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.
Researchers report widespread use of medications among pregnant women – There is widespread and increasing medication use among pregnant women, revealed by researchers from Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Harvard School of Public Health,
Prenatal exposure to common insecticide linked to decreases in cognitive functioning at age 7 — Deficits in IQ and working memory suggest longer-term educational implications – Researchers from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health report evidence of a link between prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos and deficits in IQ and working memory at age seven.
Study: Omega-3 consumed during pregnancy curbs risk for postpartum depression symptoms – Fish has long been considered in myriad cultures to be “brain food,” but only recently has bona fide science begun to support this deep-rooted belief.
Reducing diet early in pregnancy stunts fetal brain development — Study shows that the fetal brain is vulnerable to moderate decreases in maternal nutrition – Eating less during early pregnancy impaired fetal brain development in a nonhuman primate model, revealed by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
Recurrent miscarriage raises heart attack risk fivefold in later life — Pregnancy loss and risk of cardiovascular disease: A prospective population-based cohort study (EPIC-Heidelberg) – Recurrent miscarriage increases a woman’s chance of having a heart attack fivefold in later life, indicates research published online in the journal Heart.
Research strengthens evidence of link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and childhood asthma – Evidence suggesting that the risk of childhood asthma associated with prenatal paracetamol exposure may depend on antioxidant genes in the mother has been found by a team of UK scientists.
Study shows extreme form of pregnancy-related morning sickness could be genetic — Pregnant women whose sisters had condition are 17 times more likely to have it – Approximately 60,000 pregnant women are hospitalized each year due to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), an extreme form of nausea and vomiting that endangers their lives and often forces them to reluctantly terminate their pregnancies.
UN estimates reveal fewer women dying from pregnancy-related causes, but 1000 still die a day and more needs to be done to achieve set targets – The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34% from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, Trends in maternal mortality, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.
Sad mothers have small babies – Clinical depression and anxiety during pregnancy results in smaller babies that are more likely to die in infancy, according to new research published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
Moms who don’t breastfeed more likely to develop type 2 diabetes – Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
Immune responses during pregnancy linked to schizophrenia among offspring – Infections like the flu are common occurrences during pregnancy, and research has shown that children born to mothers who suffered from flu, viruses and other infections during pregnancy have about a 1.5 to 7 times increased risk for schizophrenia.
Women don’t need to delay getting pregnant after miscarriage — Research: Effect of interpregnancy interval on outcomes of pregnancy after miscarriage: Retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics in Scotland – Women who conceive within six months of an initial miscarriage have the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy with the lowest complication rates, revealed researchers in BMJ.
