Birth Weight News and Research

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No benefit from nifedipine widely used to prevent premature births

A trial where a popular drug was compared with a placebo found it worked no better at maintaining pregnancy after the initial bout of preterm labour is halted.

26 Nov 2008

Pregnancy and fertility following bariatric surgery

Women who undergo weight-loss surgery, known as bariatric surgery, and later become pregnant after losing weight may be at lower risk for pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure-- complications that can seriously affect the mother or her baby--than pregnant women who are obese, according to new findings from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that are published in the November 19 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

24 Nov 2008

Low birth weight a risk factor for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Individuals who were underweight at birth are at increased risk of developing a condition called secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology ( CJASN ).

19 Nov 2008

Pregnancy and fertility following bariatric surgery

Women who undergo weight-loss surgery, known as bariatric surgery, and later become pregnant after losing weight may be at lower risk for pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure - complications that can seriously affect the mother or her baby - than pregnant women who are obese, according to new findings from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that are published in the November 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Nov 2008

Link found between cryptorchidism and genetic mutations

A small percentage of males born with cryptorchidism (failure of one or both testicles to descend into the scrotum), the most frequent congenital birth defect in male children, are more likely to have genetic mutations, including for a syndrome that is a common genetic cause of infertility, according to a study in the November 19 issue of JAMA .

18 Nov 2008

Risk of maternal and newborn complications may be lower after bariatric surgery

A review of previously published studies suggests that rates of adverse outcomes for mothers or pregnant women and newborn babies, such as gestational diabetes and low birth weight, may be lower after bariatric surgery compared with pregnant women who are obese, according to an article in the November 19 issue of JAMA.

18 Nov 2008

Scientists create therapy programme to treat depression in women in developing countries

Although depression is a major health problem world-wide, experts say its impact is greatest in developing countries where 80% of the population live. Often there are no resources available to treat sufferers.

11 Nov 2008

Australian Chinese team effort shows iron could save the lives of China's children

A team effort between Australian and Chinese scientists could save the lives of many Chinese babies.

10 Nov 2008

Study improves recovery for mothers with depression

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a therapy programme to treat depression in women in developing countries.

10 Nov 2008

Iron is the key to reducing infant mortality in China

A team of investigators from the Xi'an Jiaotong University, and The George Institute for International Health and the School of Public Health, the University of Sydney, have been involved in a new study in China that has revealed the significant impact of iron supplements during pregnancy on preventing deaths in infants under four weeks of age.

7 Nov 2008

Caffeine intake during pregnancy

Consuming caffeine at any time during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction (low birth weight), according to research published on bmj.com.

3 Nov 2008

Pregnant women told to keep coffee down to two a day

Pregnant women in Britain have been given new guidelines about drinking coffee - the new guidelines issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) say pregnant women should cut their caffeine intake and drink no more than two cups of coffee or four cups of tea a day.

3 Nov 2008

Earlier jaundice treatment decreases brain injury in preterm infants

A study from a National Institutes of Health research network found that an early treatment to prevent severe newborn jaundice in extremely early preterm infants reduced the infants' rate of brain injury, a serious complication of severe jaundice.

30 Oct 2008

New research could be the 'holy grail' for predicting pre-eclampsia

New research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) could pave the way for developing a test to predict pre-eclampsia in pregnant women and save the lives of mothers and babies across the world.

27 Oct 2008

Birth size a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer later in life

The findings from a study by a team based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are published in PLoS Medicine.

2 Oct 2008

Birth size a marker for breast cancer later in life

A new study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that birth size is a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer later in life - they say birth size, and in particular birth length, is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in adulthood.

30 Sep 2008

Antidepressants can affect male fertility

Researchers in the United States have linked commonly used antidepressants to a reduction in some men's fertility.

25 Sep 2008

Study shows high gum disease rates in rural Appalachia

Research on 445 families centered in two Pennsylvania towns and two West Virginia counties shows that 80 percent of adults suffer from more severe forms of periodontal disease, according to Richard Crout, D.M.D., Ph.D., an expert on gum disease and associate dean for research in the West Virginia University School of Dentistry.

14 Sep 2008

Early weight gain linked to higher blood pressure in adulthood

The pace of weight gain in early childhood may be associated with increased blood pressure in adulthood, according to a report by researchers at Bristol University. The findings were published in October's edition of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2008

Low-birth-weight children should have their blood pressure checked

Blood pressure in low-birth-weight children younger than 3 years of age not only can be measured but should be, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

4 Sep 2008