Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Experts troubled by global rise in c-section rates

Almost one-third of infants in the U.S. are delivered by caesarean section (c-section), a trend that is now growing globally, PRI's The World/PBS NewsHour reports. "The c-section rate in Thailand has reached 34 percent, in Vietnam, it is 36 percent, and in China, nearly half of all births are by c-section," the article states.

12 Aug 2011

Teen pregnancy contagious to sisters: Study

According to a new study teenage pregnancy and motherhood is contagious within families. Scientists have discovered that the sister of a teenage mother is twice as likely to follow in her footsteps as a girl with no family experience of early motherhood.

10 Aug 2011

First bioengineered anal sphincter for treatment of fecal and urinary incontinence

Researchers have built the first functional anal sphincters in the laboratory, suggesting a potential future treatment for both fecal and urinary incontinence. Made from muscle and nerve cells, the sphincters developed a blood supply and maintained function when implanted in mice.

10 Aug 2011

New York Times examines maternal mortality in Uganda

"Half of the 340,000 deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes each year occur in Africa, almost all in anonymity," the New York Times writes in an article profiling several cases of women who have died during childbirth in Ugandan hospitals.

2 Aug 2011

Stroke in pregnancy on the rise

According to latest reports the number of strokes among pregnant women and new mothers has risen to a new peak probably because more of them are obese and suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease.

29 Jul 2011

Study reveals clear need to halt escalating use of Caesarean sections

Caesarean section rates are steadily increasing globally. Requiring two doctors to agree that a Caesarean section is the best way to deliver a baby, rather than just needing one opinion, providing internal feedback to doctors on the number of operations performed and seeking support from local opinion leaders may reduce the use of this procedure.

27 Jul 2011

Gates Foundation awards phase 1 grant to St. Joseph's scientist for post-partum research

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Robert Garfield, PhD, a researcher at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, a $100,000 phase 1 grant to develop a device to prevent post-partum hemorrhage.

27 Jul 2011

Four-year study to test effectiveness of WHO Safe Childbirth program

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has been awarded a $14.1 million, four-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test the effectiveness of an innovative checklist-based childbirth safety program in reducing deaths and improving outcomes of mothers and infants in 120 hospitals in India.

27 Jul 2011

Understaffed maternity units in UK struggling to cope

Across the UK, maternity units were forced to close to new admissions 1,055 times last year, nearly always because of understaffing or lack of beds, a series of Freedom of Information requests have found. At least 927 women were turned away. On the other hand in some London trusts one in five midwifery posts lies vacant. The Royal College of Midwives says at least 4,700 extra midwives are needed in England and Wales.

25 Jul 2011

C-sections on the rise: One in three mothers opting for procedure

According to the latest study reports, one in three births in the U.S. are now delivered by Caesarean section, which is an all time high and an increasd of 25 percent over seven years.

24 Jul 2011

Women in embattled regions have limited access and means to use contraceptives

Violent conflict disrupts all aspects of society, including the delivery of the most basic reproductive health services: prenatal and maternal care, family planning, prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, abortions and emergency caesarian care.

21 Jul 2011

Key finding sheds new light on common bleeding disorders

A simple cut to the skin unleashes a complex cascade of chemistry to stem the flow of blood. Now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have used evolutionary clues to reveal how a key clotting protein assembles. The finding sheds new light on common bleeding disorders.

21 Jul 2011

Study finds high C-section rates in Florida, New Jersey and Texas

A report released today by HealthGrades, the nation's most trusted, independent source of physician information and hospital quality outcomes, found that between 2002 and 2009 the C-section, or Cesarean section, rate in the U.S. rose from 27% of all single births to 34%, an all-time high. The highest rates of C-section were found in Florida, New Jersey and Texas, the lowest in Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado.

19 Jul 2011

InterStim Therapy now available for treatment of chronic bowel incontinence

A new procedure is now available for the treatment of chronic bowel incontinence, a disorder impacting the lives of more than 18 million Americans. The treatment, called InterStim Therapy is a minimally invasive procedure which uses electrical impulses to stimulate the sacral nerve and improve muscle function.

19 Jul 2011

Many women in war-torn areas unable to obtain family planning services

Many areas of the world are at war and both the conflict and aftermath have dire consequences for the health of people affected. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Conflict and Health reports that while women in war-torn areas want access to family planning, these services are often not available at local hospitals or health centers.

13 Jul 2011

A 16 pound baby born in Texas

A Texas baby was born with a birth weight of 16 pounds and one ounce. JaMichael Brown's weight was more than double the national average for a newborn and he measures 24 inches long, just a few inches shy of an average one-year-old. He is the biggest baby ever born at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, located on the border between Texas and Louisiana. The hospital has been open since 1938 and last year delivered nearly 2,900 babies.

11 Jul 2011

ICSI study shows strong increase in first trimester pregnancy loss after the age of 38

The research, presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, also showed that rates of preclinical abortion, miscarriage and overall pregnancy loss during the first trimester remained more or less constant until the age of 34, but increased steadily from the age of 35 onwards.

5 Jul 2011

NPR examines controversial drug being used to save women's lives

In another installment in NPR's summer-long series "Beginnings," NPR's All Things Considered aired a story on Wednesday examining how the controversial drug misoprostol is being used worldwide to save women's lives.

1 Jul 2011

Upgraded midwifery services could save up to 3.6M lives in developing countries

Up to 3.6 million lives could be saved every year if midwifery services were upgraded in 58 developing countries by 2015, according to a major new report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the University of Southampton and 28 other organisations worldwide.

22 Jun 2011

More mothers are breast feeding: Report

The latest figures reveal that the number of new mothers who start breastfeeding is rising. A UK-wide survey showed eight out of ten newborns were put to the breast at least once, up from six out of ten in 1990. The proportion of new mothers who start to breastfeed their babies has risen in the past five years from 76% to 81% across the UK.

22 Jun 2011