Women who keep moving during pregnancy may have infants with more advanced motor skills; a small study suggests. Researchers discovered the difference among 1-month-olds: Those whose moms got regular aerobic exercise during pregnancy tended to have stronger movement skills; versus babies whose mothers did not. The movement tests included things like head turning, said researcher…
In a paper published in The Lancet, the team of scientists carried out a trial (called PITCHES); at 33 hospital maternity units in England and Wales between December 2015 and September 2018. 605 pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy(ICP) which is liver disorder; recruited with half receiving ursodeoxycholic acid (known as ‘urso’), the current…
A growing body of research shows that while some women experience physical and verbal abuse, a much larger group experience more subtle forms of disrespectful care. At one of the most vulnerable times in their lives women can ignore, left in the dark about their treatment and care team, and denied basic comforts that allow…
Moving house during the first three months of pregnancy is linked to a heightened risk of premature birth and low birthweight as well as a slightly higher risk of a smaller than expected size baby, finds US research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Moving house during childhood associate with poorer health…
Fertility awareness method and app can help women better understand their bodies, are relatively cost-effective, and have no side-effects. But the growth of the “femtech” industry, alongside a seemingly growing wave of younger women; looking to move away from hormonal methods of contraception, has led to a renewed interest. Yet at the same time, the…
A predictive model that uses prenatal risk factors to help identify women at higher risk for admission to the maternal intensive care unit (ICU) has low positive predictive value, according to a study published online in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Severe maternal morbidity has increased in the United States over the past two decades by approximately 200%,…
A new study looking at conception rates after couples have gone through IVF treatment; could offer hope to those for whom the process was unsuccessful. The University of Aberdeen study found that 17% (around 1 in 6) of women for whom IVF was unsuccessful; went on to have a live birth, without treatment, within five…
During the early stages of pregnancy, cardiovascular health can lead not only to a healthier pregnancy; also it can improve long term heart health of woman says researchers. The findings, publish in the Journal of the American Heart Association, underscore the importance of entering pregnancy in optimal health. They also suggest an opportunity for health care…
Marijuana use and pregnancy go hand-in-hand for health reasons; but more American women are using marijuana just before and right after they become pregnant, new research warns. “These findings should alert women’s health clinicians; to be aware of potential increases in daily and weekly cannabis use among their patients,” said lead study author Kelly Young-Wolff. She…
A research team of the University of Malaga (UMA) in the area of Medicine and Psychology analyzed; for the first time the effect of the type of delivery on twins’ psychological development and intelligence; demonstrating that cesarean section carries an independent risk in these multiple births. “Twins are very vulnerable, since their birth frequently ends…
A significant jump in preterm births to Latina mothers living in the U.S. occurred; in the nine months following the November 8, 2016 election of President Donald Trump; according to a study led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, publish in JAMA Network Open, prompted by smaller…
A quarter of women who have serious maternal complications during childbirth also have premature births; posing a “dual burden” on families, finds research from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, the University of California; San Francisco (UCSF) California Preterm Birth Initiative, and Stanford University. The study, published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal; & Neonatal Medicine…