Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

AMP-activated protein kinase is unexpected contributor to brain growth

An enzyme researchers have studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, appears to have yet another major role to play: helping create and maintain the brain.

12 Mar 2009

Estrogen may be a new postnatal therapy to improve lung function and other outcomes in preterm infants

"Ironically, a hormone that has received great attention as a potential means to optimize the health of older women may be a beneficial treatment for humans during the earliest stages of life," said Dr. Philip Shaul, professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern and the study's senior author.

12 Mar 2009

Perinatal environment influences aggression in children

It's a well-documented fact that children from zero to two can be spontaneously aggressive and that boys can be among the worse culprits.

11 Mar 2009

Interventional radiology makes complicated C-sections safer

Innovative, interventional radiology treatments are making childbirth safer for women who have C-sections that are complicated by massive bleeding and for those who suffer from the pregnancy condition of "invasive" placenta.

11 Mar 2009

Risk factors for flat head syndrome

A new study by physician researchers from Hasbro Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston identifies risk factors for the severity of asymmetrical head shapes, known as deformational plagiocephaly (DP), or more commonly as flat head syndrome.

11 Mar 2009

Migraines increase stroke risk during pregnancy

Women who suffer migraines are at an increased risk of stroke during pregnancy as well as other vascular conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and blood clots, concludes a study published on bmj.com.

11 Mar 2009

Folic acid appears to double risk for prostate cancer

A study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that men who took a daily folic acid supplement of 1 mg daily had more than twice the risk of prostate cancer compared with men who took a placebo.

11 Mar 2009

Color of wine makes no difference when it comes to breast-cancer

The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk.

10 Mar 2009

Hopkins community nursing showcases public health principles

Public Health Week, April 7-13, annually highlights health promotion, disease prevention, and early intervention, but for the faculty and students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON), every week is public health week.

8 Mar 2009

Genes more important in cleft lip and palate than previously thought

Comparing 500,000 snippets of human DNA put scientists from the University of Bonn on the right track.

8 Mar 2009

Better physician education would improve hospital prescription of emergency birth control to teens

Many doctors don't offer emergency contraception pills to adolescents who may benefit from them during emergency department visits because of misinformation about how the medicine works, according to a study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

5 Mar 2009

Combination of genes and prenatal exposure to smoking increases teens' risk of disruptive behavior

A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, shows that prenatal exposure to smoking combined with a specific genetic variant places children at greatest risk for behavioral problems.

5 Mar 2009

Research trial call for pregnant smokers

Mums-to-be across the East Midlands are being invited to take part in research that aims to establish whether nicotine patches are safe and effective for pregnant smokers.

4 Mar 2009

Black women in UK have double risk of complications during pregnancy

In the UK, black Caribbean and black African women have twice as much risk of experiencing severe pregnancy complications than white women, according to research published on BMJ.com.

3 Mar 2009

Oestrogen's impact on fat storage for childbearing

It's a paradox that has flummoxed women for generations - their apparent ability to store fat more efficiently than men, despite eating proportionally fewer calories.

2 Mar 2009

Untreated psychiatric disorders common in single mothers on welfare

Urban single mothers nearing the end of their welfare eligibility appear more likely to have substance use and psychiatric disorders than women in the general population, and often do not receive treatment, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2009

Prenatal molecular diagnosis for tuberous sclerosis complex

Geneticists from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have reported the world's first series of cases of prenatal diagnosis for women at risk of having a child with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

2 Mar 2009

Modern life-making women 'ignorant and ill-equipped' to cope with motherhood

The growing trend to move miles away from hometowns and family for work is leaving many women feeling 'ignorant and ill-equipped' to cope with pregnancy and childbirth.

2 Mar 2009

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 have increased risk for neural tube defects

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.

2 Mar 2009