Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Autism Research Institute Conference to take place in Newark, N.J.

The Autism Research Institute, a pioneer organization in the biomedical, whole-body approach to autism, will host leading experts at the Autism Research Institute (ARI) Conference from Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29 at the Newark Airport Marriott in Newark, N.J.

7 Mar 2012

Simple recommendations help reduce environmental exposures for women

Remove your shoes at the door of your home to avoid tracking in pollutants. Decrease consumption of processed and canned foods. Avoid the use of plastics with recycling codes #3, #4 and #7. Don't use chemical tick and flea collars or dips for pets. Reproductive health care providers should share these tips and more scientific information with women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant, but that does not always happen.

7 Mar 2012

Medicaid: Maine cuts scrutinized, lawmakers ask Kansas Gov. to wait on 'ambitious' changes

Last month, he signed a budget that fills a $120 million shortfall in the current fiscal year partly with contentious cuts to Maine's Medicaid program, which is among the most generous in the country. And at his direction, lawmakers in coming weeks will begin debating $80 million more in Medicaid cuts for the next fiscal year.

7 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Contraception politics; Better food labels; Opposing stands on ultrasounds and abortion

Between the flap at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the squall about the Obama administration's directive that health insurance plans cover the cost of birth control, contraception is shaping up as one of the year's biggest political land mines.

7 Mar 2012

SSRIs appear to reduce depressive symptoms, fetal head growth during pregnancy

Treating pregnant women with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appears to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms, reduced fetal head growth and a higher risk for preterm birth, but not with a delay in fetal body growth, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Statins and diabetes; Frightening tobacco warnings; The U.S. dental crisis

We're overdosing on cholesterol-lowering statins, and the consequence could be a sharp increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. This past week, the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the side effects of these drugs and developed new labels for these medications that will now warn of the risk of diabetes and memory loss.

6 Mar 2012

New article examines multiple opportunities provided by ACA to improve women's health

A new article by researchers from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative in the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the multiple opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve the health of low-income women through the use of community health centers.

6 Mar 2012

Snoring toddlers may develop behavioural problems later: Study

A new study shows that babies and toddlers who snore, gasp for breath, or breathe with their mouth open while sleeping may be at a greater risk of behavioural problems all the way through second grade.

5 Mar 2012

Antidepressants in pregnancy: weighing benefits and risks

There has been a debate on the use of antidepressant medication in pregnant women. Depression during pregnancy is, of course, difficult for the woman. In addition, depression that continues in the postpartum period may interfere with caretaking and bonding with the newborn.

5 Mar 2012

The Contraception Mandate is the end of individual liberty

In March 2010, the Democrat-controlled Congress forced the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (now known as ObamaCare) over the strong objections of the majority of Americans, most of whom were either already receiving taxpayer-funded health insurance or were satisfied with their private coverage.

5 Mar 2012

Young children with SDB more likely to develop neurobehavioral problems

A study of more than 11,000 children followed for over six years has found that young children with sleep-disordered breathing are prone to developing behavioral difficulties such as hyperactivity and aggressiveness, as well as emotional symptoms and difficulty with peer relationships, according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

5 Mar 2012

Premature by 2 to 3 weeks may raise risk for health issues: Study

Premature babies have always thought to be at risk of health issues but till now the health prospects of babies born two to three weeks premature were considered similar to those who were born at full-term.

4 Mar 2012

IPS examines gender discrimination, disparity in child mortality in India

Inter Press Service examines gender discrimination and mortality in India, writing, "Global infant and child mortality rates have been on the decline in recent years, with a large portion of the world seeing young girls experiencing higher rates of survival than young boys; but India remains the exception to this positive trend."

3 Mar 2012

Obstetricians heavily influenced by family preferences during periviable counseling

When making decisions and counseling about risk and management options for deliveries between 22 and 26 weeks (periviable deliveries), obstetricians are heavily influenced by family preferences, particularly by the impression that parents consistently prefer to have everything possible done to prolong a pregnancy or "save the baby" through interventions such as cesarean section.

3 Mar 2012

Safe sex apps anyone?

As part of National Condom Week (Feb. 14 - Feb. 21), Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest distributed 55,000 condoms throughout western Washington. The condom packaging contained QR codes, barcodes that can be scanned by smart phones which direct users to a mobile website. The website is www.WhereDidYouWearIt.com, a geo-location service website that allows users to “check-in” their safe sex activity. The site is intended to promote healthy sexuality and encourage social media users, to “be proud to wear protection,” Planned Parenthood said in a written statement. “Wheredidyouwearit.com is like Foursquare for people who don’t want a sexually transmitted infection,” PPGNW said on its website.

2 Mar 2012

Ga. House passes bill restricting abortion to limit fetal pain

The legislation would cut six weeks from the time women can have an elective abortion, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

2 Mar 2012

Women need more contraception options that protect against pregnancy, HIV

In this Huffington Post "Black Voices" opinion piece, Vanessa Cullins, vice president for external medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, responds to an announcement by the WHO in February that the agency would not revise its contraception guidelines for women living with and at risk of HIV infection based on a "study suggesting that hormonal contraception increases women's risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV to their partners."

2 Mar 2012

Treatment with vitamin D reduces size of uterine fibroids

Treatment with vitamin D reduced the size of uterine fibroids in laboratory rats predisposed to developing the benign tumors, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

2 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Ryan and Medicare; Va. ultrasound bill 'overreaches'?; NEJM on patient-centered care

Over the past year, an entitlement revolution has taken place on Capitol Hill. ... The revolution involves Medicare, the health-care program for the elderly and the single biggest cause of America's looming debt crisis. Reform of Medicare would be achieved by a policy known as "premium support." It would bring consumer choice and spending restraint to the beleaguered program.

1 Mar 2012

Va. lawmakers approve scaled-back abortion ultrasound bill

Lawmakers in Virginia have passed a scaled-back version of a contentious ultrasound proposal that would force women to get a "non-invasive" ultrasound before having an abortion.

1 Mar 2012