Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Merck enters definitive agreement to acquire Inspire

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Inspire, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing ophthalmic products.

6 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

Ectopic pregnancies on the rise

Ectopic - or tubal - pregnancies can be dangerous for mothers, leading to rupture of the fallopian tube and possible hemorrhage, and they appear to be on the rise, according to a new study.

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

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may raise risk of gestational diabetes: Study

A new study has shown that there is a connection between low Vitamin D levels and gestational diabetes. Vitamin D is one of the important vitamins during pregnancy. The researchers recommend that a pregnant woman should regularly get test done to check for vitamin D deficiency.

5 Apr 2011

CAS-Carrera awarded $3.5M SIF grant from EMCF

The New York based Children's Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program has been awarded a $3.5 million Social Innovation Fund grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to deepen the program's impact in New York City and replicate it nationally.

2 Apr 2011

Men and women with stretch marks problem can benefit from laser treatment

Men and women of all sizes are plagued with dreaded stretch marks and the process of eliminating them is often confusing, time consuming and lacks results.

2 Apr 2011

Roundup: Fla. moves closer to Medicaid overhaul; Abortion provisions advance in Va., Kan. and Iowa

The Florida House on Thursday approved a statewide proposal to shift Medicaid beneficiaries into managed-care plans. ... Supporters said the plan would improve care for Medicaid beneficiaries, reduce widespread fraud and control costs in the $20 billion program.

1 Apr 2011

NIH combats obesity epidemic with new strategic research plan

To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

1 Apr 2011

Study shows immune therapy can prevent pregnancy in mammals including humans

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have shown that it is possible to immunize mammals to control fertility. They say their technique could possibly be used on other mammals -- including humans -- because fertility hormones and their receptors are species-non-specific and are similar in both females and males.

1 Apr 2011

Study: Stress can increase risk of C section in first-time mothers

The risk of emergency caesarean section among first-time mothers increases if the mother has experienced stress, worry, or sleep disturbances during her pregnancy. This is shown in a unique study performed collaboratively between Malmö University, Skåne University Hospital, and Lund University in Sweden.

1 Apr 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results from several new data analyses from the pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the addition of its investigational oral protease inhibitor VICTRELIS to peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

1 Apr 2011

Opinions: Foreign aid; Congressman's global war on abortion

The idea that wealthy countries have a moral obligation to provide aid to poor nations "persists in the face of overwhelming evidence that such 'aid' does the world's poor more harm than good," Marian Tupy, a senior fellow at the Legatum Institute in London, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

1 Apr 2011

Roundup: Minn. and Fla. weigh changes in programs for disabled, poor; Iowa lawmakers consider new abortion restrictions

Due to a shockingly large deficit, Gov. Rick Scott is planning to invoke his emergency powers and make deep cuts to the rates charged by group homes and case workers who help the developmentally disabled. Scott could announce a 15 percent rate cut as early as Thursday to close the $170 million budget gap in the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, according to lawmakers who were briefed Wednesday.

1 Apr 2011

Immune therapy can control fertility in mammals

31 Mar 2011

New study examines teenage fatherhood's negative educational and economic outcomes

Public interest in the issue of teenage childbearing has recently increased, largely due to increases in both the teen pregnancy rate and the teen birth rate. A new study from Economic Inquiry examines the negative educational and economic outcomes of teenage fatherhood, a topic far less researched than teenage motherhood.

31 Mar 2011

SMFM praises FDA's announcement on Makena drug

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine weighed in on today's FDA announcement to continue to allow pharmacies to compound hydroxyprogesterone caproate, also known as 17P.

31 Mar 2011

First transdisciplinary research center dedicated to identify causes of premature birth

The March of Dimes and Stanford University School of Medicine today launched the nation's first transdisciplinary research center dedicated to identifying the causes of premature birth. Prematurity is the number one reason for newborn death in the United States today, yet in nearly half of the cases of premature birth, there is no identifiable cause.

31 Mar 2011

20-year data shows bariatric surgery to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke in diabetics

In the longest study of its kind, bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with diabetes. These results and other groundbreaking research were presented at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

31 Mar 2011