study reveals.
And although millions of sperm cells are ejaculated, the few that actually reach an egg collide frequently along the way.
This new insight on how sperm travel could help scientists develop new treatments for infertile couples, say British researchers who injected the cells into hair-thin microchannels, or mini-mazes, to identify which sperm are the fastest swimmers and why.
By Jenifer Goodwin
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) — A five-year study of home births in Oregon found an elevated rate of deaths among babies that had to be transferred to the hospital because something went wrong during the delivery.
However, experts said this doesn’t necessarily mean that home births are dangerous. Many of the babies and mothers had conditions that put them at higher risk of complications, such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure during birth) or breech position (when the baby is feet first instead of head first).
SATURDAY, May 5, 2012 (Health.com) — Babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a higher risk of birth defects than those conceived naturally, but the increased risk may stem from the parents rather than the treatment itself, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the study, among the largest of its kind to date, researchers analyzed more than 300,000 births in Australia and found the risk of birth defects to be 26% higher with IVF than with natural, or unassisted, conception—a finding consistent with previous research.
But virtually all of the increased risk associated with IVF, which involves fertilizing eggs outside the body and placing one or more embryos in the mother’s uterus, could be attributed to the health and demographic profile of the mother, including her age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, and any health conditions (such as diabetes) she may have experienced before or during pregnancy. Read More
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