Pregnancy

The period from conception to birth. After the egg is fertilized by a sperm and then implanted in the lining of the uterus, it develops into the placenta and embryo, and later into a fetus. Pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks, beginning from the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period, and is divided into three trimesters, each lasting three months.

Low risk pregnant women can opt for home birth

Pregnant women at low risk of complications can safely be offered a choice of where to give birth — Perinatal and maternal outcomes by planned place of birth for women with low risk pregnancies: The Birthplace in England national prospective cohort study – A new study reveals that women with low risk pregnancies should be able to choose where they give birth. Although it shows that first-time mums who opt for a home birth are at a higher risk of adverse outcomes, the overall risk is low in all birth settings.

Polycystic ovary syndrome linked to pregnancy complications

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome at increased risk of pregnancy complications – Hormonal Disorder Linked to Pregnancy Complications – Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to have problems with pregnancy regardless of whether they are undergoing fertility treatment, claims new research published on bmj.com today.

Healthy diet reduces birth defects risks

Overall quality of pregnant woman?s diet affects risk for two birth defects, Stanford study shows – Healthier dietary choices by pregnant women are associated with reduced risks of birth defects, including neural tube defects and orofacial clefts. Folic acid supplementation and food fortification has been effective in preventing neural tube defects, but folic acid does not prevent all birth defects.

Successful separation of conjoined craniopagus Sudanese twins

CONJOINED TWINS SEPARATED — UK Children?s Charity Facing the World Announces Successful Separation of Sudanese Twins – Twin girls joined at the head, such that their major brain blood vessels were interconnected, have been safely separated. UK charity Facing the World played the central role in funding treatment, evaluating the children abroad, supporting the family and handling the logistics to bring Rital and Ritag Gaboura and their parents to London.

Le Bonheur surgeons separated rare conjoined pygopagus twins

Le Bonheur Surgeons Successfully Separate Rare Conjoined Twins — Most complex surgery in hospital history – Doctors at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital successfully separated conjoined twins, Joshua and Jacob Spates, on Monday, Aug_29. The Spates family is from Memphis. Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies do not fully separate in utero. A rare phenomenon, conjoined twins occurs in approximately one in 100,000 births.

New blood test can detect fetus gender in early pregnancy

Tests that use DNA from mother?s blood to determine sex of fetus often effective – A boy or a girl baby. Parents-to-be wishing to know the gender of their unborn baby can usually find out during a routine ultrasound performed around 20 weeks of pregnancy. Now, new technology can tell pregnant women whether they are having a boy or a girl as early as seven weeks into a pregnancy. Scientists have been making rapid progress in identifying foetal DNA in the mother’s blood to predict fetus gender.

Exposure to magnetic fields during pregnancy leads to asthma in offspring

Maternal Exposure to Magnetic Fields During Pregnancy in Relation to the Risk of Asthma in Offspring. – Pregnant women who use hairdryers, microwaves, vacuum cleaners or who live near pylons could be putting their babies at risk of asthma, revealed by researchers in a new research study conducted recently.

U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding

Majority of U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding — New CDC report shows missed opportunities for preventing childhood obesity beginning at birth – Breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity, yet less than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to the most recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DHA or Omega 3 fatty acids during pregnancy good for babies health

Study shows protective benefits of DHA taken during pregnancy – If pregnant women take daily 400 mg of DHA during pregnancy are more likely to deliver healthier infants, and babies fall sick less and for short duration. Babies are more healthier in their infancy period.

Unplanned babies are slower to develop

Children born after unplanned pregnancy are slower to develop – Pregnancy planning, fertility treatment and cognitive outcomes at age 3 and 5 – Children born after unplanned pregnancies tend to have a more limited vocabulary and poorer non-verbal and spatial abilities; however this is almost entirely explained by their disadvantaged circumstances, according to a new study. The same study reported no adverse effects of infertility treatment on the children.

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