Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Pregnancy / Obstetrics News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/pregnancy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171667.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171667.php Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to a wide array of developmental deficits, including significant impairments in social skills. An examination of a social- skills intervention called Children's Friendship Training found that it led to a decrease in hostile attributions or perceptions of children with PAE. Results will be published in the February 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171633.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171633.php There is "crystal clear" evidence that family planning "is one of the best -- and perhaps the very best -- strategy for women in the United States and across the world to improve their health and well-being, as well as that of their offspring," write Eva Moore, a fellow in adolescent medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School's Abortion Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171672.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171672.php Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits, but mathematical ability seems particularly damaged. Little is known about the brain structures related to mathematical deficits in children with FASD. A new study that used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the relationship between mathematical skills and brain white matter structure in children with FASD supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical tasks. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171459.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171459.php There is good news for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. A new study shows that pregnant women with multiple sclerosis are only slightly more likely to have cesarean deliveries and babies with a poor prenatal growth rate than women who do not have MS. Multiple Sclerosis Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171478.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171478.php A Baltimore bill (FID 09-0406) to require crisis pregnancy centers to post signs stating that they do not provide abortion services is progressing through the City Council, WBAL reports. The council voted 12-3 in favor of the bill, which now moves on to a third and final vote. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171373.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171373.php More than six percent of expectant mothers in Quebec consume prescription drugs that are known to be harmful to their fetuses, according to a Université de Montréal investigation published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Half these women will voluntarily terminate their pregnancy fearing congenital malformations, which means the abortion rate among these women is 11 percent higher than in the rest of the population. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171357.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171357.php At the moment a newborn switches from amniotic fluid to breathing air, another profound shift occurs: nerve cells in the brain convert from hyperexcitability to a calm frame against which outside signals can be detected. "Fetal neurons need hyperexcitability for proper development, because they are moving to the right places (in the brain) and forming the right connections," said Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., Ph.D. Epilepsy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171307.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171307.php For the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a "D" on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, demonstrating that more than half a million of our nation's newborns didn't get the healthy start they deserved. In the 2009 Premature Birth Report card, seven states improved their performance by one letter grade and two fared worse. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171283.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171283.php A new study that examines the value of maternal blood biomarkers will help identify and monitor patients at risk of developing preeclampsia and is set to change the way expectant mothers are cared for in prenatal clinics around the world. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171246.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171246.php More than six percent of expectant mothers in Quebec consume prescription drugs that are known to be harmful to their fetuses, according to a Université de Montréal investigation published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Half these women will voluntarily terminate their pregnancy fearing congenital malformations, which means the abortion rate among these women is 11 percent higher than in the rest of the population. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171138.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171138.php The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood have filed a legal challenge to a proposed ballot measure that seeks to amend Nevada's Constitution to define people as "everyone possessing a human genome" from the moment of conception, the Abortion Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171044.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171044.php Screening for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women on methadone maintenance treatment and their infants is inadequate, according to the authors of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Ralph Nanan, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Sydney, and his co-authors undertook a retrospective review of medical records from two major hospitals in Sydney and a hospital in rural NSW. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171009.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171009.php Over the last decade, the maternal mortality rate has dropped by 50 percent in some former Soviet bloc and Balkan countries, according to a U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) report released Thursday, Agence France-Presse/France24 reports. Women's Health / Gynecology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171027.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171027.php A pilot study conducted in the US found that young boys whose mother's urine when they were in the womb contained higher levels of two phthalates, common chemicals present in PVC used in food packaging and storing, were less likely to engage in play fighting and play with masculine toys such as trucks. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171008.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171008.php On Thursday, the WHO issued revised guidance for the clinical management of H1N1 (swine) flu, the Associated Press reports. Swine Flu Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170868.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170868.php Faculty of 1000 reviewers examine a study from New Zealand on whether prolonged exposure to the father's semen protects new mothers against pre-eclampsia and having an undersized baby. In this study by Kho and colleagues at the University of Auckland, published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 2507 first-time pregnant women were interviewed about the length of their relationship with the baby's biological father. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170896.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170896.php Children who eat fish more than 3 times per week show a worse performance in the general cognitive, executive and perceptual-manipulative areas. Those with higher levels of exposure to mercury show a generalised delay in cognitive, memory and verbal areas. Mercury is a contaminant found especially in oily fish and canned fish and to a lesser extent in white fish. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170918.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170918.php Contrary to more conservative customs, exercising up to the end of pregnancy has no harmful effect on the weight or size of the foetus. This is what has been indicated in a study carried out by researchers of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid), which also shows the positive relationship between the weight of sedentary mothers before pregnancy and the body size of their babies. The conclusions appear in the International Journal of Obesity. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170838.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170838.php A proposed regulation in Montgomery County, Md., would require pregnancy centers operated by antiabortion-rights groups to provide women with a disclaimer to clarify the source of information the centers provide and explain that the facilities are not medical clinics, the Washington Post reports. Abortion Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170807.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170807.php As the number of women having twins has increased, so has the odds of developing a serious pregnancy complication called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This disorder affects as many as 15 percent of identical twin pregnancies, and results in uneven blood flow between the fetuses. Until recently the outcome was usually death or disabilities for the surviving babies. Now a new minimally invasive laser treatment has improved the odds. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170645.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170645.php A nutritionist whose research was instrumental in adding fruits and vegetables to the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food subsidy will receive the March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award for outstanding achievement in the field of maternal-fetal nutrition. Gail Harrison, Ph.D. Women's Health / Gynecology Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170553.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170553.php The Bellevue Birth Center in New York City, the city's only in-hospital natural-birthing center primarily dedicated to Medicaid beneficiaries, closed in September without public notice, the New York Times reports. The center served low-income, mostly immigrant women. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170607.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170607.php When a fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy, due to associated problems like a poorly developed heart, health concerns as severe as brain damage can result. The condition, known as Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), prompts doctors to use ultrasound to track a baby's health and determine the best time for delivery. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170465.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170465.php The lives of almost 4 million women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa could be saved every year if well-established, affordable health care interventions reached 90 percent of families, according to a joint report by the national science academies of seven African countries. Women's Health / Gynecology Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170468.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170468.php Three Singapore biomedical institutions have launched a major, long-term study of pregnant mothers and their fetuses as well as infant children to determine just how profoundly environmental factors early in life influence the onset of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in later years. Pregnancy / Obstetrics