The rate of chronic hypertension among pregnant women age 35; and over in the United States has increased by more than 75% since 1970, with black women suffering from persistent high blood pressure at more than twice the rate of white women; according to a Rutgers study. In the study, published in the journal Hypertension,…
Stress is considered an important risk factor for the physical and psychological health of pregnant women. Hence, it is very important to study those protective factors that attenuate the negative effects of stress, such as resilience. The objective of this study was to verify the role of resilience as a stress-reducing factor during pregnancy. Resilience…
Approximately 700 women die in the United States each year as a result of pregnancy or its complications; and significant racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist. Data from CDC’s Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS) for 2007–2016 analyzed. Pregnancy-related mortality ratios (PRMRs); analyzed by demographic characteristics and state PRMR tertiles; cause-specific proportionate mortality by…
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), such as gestational hypertension and pre‐eclampsia; complicate about 10% of gestations and are major contributors to maternal; and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive research efforts, the best treatment for HDP currently available is delivery of the placenta. The Hypertension and Preeclampsia Intervention Trial At near Term‐I (HYPITAT‐I) randomized clinical…
International guidelines recommend the use of alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBIs); in antenatal care to identify drinking and offer support to women to reduce the risks. Typically, SBI involves a short conversation with a midwife; whilst women who are drinking more heavily can be offered specialist support. However, few studies have investigated their implementation.…
researchers have considered timing of delivery primarily determined by the mother’s genes and environmental factors. Now, a new international genetic study led by researchers from Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI); and the iPSYCH Consortium has identified a link between the baby’s own genes and the timing of delivery. The research, which involved the University of…
The study does not indicate that cesarean section deliveries cause autism or ADHD. The truth is much more difficult to decipher, and provides an excellent case study for the old adage that correlation does not equal causation. Autism and ADHD are what they call neurodevelopmental disorders. This means they have clear differences in behavioral development,…
The team from the Department of Women & Children’s Health at King’s carried out a trial comparing the current and new methods in women suffering from pre-eclampsia at 34-37 weeks of pregnancy, to see if they could reduce adverse outcomes for the mother such as hypertension, and without impacting substantially on the baby. They found…
The force of blood traveling through your arteries and veins determines much of your heart health. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, heart failure, heart attack, stroke and chronic kidney disease; and when coupled with type 1 diabetes and pregnancy, it can put both the mother and the baby at risk. In a…
“Women with a chronic physical condition like diabetes, hypertension and asthma may benefit from targeted strategies to reduce their risk of mental illness,” says Hilary Brown, an assistant professor at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health & Society at U of T Scarborough. Brown and her colleagues used data from ICES, a non-profit research institute where she’s also…
Pregnancy alters the shape of the rectus abdominis muscle; which may in turn affect abdominoplasty outcomes; according to a study published in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Although recurrent skin laxity is straightforward in its cause and remedy; persistent abdominal wall bulging is less commonly described; and can lead to dramatic patient…
During pregnancy, the mother and the baby communicate in a variety of ways. For instance, signals from the fetus crucially involved in the initiation of labor and delivery. One important means of such signaling is the passage of packages called exosomes; very small particles release from every cell. These are only about 30 to 150…