The Changing Shape of Female Fertility
According to research data compiled over 55 years, natural selection is moving from short, stout women to tall thin women ' a change that could have global implications, according to researchers.
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Antibiotics During First Year and Risk of Asthma
A recently conducted study finds a link between antibiotic use in infancy and development of asthma by age 6.
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Primary Ovarian Insufficiency Linked to Gene Mutation
A team of researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel has recently discovered a link between premature ovarian failure (POF) and a specific gene mutation.
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Study: Endometriosis Treatment After Surgery
Endometriosis can be detrimental to fertility. After surgery, treatment may be suggested to prevent recurrence of the condition, especially in women who want to achieve pregnancy post surgery.
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Breastfeeding Moms Less Likely to Resume Smoking
A recent study of new mothers and their smoking habits found less interest in cigarettes the longer the baby was breastfed.
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Babies May Gain Immunity at Conception
A recent study suggests a degree of immunity might also be conveyed to the baby at the time of its conception.
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Diabetes Could be Rooted in Food Toxins Consumed by Infants
Toxins are present in many of the foods we consume every day. One food toxin of particular interest is Advanced Glycation End (AGE). This food toxin is present in breast milk and commercial infant formulas.
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Big Breakfasts Help Lean Women Overcome Reproductive Problems
A new study published in Clinical Science suggests eating a relatively larger breakfast and smaller dinner can have a positive effect on fertility. Proper meal timing could have special benefits for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
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Patient's Biomarkers for Better Ovarian Cancer Treatment
It is expected that oncologists will someday be able to evaluate a patient’s biomarkers before initiating chemotherapy to determine which forms of treatment are most likely to succeed.
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Bipolar Disorder Risk and Postpartum Problems
Postpartum depression or baby blues is considered a common occurrencethat many women suffer from after birth, but that doesn't mean womenshouldn't seek care to treat the condition.
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Parenting Style Influenced by Genetics
A team of researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) has conducted an in-depth study of parenting styles and concluded it has about as much to do with genetics as it does family tradition.
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Air Quality Impacts Unborn Fetus
The quality of the air pregnant women breathe has an impact on the developing fetus, according to a new study. The study was published in Environmental Health.
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Scotland Bans Smoking, Reduces Premature Births
In March of 2006, Scotland passed legislation that banned smoking in public settings. The legislation did not focus on pregnant women, but the ban has proven to be quite helpful in terms of reducing the number of preterm deliveries in the country.
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Maternal Positions and Mobility During First Stage of Labor
In many traditional hospital settings, women spend the first stage of labor resting in bed. Researchers from The Townsville Hospital and Health Center in Queensland, Australia decided to look more closely at the impact of changing position during the first stage of labor, including moving out of the bed altogether.
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Critical Fertility Enzymes
A new discovery may shed light on the problem of human infertility. Whilst sperm differs in appearance and movement across different species, there are key enzymes, although few in number, essential for the promotion of quality sperm and sperm motility.
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Sweet Beverages — Not Foods — Linked to Endometrial Cancer
Several factors are thought to contribute to the development of endometrial cancer, but a new study reveals a potent new culprit: sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
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300 Year-Old Fertility Statistic is Still Cited Today
One out of three women over the age of 35 will not conceive after one year of trying to conceive (TTC). While that statistic may sound about right to most people, it may not necessarily be true in the present day.
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Combination Therapy Protects Infants From Two Malaria Strains
In some developing nations, malaria is a constant threat to infant and child health. There are multiple strains of malaria, but for the first time, doctors are able to treat two of the most common strains simultaneously with combination therapy.
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Coffee Night Caps Wreck the Whole Day. Sorry.
Coffee night caps wreck the whole day and a caffeine buzz alone is not to blame. Caffeine interferes with the body’s natural circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock.
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Breastfeeding Stimulates Gut Flora
Infants begin developing their gastrointestinal microbiomes at birth by way of their mother's milk during breastfeeding. Their bodies take over production of microbiota once breastfeeding ends.
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Early Infant Growth and Asthma Risk
According to researchers in the Netherlands, fast infant growth during the first three months after birth may cause an increased risk of asthma. Fetal growth did not appear to have an effect on asthma risk.
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Eat Spicy, Live Long
Functional foods taste great but they come with added benefits. Many of the world’s spiciest cuisines are vibrant with functional foods like garlic, chili peppers and powders, cinnamon, and turmeric.
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Children are Less Physically Fit than their Parents
Children are about 15 percent less aerobically fit than their parents were at the same age, according to a new study presented by the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013 in Dallas, Texas.
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Spending Time with Mother Nature Strengthens Immune System
Spending time in nature strengthens the immune system, according to Ming Kuo.
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Mom's Diabetes May Affect Fetal Mortality
Women with diabetes are at four and a half times higher risk for death of their unborn babies compared to pregnant women without the disease, according to a new study. The babies that do survive face double the risk for death during the first year of life.
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Salivary Markers Do Not Predict Pain in Newborns
Researchers in Japan recently published a study in the journal Early Human Development involving 47 newborns, all healthy and between three and four days old. The authors tested salivary biomarkers for hormonal changes in response to pain.
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Do IVF Pregnancies Attract or Merit Special Attention?
When pregnancy requires medical intervention via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive assistance, do those pregnancies attract special attention?
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Happiest Patients “Know” Their Doctor
An investigative study conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee suggests a very simple way to minimize doctor-patient intimidation. Turns out, the happiest patients are those that have a chance to get to know their doctor a little bit.
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PAX3 Gene May Be Linked to Birth Defects in Diabetic Mother
A team of researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified an enzyme that may increase the likelihood of birth defects in children born to mothers with diabetes. The enzyme, known as AMPK, signals cells to stop producing a specific gene, PAX3.
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Sibling Study Questions Merits of Breastfeeding
Dr. Cynthia Colen wasn’t satisfied with the studies of the merits of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding that she sees in her work.
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Non-Delivery Hospitalization Ups Risk of Clotting
It is a well-accepted fact in the medical community that the longer a patient stays in the hospital, the more likely a blood clot will develop. A blood clot, also called venous thromboembolism (VTE), can be life-threatening.
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New Asthma Treatment Available for Pregnant Women
Asthma is one of the more difficult health problems to control during pregnancy. Doctors need to control exacerbations, but they also want to reduce the amount of medication taken by pregnant women and thus the fetus.
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Children’s Body Fat Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency in Mother
According to the research study, when maternal vitamin D levels are lower than they should be, it may result in higher body fat stores in children.
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Preventing Infant Malarial Deaths
According to a team of researchers in the tropics, infant deaths associated with malaria may be preventable. When a pregnant woman contracts malaria, blood vessels to the placenta do not develop correctly and cannot provide adequate blood flow to the fetus.
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Pregnancy Expectation Off by Five Weeks
Perhaps no other time in life makes the countdown by week as important as it is during pregnancy when the 38-week mark is expected to mean a date with the delivery room.
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Ondansetron Not Associated with Fetal Side Effects in Pregnancy
Researchers from Denmark recently published a study into the
drug Ondansetron, typically prescribed for pregnancy nausea and
vomiting. The study used data collected by Denmark registries to review
more than 600,000 singleton births.
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Slight Alteration in IVF Could Boost Success for Older Women
Dr. Yan-Guang Wu and his research team found the timing of egg retrieval is a key to success when treating older women.
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Vitamin D Levels and Birth Weight
According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, pregnant women with lower than normal vitamin D levels during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to infants falling into the low birth weight category.
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Women 35+ Less Likely to Have Babies with Anatomical Defects
A study revealed a decreased risk of anatomical defects by as much as 40% when the mother is older.
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Tylenol During Pregnancy and ADHD Risk
The general perception has been that it's OK to take Tylenol during pregnancy but a recent study of Danish mothers and their children suggests some rethinking may be in order.
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Possible Treatment Breakthrough: Fragile X Syndrome
Previous medical research has pinpointed the part of the cell affected by FXS but a new study reveals how the problem occurs.
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Minnesota Bans Hormone Disruptor Triclosan
Minnesota is the first state to ban all products containing triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in many household products and known to disrupt hormones in humans and harm the environment.
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Personal Care Products Pose Risk to Babies
Shampoos, lotions, and other baby care products expose babies and toddlers to potentially harmful substances at a great rate, according to a new study.
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Privately Insured Americans: Diabetes Rise
Approximately 8.8 percent of insured Americans had diabetes or had a doctor tell them they were at risk for the disease in 2012 according to a new report by HCCI, the Health Care Cost Institute. This rate is up from 8.3 percent the previous year.
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Antidepressants and Newborn Lung Complications in Infants
A recent study indicates there is a small but increased risk of a particular lung condition the infant may develop when its mother takes an SSRI during the late stages of pregnancy.
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Female Intuition Linked to Testosterone Exposure in the Womb
A recent study indicates a woman’s intuition is based not on estrogen but on testosterone, and the degree of testosterone to which she was exposed in the womb.
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Inflammation During Pregnancy and Fetal Brain Development
The over-activation of a woman's immune system during pregnancy, such as when she has a cold or the flu, may influence the brain development of the child she carries.
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Epidermal Growth Factor on Oxygen-Deprived Preemies
One very serious consequence of being born too soon is that the lungs are not mature enough to function properly.
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How Alcohol During Pregnancy Affects Fetal Brain Development
Neuroscientists at the University of California, Riverside, have found strong new evidence that consuming alcohol during pregnancy causes developmental problems in unborn babies.
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Imaging Technique for Alcohol-Related Birth Defects
Until now, limited research on embryos has prevented scientists from understanding how maternal use of alcohol causes congenital heart defects.
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