Prenatal News and Research

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Avoidance of routine thyroid testing on pregnant women would have let 80% of cases go undetected

A recent study completed by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) demonstrates that BMC conducts a high rate of thyroid function testing in pregnant women.

1 Jul 2011

Start of clinical validation study of Down’s syndrome diagnostic test

In conjunction with several Central European prenatal centers, scientists at GATC Biotech AG and LifeCodexx AG have begun the clinical validation study of a non-invasive, prenatal diagnostic test based on next generation sequencing.

28 Jun 2011

Data from microarrays co-developed by OGT to be presented at ECC 2011

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), provider of innovative clinical genetics and diagnostic solutions to advance molecular medicine, has announced details of its upcoming workshop at the European Cytogenetics Conference 2011, held in Porto, Portugal (2–5 July).

From Oxford Gene Technology 28 Jun 2011

Birth defects more prevalent in mountaintop coal mining areas

Birth defects are significantly more common in areas of mountaintop coal mining and are on the rise as the practice becomes more common, according to a study by researchers at Washington State University and West Virginia University.

24 Jun 2011

Longer looks: Prenatal care for dads; rise in bipolar diagnosis for children

Perhaps it's because mom has the burgeoning belly, but dads have largely been left out of prenatal care. That could be damaging to the family's health, contends research in a recent issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

24 Jun 2011

Maternal smoking 'imprints' unhealthy set of characteristics on unborn babies

Researchers in Australia have discovered that mothers who smoke during pregnancy are causing developmental changes to their unborn babies that lead to them having lower levels of the type of cholesterol that is known to protect against heart disease in later life - high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

22 Jun 2011

Smoking during pregnancy lowers offspring's HDL cholesterol, greater risk of heart disease later

Scientists said on Tuesday that mothers who smoke while pregnant are causing changes to their unborn babies that can lead them to have less of a type of cholesterol known to protect against heart disease.

22 Jun 2011

Eating disorders and abuse may increase likelihood of pregnancy and postpartum depression

One in 10 women experience depression during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. Although the problem has received increased attention in recent years, little is known about the causes or early-warning signs of pregnancy-related depression. In a study published in the June 2011 issue of Journal of Women's Health, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine offer new clues to help doctors identify at-risk patients and refer them to treatment early on.

17 Jun 2011

Pregnant women with depression unlikely to receive consistent treatment

Pregnant women who screen positive for depression are unlikely to receive consistent treatment, researchers say. That may translate to women spending more time in the hospital before babies are even born.

17 Jun 2011

Poor maternal nutrition predisposes offspring to type 2 diabetes

A new study published by the American Physiological Society offers the strongest evidence yet that vulnerability to type 2 diabetes can begin in the womb, giving new insight into the mechanisms that underlie a potentially devastating disease at the center of a worldwide epidemic.

14 Jun 2011

Low-cost healthy lifestyle program can prevent excess weight gain in pregnant women

A new study reports that a low-cost healthy lifestyle program, including self-weighing weekly or monthly, by pregnant women with pre-existing overweight can prevent them from gaining too much weight during early pregnancy. The researchers will present the results Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

State roundup: Texas special session highlights health issues

States are slashing funding, and more cuts are expected. But in places like Reno, where police have teamed up with counselors to aid the mentally ill, the services don't seem expendable.

3 Jun 2011

POWER study examines impact of HIV infection on Ontario women

Despite significant clinical advances in HIV care, an estimated 25 per cent of new HIV infections in Ontario from 2006 to 2008 were among women, according to a health study by researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and St. Michael's Hospital.

1 Jun 2011

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can avoid mother to child transmission of mtDNA disorders

Dutch researchers have developed a test which predicts which mothers at risk of passing on mitochondrial genetic disease to their children are likely to have a healthy baby.

30 May 2011

CPS, AAP release joint statement on early childhood caries

Early childhood caries is a serious health problem in North American Indigenous communities that needs immediate attention, say the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics in a joint statement released today.

30 May 2011

Taking prenatal vitamins early during pregnancy can reduce risk of having children with autism

Women who reported not taking a daily prenatal vitamin immediately before and during the first month of pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to have a child with an autism spectrum disorder as women who did take the supplements - and the associated risk rose to seven times as great when combined with a high-risk genetic make-up, a study by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute has found.

26 May 2011

16 Countries announce new commitments to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality

Today 16 countries announced new commitments to dramatically reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality, as part of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health.

21 May 2011

VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity assay to test for recent Toxoplasma gondii infection receives FDA clearance

On May 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first test to help determine whether a pregnant woman or a person with swollen lymph nodes testing positive for toxoplasmosis, sometimes known as cat scratch disease, developed the infection within the past four months.

20 May 2011

IVF causing multiple birth rates fall

Birth rates for IVF twins and triplets have begun to fall in line with government targets aimed at reducing health risks caused by multiple pregnancies. This fall shows the efficacy of the guidelines brought in by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that urged UK fertility clinics to limit multiple births to no more than 24% in 2009/10. Among naturally-conceived babies, only around one in 70 is a twin.

15 May 2011

Stress related to pregnancy affects health of expectant parents and their infants

A University of Missouri researcher has found that stress related to pregnancy uniquely affects the health of expectant fathers, which in turn, influences the health of expectant mothers and their infants.

13 May 2011