Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Minimally invasive surgery outcomes show favorable results in low back pain patients

Beaumont research findings published in the February online issue of Spine shows that patients who have a low back surgery called minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, end up better off in many ways than patients who have more invasive surgery to alleviate debilitating pain.

5 Mar 2014

New study shows male hormones play important role; may enhance IVF therapy in women

Several fertility clinics across the country are beginning to administer testosterone, either through a patch or a gel on the skin, to increase the number of eggs produced by certain women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

5 Mar 2014

Study: 55% of women are passive smokers due to exposure to tobacco smoke

As shown in a study carried out by researchers at 13 research centres in Asturias, Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia, over half of non-smoking pregnant women, 55%, are passive smokers.

5 Mar 2014

Women using DMPA injection more likely to acquire HIV than women using NET-EN

Women who used an injectable contraceptive called DMPA were more likely to acquire HIV than women using a similar product called NET-EN, according to a secondary analysis of data from a large HIV prevention trial called VOICE, researchers from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network reported today at the 21st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston.

5 Mar 2014

FDA clears First Response Gold Digital Pregnancy Test

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the First Response Gold Digital Pregnancy Test to determine if a woman is pregnant up to six (6) days before her missed period and with over 99% accuracy from the day of her expected period – a significant step in pregnancy test innovation.

4 Mar 2014

Majority of women experience reproductive coercion and intimate partner violence

Enough women experience reproductive coercion - male behavior to control contraception and pregnancy outcomes - that a research team now recommends health care providers address the subjects with their patients and tailor family planning discussions and recommendations accordingly.

4 Mar 2014

Shoppers confront more glitches, frustrations from state health exchanges

Whether it is long waits for marketplace helplines or news that some people in California will have to redo their applications, problems persist. News outlets offer more examples and updates with reports from Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Georgia and Colorado.

4 Mar 2014

Exercising during pregnancy prevents weight gain and illness

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy increases the risk of suffering illnesses such as hypertension and gestational diabetes, or of having a premature birth or a birth by Caesarean; furthermore, it also has negative effects on the newly-born and increases the risk of infants being overweight by 30%.

3 Mar 2014

Google Glass app helps researchers track spread of diseases around the world

The much-talked-about Google Glass - the eyewear with computer capabilities - could potentially save lives, especially in isolated or far-flung locations, say scientists. They are reporting development of a Google Glass app that takes a picture of a diagnostic test strip and sends the data to computers, which then rapidly beam back a diagnostic report to the user.

3 Mar 2014

Another concern related to low birth weight identified

Researchers have identified another concern related to low birth weight - a difference in how the body reacts to drugs, which may last a person's entire life and further complicate treatment of illnesses or diseases that are managed with medications.

28 Feb 2014

FSU researchers link prenatal nicotine exposure to future ADHD

Prenatal exposure to nicotine could manifest as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children born a generation later, according to a new study by Florida State University College of Medicine researchers.

28 Feb 2014

Study raises concerns about use of acetaminophen during pregnancy

Acetaminophen, found in over-the-counter products such as Excedrin and Tylenol, provides many people with relief from headaches and sore muscles. When used appropriately, it is considered mostly harmless. Over recent decades, the drug, which has been marketed since the 1950s, has become the medication most commonly used by pregnant women for fevers and pain.

27 Feb 2014

cfDNA testing lowers false positive rates and higher predictive values in general obstetric population

A study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine potentially has significant implications for prenatal testing for major fetal chromosome abnormalities. The study found that in a head-to-head comparison of noninvasive prenatal testing using cell free DNA (cfDNA) to standard screening methods, cfDNA testing (verifi- prenatal test, Illumina, Inc.) significantly reduced the rate of false positive results and had significantly higher positive predictive values for the detection of fetal trisomies 21 and 18.

From Illumina, Inc. 27 Feb 2014

Women with attitude are more likely to experience excessive weight gain while pregnant

Overweight or obese women with the mentality that they are "eating for two" are more likely to experience excessive weight gain while pregnant, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

27 Feb 2014

Study finds significant risk for women exposed to secondhand smoke

Secondhand smoking is linked with pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth and tubal ectopic pregnancy, according to new research from scientists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University at Buffalo. The study findings, published online by the journal Tobacco Control, mark a significant step toward clarifying the risks of secondhand smoke exposure.

26 Feb 2014

Study: Rate of mother to child HIV transmission is at an all-time low in the UK

The rate of mother to child HIV transmission is at an all-time low in the UK, according to a paper published today in the journal AIDS.

26 Feb 2014

Children of women who used acetaminophen during pregnancy appear to be at higher risk for ADHD

Children of women who used the pain reliever acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy appear to be at higher risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like behavioral problems and hyperkinetic disorders.

26 Feb 2014

Engineers develop paper test that could improve diagnosis rates for cancer

Cancer rates in developing nations have climbed sharply in recent years, and now account for 70 percent of cancer mortality worldwide. Early detection has been proven to improve outcomes, but screening approaches such as mammograms and colonoscopy, used in the developed world, are too costly to be implemented in settings with little medical infrastructure.

26 Feb 2014

Study links gambling and sexual behaviors in African-American adolescents

Late adolescence is a period when many youth become involved in high-risk behaviors with adverse consequences. Researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health with colleagues at Johns Hopkins University studied the degree to which two such behaviors, adolescent sexual behaviors and gambling, affected African American youth in nine primary schools in Baltimore, MD.

26 Feb 2014

Pregnant women with bipolar disorder more frequently have mental health

Pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder more frequently have significant mental health and early mothering challenges than other perinatal women undergoing psychiatric treatment, according to a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

25 Feb 2014