Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

New diagnostic technology for routine prenatal genetic testing

Research studies demonstrating the viability of an approach to routinely detect the presence of fetal DNA in a mother's blood to accurately diagnose or rule out genetic defects -- as early as the first trimester -- was presented today at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine being held in San Francisco.

11 Feb 2007

Horse genome sequence assembled

The first draft of the horse genome sequence has been deposited in public databases and is freely available for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, leaders of the international Horse Genome Sequencing Project announced today.

7 Feb 2007

Surrogate motherhood in India

Reuters on Monday examined the practice of surrogate motherhood in India, where surrogacy services are "far cheaper than in the West."

7 Feb 2007

New guidelines on the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular and valvular heart diseases published

The first, pan-European guidelines to be published on the treatment of valvular heart disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have made a series of new recommendations which experts hope will contribute to improving the outcome of patients with these diseases.

6 Feb 2007

High blood pressure in pregnancy may lead to heart disease

Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to develop increased coronary calcification later in life than those who maintained a normal blood pressure, researchers said in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Feb 2007

Can non-medical use of ultrasound be justified?

Expectant parent' desire to see images of their unborn children has given rise to commercial companies offering keepsake ultrasound scans without medical supervision, often referred to as "boutique ultrasonography."

5 Feb 2007

Poor mums more likely to become obese

A new study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, reveals how women from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of developing maternal obesity.

4 Feb 2007

Sequenom and Lenetix to develop Rhesus D prenatal diagnostic

Sequenom, Inc. and Lenetix Medical Screening Laboratory, Inc., a provider of rapid genetic screening and diagnostic testing for clinicians worldwide, today announced that they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize a proprietary non-invasive prenatal Rhesus D (RhD) incompatibility test based on Sequenom patent rights and RT PCR methodology.

29 Jan 2007

Panel recommends FDA to not create specific effectiveness standard for oral contraceptive approvals

A panel of gynecologists, researchers and other medical experts on Wednesday at the end of a two-day meeting convened by FDA recommended the agency not set a specific standard of effectiveness for approval of oral contraceptives, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

28 Jan 2007

Uterine artery embolization is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy

Uterine artery embolization, a less-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids, is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy, according to a study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Washington Post reports.

28 Jan 2007

Folic acid appears to reduce risk of cleft lip and palate

A new study finds that women who take folic acid supplements early in their pregnancy can substantially reduce their baby's chances of being born with a facial cleft.

28 Jan 2007

Health inequalities in Britain

Tackling health inequalities in Britain needs closer co-ordination between all major policy areas including health, education, housing, employment and taxation, according to the authors of a new Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) publication.

23 Jan 2007

Impact of birth defects on families and nation

Two separate government reports highlight the economic costs of birth defects, focusing attention on the ongoing need for prevention.

22 Jan 2007

Retinoblastoma gene may play a critical role in the development of the placenta

An important cancer-related gene may play a critical role in the development of the placenta, the organ that controls nutrient and oxygen exchange between a mother and her fetus during pregnancy, and perhaps in miscarriages.

10 Jan 2007

Latin America attempts to increase access to emergency contraception

Governments across Latin America are attempting to increase access to emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse -- despite "stiff resistance" from the Roman Catholic Church, Reuters reports.

9 Jan 2007

Retinoblastoma gene may play a critical role in the development of the placenta

9 Jan 2007

Effects of lactation on alveolar bone loss in experimental periodontitis

Mothers who breastfeed should be sure to have enough Calcium in their diet, or may risk bone loss around their teeth and gums, according to a new study that appears in the January issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).

9 Jan 2007

Young single men are more likely to bank sperm before testicular cancer treatment

A quarter of men with testicular cancer banked their sperm before treatment, but only six per cent of those actually used the sperm to father a child, according to a study published in the January issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.

8 Jan 2007

Portuguese favor lifting abortion ban

About 64% of Portuguese voters said they favor lifting the country's ban on abortion, according to a poll released Thursday by Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha and the pollster Aximage, Reuters reports (Reuters, 1/4).

7 Jan 2007

Effect of vitamin supplementation on neonatal morbidity and mortality

Undernourished women who take a vitamin and mineral supplement while pregnant may be less likely than women taking only iron and folic acid supplements to have babies weighing less than 2,500 grams, and their newborns may be less likely to have morbidity in the first seven days of life.

2 Jan 2007