Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

First Edition: May 13, 2011

Today's headlines include details of Mitt Romney's major health care speech as well as the latest updates on the debt limit and budget talks and the outlook for Medicare's future.

13 May 2011

Mesh surgery more effective for patients with pelvic organ prolapse

A Nordic multicentre study, headed by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, shows that pelvic organ prolapse surgery using synthetic mesh can be more effective than traditional surgery.

12 May 2011

Women who naturally bear twins live longer

Compared with other mothers, women who deliver twins live longer, have more children than expected, bear babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last birth, according to a University of Utah study.

11 May 2011

Breastfeeding leads to better behaviour in kids: Study

A new study shows that just four months of breastfeeding can cut the risk of children becoming badly behaved by almost a third. It found 16 per cent of children brought up on formula milk had problems including anxiety, lying, stealing and hyperactivity – more than double the proportion breastfed for at least four months.

10 May 2011

Inovio reports VGX-3100 Phase I study data in cervical dysplasia and cancer

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, has reported data demonstrating long-term durability of immune responses induced by VGX-3100, its investigational DNA vaccine for treating cervical dysplasia and cancer caused by human papillomavirus.

9 May 2011

U.N. officials recognize International Day of the Midwife

U.N. officials, recognizing the International Day of the Midwife on Thursday, lauded the efforts of midwives worldwide and "called for greater investment to ensure their life-saving services are available to all who need them around the world," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 May 2011

Save the Children releases annual global mother's index

Afghanistan is "the worst place to be a mother, with women having a life expectancy of 45 years - the world's lowest - and one of every 11 women dying in childbirth," according to Save the Children's annual State of the World's Mothers report, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

4 May 2011

Opinions: U.S. development aid, commitment to women; R&D partnerships and development

Once again, Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers report has ranked Afghanistan, where one in 11 women die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, the worst place in the world to be a mother, which "is not surprising," Ret. Army Col. John Agoglia, who served as director of the Counterinsurgency Training Center-Afghanistan in Kabul from 2008-2010, writes in a Politico opinion piece.

4 May 2011

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation honors University Of Colorado researcher for preeclampsia study

A University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher, hoping to find the cause of preeclampsia in pregnant women, won a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Thursday which funds innovative global health and development projects.

29 Apr 2011

C-section deliveries have increased by 72%, episiotomy and forceps use have declined

Use of episiotomy, a surgical incision to widen the vaginal area during childbirth, fell by 60 percent between 1997 and 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

29 Apr 2011

Trig Medical to launch new standard for labor progression management at ACOG 2011

Trig Medical, Inc. announces the U.S. launch of LaborPro®, the new standard for labor progression management, at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2011 Annual Clinical Meeting, taking place April 30 – May 4, 2011 in Washington, D.C. Trig Medical will be demonstrating the LaborPro system in Booth #824 during exhibition hours.

28 Apr 2011

Study questions suitability of anti-retroviral drugs for the young

According to a new major study one in eight children born with HIV becomes resistant to the three main classes of drugs used to suppress the virus within five years of starting treatment. This is the first major study that looks at drug resistance in 1,000 European children born with HIV. It raises questions about the suitability of anti-retroviral drugs for the young.

25 Apr 2011

HHS unveils new national patient safety initiative

Health and Human Services Regional Director Marguerite Salazar unveiled today a new national patient safety initiative, Partnership for Patients, on behalf of the Obama Administration at The Children's Hospital. Partnership for Patients will help save 60,000 lives across the country by stopping millions of preventable injuries and complications in patient care over the next three years.

22 Apr 2011

Obama’s next target - medical error reduction for patient safety

Finally serious efforts are being made to ensure patient safety. The Obama administration announced this Tuesday an aggressive approach called ‘The 'Partnership for Patients Program’ to reduce medical errors, partnering with private insurers, business leaders, hospitals and patient advocates to tackle a problem that kills thousands of Americans every year.

12 Apr 2011

New maternity scheme in Queensland

Queensland Health has introduced a new maternity scheme. The expecting mothers in Dysart, Middlemount, Moranbah, Clermont and Glenden shall now have a wider variety of options to choose from when it comes to choosing how their pregnancy be managed.

11 Apr 2011

Alcohol misuse in pregnancy linked to high risk of premature birth

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. But there are conflicting reports about how much alcohol, if any, it is safe for a pregnant woman to drink. New research published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth looked at the amounts of alcohol women drank during their early pregnancy and showed the effect this had on their babies.

11 Apr 2011

New treatment approach raises hope for women with ovarian cancer

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's Oregon National Primate Research Center may have good news for women at high-risk for ovarian cancer who also want to have children.

8 Apr 2011

Teenage birth rate in the U.S. falls

Encouraging new data shows the teenage birth rate in the U.S. fell to the lowest level on record in 2009 - but is still one of the highest in developed countries. Numbers dropped to 39.1 births per 1,000 females from 61.8 births in 1991, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The latest figures record that 410,000 teenage girls aged 15 to 19 years old gave birth in the United States in 2009. The rate is especially high among black and Hispanic teens. Geography plays a key role too with young mothers more common in some states than others.

5 Apr 2011

Genetic factors can explain people's susceptibility to urinary incontinence

Much of the risk of developing incontinence before middle age is determined by our genes. Genetic factors can explain half of people's susceptibility to urinary incontinence, a study of twins at the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet reveals.

5 Apr 2011

FDA approves Medtronic's InterStim Therapy to improve bowel control

Medtronic, Inc. today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of InterStim Therapy for Bowel Control. InterStim Therapy, previously available to treat the symptoms of overactive bladder and non-obstructive urinary retention, is now also approved for the treatment of chronic fecal incontinence in patients who have failed or are not candidates for more conservative treatments.

1 Apr 2011