Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Poorer children have more eye problems than those from affluent families

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have certain problems with their eyes compared to children from more affluent backgrounds - a study in Bristol has reported. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are also less likely to be taken to see an optician who could correct the eye problems with glasses, or to a screening programme where children's vision is checked and any problems are referred for treatment.

15 May 2008

Australian scientists use gene technology to improve IVF treatment

Research by a team of Australian scientists promises to improve the fertility treatment in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

15 May 2008

Even though they know better, women still drink alcohol while pregnant

A study by a consultant paediatrician at Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney has found that as many as one third of Australian women admit to drinking alcohol when pregnant, even though they know it could affect their unborn child.

13 May 2008

A possible cure for pre-eclampsia

A condition which affects one in every ten pregnancies and is responsible for 1,000 baby deaths in Britain each year may have a genetic cause.

13 May 2008

Discovery of gene mutation which causes epilepsy and mental retardation - but only in women

An Australian and British research team have discovered a gene mutation that causes epilepsy and mental retardation but only in women.

12 May 2008

New clues into how preeclampsia may surface in some pregnancies

The COMT gene - known already for its role in schizophrenia - has been found to play a role in preeclampsia, according to a report in the advance on-line issue of Nature.

11 May 2008

Barr announces approval of generic version of Yasmin (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol)

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc., has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to manufacture and market a generic version of Yasmin (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol), an oral contraceptive product manufactured and marketed by Bayer Schering Pharma, AG.

9 May 2008

Rapid HIV tests highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in India

Rapid HIV tests have been found to be highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in clinical trials in India, according to a study published online Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, the Times of India reports (Sinha, Times of India, 5/7). For the study, the researchers used OraSure Technologies' OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody Test (Derfel, Montreal Gazette, 5/6

8 May 2008

Mothers' high normal blood sugar levels place infants at risk for birth problems

Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal - but not high enough to be considered diabetes - are more likely than women with lower blood sugar levels to give birth to babies at risk for many of the same problems seen in babies born to women with diabetes during pregnancy, according to a study funded in large part by the National Institutes of Health.

8 May 2008

ART drugs for pregnant women eradicates baby's risk of HIV

Researchers in Britain say a baby's risk of contracting HIV from its mother can be almost eradicated with the use of antiretroviral drugs.

8 May 2008

Too much or too little weight gain poses risks to pregnant mothers, babies

Women who gain more or less than recommended amounts of weight during pregnancy are likely to increase the risk of problems for both themselves and their child, according to a new report by the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center.

7 May 2008

Pregnant women face hostile behavior when applying for jobs

Pregnant women may still face judgment and obstacles to getting jobs, shows two recent studies by George Mason University and Rice University professors.

6 May 2008

Impact of round-the-clock, rapid oral fluid HIV testing of women in labor

Can HIV transmission in pregnancy in low income settings be prevented with round the clock rapid testing in labor?

6 May 2008

New saliva-based HIV test gives results in 20 minutes!

The usual waiting period for the results of a HIV test can seem like an eternity, especially in emergency situations where results are needed immediately. Also it requires a blood sample, which is invasive and often painful. Recognizing the urgent need for a faster and less invasive diagnostic method, Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, from Marina Klein's research team at the MUHC has just finished testing a new saliva-based test that gives results in approximately 20 minutes! She describes her findings in an article that will appear in the May 6th, 2008 issue of PLoS Medicine.

6 May 2008

Extra iron for infants who don't need it might delay development

A new study suggests that extra iron for infants who don't need it might delay development -- results that fuel the debate over optimal iron supplement levels and could have huge implications for the baby formula and food industry.

5 May 2008

Asthma attacks early in pregnancy put baby at greater risk of birth defects, new research suggests

Uncontrolled asthma during the first trimester of pregnancy greatly increases the risk of birth defects in babies, according to new research to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

5 May 2008

Intensive training for medical staff in Latin American hospitals reduces serious complication of pregnancy

An intensive educational program for physicians and midwives involving 19 hospitals in Argentina and Uruguay dramatically reduced the rate of postpartum hemorrhage, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

1 May 2008

Risk of Bisphenol A in plastic products, Q & A's

Bisphenol A, an estrogenlike compound in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resin, has been popping up in the news a lot lately.

30 Apr 2008

Mothers and offspring can share cells throughout life - with positive and negative effects

Cutting the umbilical cord doesn't necessarily sever the physical link between mother and child. Many cells pass back and forth between the mother and fetus during pregnancy and can be detected in the tissues and organs of both even decades later. This mixing of cells from two genetically distinct individuals is called microchimerism. The phenomenon is the focus of an increasing number of scientists who wonder what role these cells play in the body.

30 Apr 2008