Pregnancy

The period from conception to birth. After the egg is fertilized by a sperm and then implanted in the lining of the uterus, it develops into the placenta and embryo, and later into a fetus. Pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks, beginning from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period, and is divided into three trimesters, each lasting three months.


£15 m for South Africa in new struggle against AIDS
South Africa's revitalised drive against AIDS today received a £15 million boost which could help save millions of lives and stop the spread of HIV across the country.

Hairspray use during pregnancy may cause birth defect in newborn
Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Water aerobics in pregnancy help pregnant women during labor
A course of water aerobics classes has been shown to reduce the amount of pain-killing medication women request during labor.

Obese women may have safe pregnancy after weight loss surgery
Obese women who have weight loss surgery before becoming pregnant have a lower risk of pregnancy-related health problems and their children are less likely to be born with complications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Birth defects rate high in infants born with assisted reproductive technology
Infants conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) are two to four times more likely to have certain types of birth defects than children conceived naturally, according to a study by the CDC.

Limit caffeine consumption during pregnancy
The Food Standards Agency of UK has issued new advice on caffeine consumption during pregnancy. This follows the results of new FSA-funded research carried out by the Universities of Leeds and Leicester.

Depressed pregnant women may have preterm delivery
Depressed pregnant women have twice the risk of preterm delivery than pregnant women with no symptoms of depression, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

Effects of a first miscarriage on future pregnancies
Miscarriage (or spontaneous pregnancy loss) is defined as pregnancy loss before 24 completed weeks of gestation. There is a 20% (one in five) risk of pregnancies ending in a miscarriage in the first three months and one in 100 women have recurrent miscarriages (three or more successive miscarriages).

New prenatal test for Down syndrome less risky than amniocentesis
Pregnant women worried about their babies' genetic health face a tough decision: get prenatal gene testing and risk miscarriage, or skip the tests and miss the chance to learn of genetic defects before birth.

Exercise guidelines urge physical activity during pregnancy
Moderate physical activity during pregnancy does not contribute to low birth weight, premature birth or miscarriage and may actually reduce the risk of complications, according to a Michigan State University professor who contributed to the U.S. government's first-ever guidelines on physical activity.

Nicotine gum for pregnant smokers
Nicotine gum might help pregnant women to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke, which could reduce their risk of having premature or low-birthweight infants.

Increased risk of pregnancy problems in Asian-white
Pregnant women who are part of an Asian-white couple face an increased risk of gestational diabetes as compared with couples in which both partners are white, according to a new study from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Miscarriage risk high in obese pregnant women
Overweight women with a tendency towards obesity run a greater risk of repeat miscarriages and should be advised to lose weight before they try and become pregnant again, revealed by researchers at London's St Mary's Hospital.

ANMUM Materna prenatal milk recalled from China
Fonterra China today announced a voluntary recall of one batch of prenatal milk sold in China under the ANMUM Materna brand name.

Contraceptive pill influences partner choice
The contraceptive pill may disrupt women's natural ability to choose a partner genetically dissimilar to themselves, research at the Universities of Liverpool and Newcastle has found.

Poor coordination in childhood linked to obesity in later life
Poor physical control and coordination in childhood are linked to an increased risk of obesity in later life, suggests a study published on BMJ.com today.

International AIDS Society updates treatment guidelines for HIV infection
An evaluation of recent data has led to an update in the guidelines and recommendations for antiretroviral treatment of adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, according to an article in the August 6 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.

Epilepsy drug topiramate during pregnancy raises birth defects risk
Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Nut products during pregnancy increases asthma risk in children
Expectant mothers who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy, according to new research from the Netherlands.

Miscarriage risk in pregnant rises when man is over 35
Pregnancy rates decrease and miscarriages increase when a father is over 35 years of age, a scientist will tell the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Monday 7 July.

Low vitamin D level during pregnancy affects baby's dental health
Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy may affect primary tooth calcification, leading to enamel defects, which are a risk factor for early-childhood tooth decay.

Abortion rate rising in young girls, UK
Abortion rates are rising in young girls in UK and some of them are vey young, a report released by the Department of Health, UK.

Childhood lead exposure is a risk factor for criminal behavior
Lead exposure during childhood is associated with adult criminal behaviour, including violent crime, revealed by researchers in this week's PLoS Medicine. Childhood lead exposure is a purported risk factor for antisocial behavior, but prior studies either relied on indirect measures of exposure or did not follow participants into adulthood to examine the relationship between lead exposure and criminal activity in young adults.

New drug labels better for pregnant & nursing mothers
New drug labeling system would provide better information about any prescription drug to pregnant women and nursing mothers as FDA proposes new rule to provide updated information on the use of prescription drugs and biological products during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Paint chemicals may harm sperms, male fertility
A new study has revealed that chemicals used in paint emulsions may damage semen quality in males, making them infertile. The results of the study have been published in the 'Occupational Environmental Medicine' journal.

First-born babies' have higher asthma and allergy rates
First-born children are at higher risk of developing asthma and allergy because of different conditions they experience in the uterus, revealed by researchers.

DNA fingerprinting to identify viable embryos after IVF
Fertility researchers have used DNA fingerprinting for the first time to identify which embryos have implanted after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and developed successfully to result in the births of healthy babies.

Heart disease predetermined by oxygen levels in the womb
The amount of oxygen available to a baby in the womb can affect their susceptibility to developing particular diseases later in life. Research presented at the annual Society for Endocrinology BES meeting in Harrogate shows that your risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be predetermined before birth, not only by your genes, but also by their interaction with the quality of the environment you experience in the womb.

Genotyping DNA may reduce unnecessary treatment for blood disorder in pregnancy
A new test for identifying a mismatch between the blood of a pregnant woman and her baby is accurate, feasible, and could substantially reduce unnecessary treatment, finds a study published on bmj.com.

Pregnant women should use seatbelt
Proper seatbelt use by pregnant women would save 200 fetuses a year, University of Michigan study finds. This new study could have a profound effect on fetal deaths and injuries caused by car crashes.

Parents contribute to breech delivery in offspring
A baby is twice as likely to be born bottom first if either or both the parents were themselves breech deliveries, according to a study published ahead of print on bmj.com. The results suggest genes are a contributing factor.

Avoid alcohol in pregnancy
Responding to the release of UK's NICE antenatal guidelines for pregnant women, Mervi Jokinen of the Royal College of Midwives, UK, said: "We welcome the guidelines which are evidence based, but feel that more clarity is needed about pregnancy and alcohol.

Less folate in diet cause abnormal sperm
Healthy men who report lower levels of the nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Pregnant women need more help to quit smoking
Midwives and doctors should do more to encourage pregnant women to give up smoking, research suggests. A survey by the Auckland Tobacco Control Research Centre (ATCRC) at The University of Auckland showed that only 11% of midwives and 71% of GPs suggest women abstain completely from smoking during pregnancy.

Women's labour experiences differ from expectations
A pain-free and drug-free labour may be many expectant mothers' dream but a review in the open access journal BMC Medicine reveals that reality hits hard. Most women's labour experiences differ markedly from their expectations. They are often ill-prepared for what might happen and consequently may be disappointed when the birth does not "go to plan".

Alarming rates of STDs among teenage girls
A US study found that one in four teenage girls aged 14 to 19 has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Nearly half the African-Americans in the study were infected by one of the diseases. The survey, part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, did not ask about syphilis or gonorrhea, so it is likely the STD rates are actually higher.

Quit smoking in pregnancy to have easy going child
Giving up smoking during pregnancy may boost the chances of giving birth to an easy going child, indicates research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Snoring linked to cardiovascular disease
Loud snoring with breathing pauses is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased health care utilization, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

Tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy, may threaten health
Rates of tobacco use during pregnancy, as well as exposure of pregnant women and their young children to secondhand smoke, are significant threats to health in several low and middle-income countries, reveals a study from National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Many maternal deaths worldwide are preventable
Women who die during pregnancy and childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa, more may die from treatable infectious diseases than from conditions directly linked to pregnancy, revealed by researchers.

Herpes virus link to complications in pregnancy
Viral infection with high blood pressure during pregnancy may lead to pre-term birth, revealed by researchers at Adelaide's Women's & Children's Hospital and the University of Adelaide.

In Vitro Fertilization Research Centre in AIIMS, India
The Indian Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, dedicated to the Nation the first state of the art In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Research Centre established at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Acupuncture during IVF improves pregnancy chances
Acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation cycle (IVF), revealed by US researchers. Acupuncture given within one day of IVF proved beneficial.

Pregnancy may make women forgetful for a year
Many women believe that they become more forgetful during pregnancy: a new study by Australian researchers suggests that they are right - and that their memory can be significantly impaired for at least a year after giving birth.

Stress in pregnancy may lead to schizophrenia in offspring
Most societies believe that a mother's psychological state can influence her unborn baby. Children of women who undergo an extremely stressful event-such as the death of a close relative-during the first trimester of pregnancy appear more likely to develop schizophrenia, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Genetic mutation increases risk of preterm birth
Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene appear to have significant association with inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences report at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Scientific sessions continue through Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Dallas Hyatt Regency at Reunion.

Overweight pregnant women may have fatter children
Mothers-to-be beware. Women who are overweight during pregnancy may be more likely to have fatter children susceptible to chronic health problems, University of New South Wales (UNSW) research shows.

Prenatal starvation may lead to addiction later in life
Babies conceived during a period of famine are at risk of developing addictions later in life, and a range of chronic disorders including physical conditions such as coronary heart disease, and psychiatric ones such as schizophrenia and clinical depression.

Secondhand smoke affect cystic fibrosis lung disease
Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with adverse effects on lung function among persons with cystic fibrosis, with this effect being worse for persons with certain gene variations, according to a study in the January 30 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Maternity care in UK varies - Healthcare Commission review
The Healthcare Commission has ranked one in four NHS maternity services as "best performing" in a national review published today, but the comparative review, the most comprehensive assessment ever of maternity services in England, also found significant variations in the quality of care across the country.

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