By Margarita Nahapetyan
The number of teenage girls in the United States who are having babies, has reached a record level in 2007, a government statistics show, and C-section delivery rates continue to hit new highs.
The statistics are based on a review of nearly 99 per cent of birth certificates reported by 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S territories, by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is a part of the
By Margarita Nahapetyan
There is a link between abortion history and an increased risk of subsequent premature births and long-term complications, reports a new huge German study. Some previous studies have been pointing out to the connection, but the present research showed that abortion definitely plays a role in preterm birth risk.
Dr. Manfred Voigt and a team of his colleagues looked at more than 2 million pregnancies between 1995
By Margarita Nahapetyan
New findings have shown that infertile men are at a triple risk of developing testicular germ cell cancer, compared to the men who do not have this problem.
The new study appears to be the first large research in the United States that confirms the fact that the men with a history of infertility are at a higher risk of testis cancer. Previous studies on this matter were conducted mostly in Europe, and reported
By Margarita Nahapetyan
High levels of vitamin E at an early stage of pregnancy pose greater risk for developing heart defect in infants, according to Dutch scientists.
In a new study, the researchers from Rotterdam examined 600 mothers - 276 women whose babies were born with heart defects, and 324 mothers of healthy children. When the babies became 16 months old, all the women were asked to fill in food frequency questionnaires. The
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Fertility drug use does not increase women's risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to a large new study by Danish scientists. The results of the research should reassure women who have been treated for infertility, but who still have concerns about the safety of the drugs for their future health.
Very often, the reason for a woman's infertility is caused by her ovaries not being able to release eggs regu
By Margarita Nahapetyan
A March of Dimes report released on February 18, 2009 says that from now on all the 50 states and The District of Columbia will require hospitals to screen newborns for a range of life-threatening diseases and medical conditions. These metabolic disorders, more than two dozen in all, are causing disability, mental retardation or even fatal outcomes if not addressed shortly after the baby is born. But if early detected and treated promp
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Medical professionals in Australia are giving pregnant women their warning to avoid Botox injections and other wrinkle treatments made with botulinum toxin. The warning came after the report by the Sydney Morning Herald about a case in which a child born deaf and blind was linked to the mother's use of Dysport, an anti-wrinkle treatment similar to Botox, during her pregnancy.
Several botulinum toxin treatments
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Women who are obese while being pregnant have significantly greater risk of delivering babies with certain birth defects, than women with normal weight, according to a new report.
Obese women are almost twice as likely to have a baby with neural tube defects, which are caused by the incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord, according to the study. For one such defect, spina bifida, a failure of the sp
By Margarita Nahapetyan
The latest research suggests that there could be a way to predict which pregnant moms-to-be are at risk for later postpartum depression. The research shows that women with an increased levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is produced by the placenta midway through pregnancy, are more likely to suffer with the condition.
CRH is normally produced in tiny amounts by the hypothalamus near the bra
By Margarita Nahapetyan
There is a huge number of children in the United States that recently have been classified as obese and diagnosed with obesity-related diseases, such as type -2 diabetes, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and the weight of an obese child's mother during pregnancy.
One of the new studies has found that the diet of a pregnant woman has direct affect on the fetal health. Scientists at Oregon Health and Sc
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Australia's New South Wales Cancer Institute in its study has come to the conclusion that pregnant women who smoke greatly increase the risk their child will develop a life-threatening cancer, such as leukemia (cancer of the blood or bone marrow). Although smoking during pregnancy has long been known to be dangerous for babies causing birth complications, scientists have never before directly linked it with cancer. Babies born to smoki
By Margarita Nahapetyan
According to the latest large new study published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine elective (non-emergency) Caesarian sections can cause a variety of health problems and be very dangerous for newborns if performed early.
Dr. Alan Tita of the University of Alabama at Birmingham led the study. The main goal of the study was to examine the danger and complications for babies born before the reco
Excerpted from Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum By Tracey W. Gaudet, M.D., Paula Spencer
The starting place for a healthy pregnancy isn't a date, it's a mind-set.
A conscious pregnancy doesn't begin with your first trimester, last menstrual period, first prenatal exam, or a positive home pregnancy test. I believe that for a truly healthy, happy pregnancy, a different st
Excerpted from What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Getting Pregnant: Boost Your Fertility with the Best of Traditional and Alternative Therapies By Raymond Chang, M.D., Elena Oumano, Ph.D.
Scholars place the earliest documents demonstrating the use of traditional Chinese medicine at around 250 BC. Some believe that this safe and effective holistic healing system has been in practice for several thousand years. As we tell our office patients, TCM has been fine-tuned
Excerpted from Pregnancy Blues: What Every Woman Needs to Know about Depression During Pregnancy By Shaila Kulkarni Misri, M.D.
Before we discuss how and why depression is likely to affect women both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, it's important to understand that, in general, women are statistically more likely than men to experience a major depression at some point in their lives, and particularly during their reproductive years. A recent article in a
Excerpted from The Whole Pregnancy Handbook By Joel M. Evans, M.D.
What you need to do to become pregnant is fairly straightforward, but it doesn't always happen right away. You may get pregnant within the first couple of months of trying, or it may take longer, but the odds are extremely good that you'll conceive within six to eight months or a year.
The Menstrual Cycle: The Mind and Body Dance
The menstrual cycle is th
Excerpted from Pregnancy Do's and Don'ts: The Smart Woman's A-Z Pocket Companion for a Safe and Sound Pregnancy By Elisabeth Aron, M.D.
Amniocentesis
During an amniocentesis, a procedure that is usually performed by an OB/GYN, a needle is placed through the mother's abdomen and uterus into the amniotic fluid cavity to withdraw a small amount of amniotic fluid for analysis. Several things can be determined from the amniotic fluid including signs
Excerpted from The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy By Vicki Iovine
I have always thought of pregnancy as divine permission not to exercise. For that reason, this chapter is even more opinionated than the others. It will focus on some exercises that you have never even dreamed about, and it will fly in the face of all the current notions that a woman should be able to grow a baby and run a marathon simultaneously. It's my book and it's my opinion, so there! Don't get me
Excerpted from Conquering Infertility: Dr. Alice Domar's Mind/Body Guide to Enhancing Fertility and Coping With Infertility By Alice D. Domar, Ph.D.
The official definition of infertility is failing to produce a pregnancy that results in a live birth after one year of unprotected regular intercourse if you're under age thirty-five, and after six months if you're over thirty-five. Infertility is a major health problem in the United States, as these numbers show:
&#
Excerpted from The Conception Chronicles : The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love & Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant By Patty Doyle Debano, Courtney Edgerton Menzel, Shelly Dicken Sutphen
Just when you've convinced yourself getting pregnant is more a marathon than a sprint, the fertile friend appears. Every woman having trouble getting pregnant has a fertile friend. You know . . . the woman whose pregnancy is a "surprise." After spending so much time with y
Excerpted from Dreaming for Two; The Hidden Emotional Life of Expectant Mothers By Sindy Greenberg, Elyse Kroll, Hillary Grill, M.S.W.
Just because you're happy to be pregnant doesn't mean you're completely comfortable with the idea of being a mother.
Is it normal to want and not want a baby at the same time?
I had a nightmare that our house was hit by a tornado. I was standing in the middle of the living room holding
Excerpted from What to Expect When You're Expecting By Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway
"I had a couple of drinks at least a couple of times before I knew I was pregnant. Could the alcohol have harmed my baby?" Wouldn't it be nice to get an instant message from your body alerting you the moment sperm and egg met up? ("Just wanted to let you know we have a baby on board-time to switch to Evian.") But since that biotechnology doesn't exist (not yet, at lea
Excerpted from What If I Have a C-Section? By Rita Rubin
If you can choose to get breast implants or a tummy tuck, you should be able to opt for a C-section over a vaginal delivery, right? That's the argument put forth by a small but growing number of women-reportedly including celebrities Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham-who know from the outset, sometimes even before they conceive, that they want a cesarean. British headline writer
Excerpted from Dr. Richard Marrs' Fertility Book : America's Leading Infertility Expert Tells You Everything You Need to Know About Getting Pregnant By Richard Marrs, M.D.
To begin with, it might be of some comfort for you to realize that reproduction in even the most fertile human is inefficient compared with other animal species. If you really want to get pregnant, in your next life come back as a mouse, a cat, or even a fish. Lower species have all the luck. As a rul
Excerpted from Program Your Baby's Health: The Pregnancy Diet for Your Child's Lifelong Well-Being By Dr. Barbara Luke
Prenatal nutrition is at the heart of metabolic programming. So keep in mind this one simple goal: You want to create an optimal nutritional environment for your unborn baby so that he or she can grow and develop in the very best ways possible. This is achieved by eating the right kinds of foods, in the right amounts, at the right time of day, throughou
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