Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Immune system mouse models help study biology of T cells and their role in toxoplasmosis

Using T cells primed for the infectious disease toxoplasmosis, Whitehead Institute researchers have created novel mouse models of the immune system that more accurately reflect how immune cells actually respond to pathogens in their presence.

9 Apr 2010

Researchers identify major indicator of heart failure and aortic aneurysms

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have identified a major indicator of two deadly diseases of the heart and blood vessels: heart failure and aortic aneurysm. The absence of the Kruppel-like Factor 15, when combined with stress, leads to both heart failure and aortic aneurysms.

8 Apr 2010

Data shows U.S. teen birth rate declined 2% in 2008

The nation's teen birth rate declined 2% in 2008, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. After declining every year between 1991 and 2005, the teen birth rate increased 5% between 2005 and 2007 and is now on the decline again.

8 Apr 2010

UNC Charlotte researcher improves lives of families and children affected by birth defects

Birth defects remain a leading cause of death in the first year of life. According to the March of Dimes, every 3 to 4 minutes a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States. About 1 in every 33 infants is affected by birth defects.

8 Apr 2010

Unique collaboration in fetal medicine among Columbus' healthcare professionals

The Columbus Fetal Medicine Collaborative has been formed by Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, The Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital joining together to provide optimal outcomes for high-risk expectant mothers and their babies with suspected fetal abnormalities.

8 Apr 2010

Prague hosts 12th European Congress of Endocrinology

The 12th European Congress of Endocrinology is taking place in Prague from 24-28 April 2010.

8 Apr 2010

Researchers discover two genetic regions that influence birth weight

New research uncovers two genetic regions that influence birth weight. One of the regions is also associated with type 2 diabetes, which helps to explain why small babies have higher rates of diabetes in later life.

8 Apr 2010

Arizona's hospital industry decides not to push tax to help poor, Maryland health programs struggle financially

"Arizona's hospital industry has decided not to push for an income tax increase on the state's wealthy to help the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System," the Medicaid program in the state.

8 Apr 2010

ASPIRE 2010 focuses on A.R.T. issues

Infertility, defined as the failure to conceive after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected intercourse, may affect as many as 15 percent of couples around the world including Asia. Like other countries, China's infertility rate is on the rise increasing from 3 percent to 15 percent in the past 20 years. It is estimated that at least 40 million Chinese couples have difficulty in having children or are actually infertile.

7 Apr 2010

Fewer babies face health risks of early birth

The nation's preterm birth rate dropped for the second consecutive year.

7 Apr 2010

AHRQ: Women accounted for nearly 60% of 39.4M admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007

Women accounted for nearly 60 percent of the 39.4 million admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

A 2% decline in U.S. birth rate including teenage births

According to Government statistics released this Tuesday, the birthrate in the United States has dropped by 2% from 2007 to 2008 with about 4.2 million babies born during this time. This drop also means that the fertility rate has gone below 2.1 children per woman. This statistic means that Americans are not giving birth to enough children to keep the population from declining.

7 Apr 2010

Toronto Star examines cost of fighting maternal mortality, Canada's G8 initiative

Experts say that fighting maternal mortality will cost the world a total of $24 billion annually, or an additional $12 billion per year, the Toronto Star writes in an article about Canada's G8 maternal and child health initiative and a maternal health conference that is being planned ahead of the G8 meeting.

7 Apr 2010

Women with preeclampsia have fewer EPCs: Magee-Womens Research Institute

Compared to women with uncomplicated pregnancies, women with preeclampsia have reduced numbers of special cells that are thought to help grow and maintain blood vessels, according to a study by researchers at the Magee-Womens Research Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

7 Apr 2010

Obesity can be detected in infants as young as 6 months: Study

Obesity can be detected in infants as young as 6 months, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

7 Apr 2010

Children with FASD show high prevalence of developing epilepsy

Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder show a very high prevalence of developing epilepsy and having seizures, according to a national study by Queen's University researchers.

7 Apr 2010

University of Wisconsin-Madison uses ultrasensitive detector to find fetal heart rhythm problems

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the most powerful magnetic detectors in the world is helping screen high-risk pregnant patients for rare but very serious fetal heart rhythm problems. Thanks to a collaboration with The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and Hope Children's Hospital, Chicago, the ultrasensitive detector measures magnetic signals coming from the tiny beating hearts of fetuses.

6 Apr 2010

Study: Reduced birth weight may lower risk of obesity later in life

According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise led to a modest reduction in offspring birth weight without restricting the development of maternal insulin resistance.

5 Apr 2010

Inflammation has a role to play in premature births and brain injury: Sahlgrenska Academy thesis

Researchers have gone some way to explaining what happens during premature births and how brain injury develops in premature babies. New findings show that inflammation in both the amniotic fluid and the baby's brain has a role to play, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy.

5 Apr 2010

NPCs as effective as doctors in performing Caesarean sections

Every year, some 7.5 million mothers and new-borns die during pregnancy or childbirth, almost all of whom are in low and middle-income countries. One reason for this is the lack of trained medical staff, particularly doctors. A doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet now shows that a solution could be the training of nurses in caesarean sections and other life-saving surgery.

3 Apr 2010