Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Genetic evidence to support an inherited tendency to retain salt

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found genetic evidence to support the sodium-retention hypothesis, a controversial 30-year-old theory that the high rate of hypertension in certain ethnic groups is caused, in part, by an inherited tendency to retain salt.

29 Oct 2004

Umbilical cord blood may hold clue to childhood allergy and asthma

High levels of antibodies to allergens in a baby's umbilical cord blood might be more important in the development of childhood allergies and asthma than exposure to allergens, or lack of them, after birth, suggests research in Thorax.

28 Oct 2004

Infection plays a larger role than lack of oxygen in premature infants with brain injury

Johns Hopkins researchers have dispelled the widespread belief among obstetricians that, in premature infants, brain injury results from a lack of oxygen, also called hypoxia, when, in fact, infection plays a larger role.

24 Oct 2004

FDA approves device that uses magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound to target and destroy uterine fibroids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the ExAblate 2000 System, a new medical device that uses magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound to target and destroy uterine fibroids, non-cancerous masses located in the uterus.

22 Oct 2004

New method for determining the presence of a type of strep that can cause fatal meningitis or pneumonia

Research at Michigan State University found that a new test that provides a new, quicker method for determining the presence of a type of strep that can cause fatal meningitis or pneumonia in newborns is effective more than 90 percent of the time.

22 Oct 2004

Researchers trim count of human genes to 20,000-25,000

Scientific description of the finished human genome sequence, reducing the estimated number of human protein-coding genes from 35,000 to only 20,000-25,000, a surprisingly low number for our species.

21 Oct 2004

Treatment with oestrogen to reduce the adult height of tall girls may cause fertility problems later in life

Research from Australia in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggests that tall girls given oestrogen therapy in adolescence to reduce adult height are more likely to experience later fertility problems than the general population.

21 Oct 2004

Babies born by Caesarean section may be at greater risk of diarrhoea

Babies born by Caesarean section may be at greater risk of diarrhoea and sensitisation to certain foodstuffs during their first 12 months than babies born vaginally, suggests research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

21 Oct 2004

Midwife researcher challenges maternity care in Australia

A Central Queensland University postgraduate has suggested maternity care in Australia needs an overhaul to meet the needs of today's midwives and expecting parents.

19 Oct 2004

Air fresheners and aerosols can make babies and their mothers ill

The researchers found that frequent use of air fresheners and aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood was associated with higher levels of diarrhoea, earache and other symptoms in infants, as well as headaches and depression in mothers.

19 Oct 2004

Sister study that examines causes of breast cancer opens

A new study that will look at 50,000 sisters of women diagnosed with breast cancer opened today for enrollment across the United States. The Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), will investigate environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer.

18 Oct 2004

A study to help women decide how to give birth

A study to help women decide how to give birth has started in Bristol and Weston. Known as the DiAMOND study (Decision Aids for Mode Of Next Delivery), it is being run jointly by the Universities of Bristol and Dundee.

18 Oct 2004

Race may play a role in the success of their infertility treatment

Research presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) indicated that a patient’s race may play a role in the success of their infertility treatment.

18 Oct 2004

Presentation of the most recent and advanced work in the rapidly progressing field of fertility preservation

Each year approximately 50,000 women under the age of 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatments vary but most involve the administration of chemotherapeutic agents or radiation which can disrupt ovarian function or damage a patient’s eggs.

18 Oct 2004

Mothers must breastfeed for at least four months without using formula to reduce obesity risk in preschool children

Pediatric obesity researchers from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh have found that for breastfeeding to reduce the risk of obesity in preschool children, mothers must breastfeed for at least four months without using formula or for at least six months if they are also formula feeding.

13 Oct 2004