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.
A new Australian study has found that the number of newborns suffering serious drug withdrawal symptoms is now more than 40 times higher than in 1980. – The number of newborns suffering serious drug withdrawal symptoms (Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome – NWS) is now more than 40 times higher than in 1980, revealed by a A new Australian study.
Moms who breastfeed less likely to develop heart attacks or strokes and cardiovascular disease. – The longer women breastfeed, the lower their risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Prenatal meth exposure linked to abnormal brain development. – A first of its kind study examining the effects of methamphetamine use during pregnancy has found the drug appears to cause abnormal brain development in children.
Exposure to epilepsy medicine valproate during pregnancy can impair a child’s cognitive development and IQ. – Three-year-olds whose mothers took the antiepileptic drug valproate during pregnancy had average IQs six to nine points lower than children exposed to three other antiepileptic drugs, a landmark multi-center study has found.
Pollution is another risk factor for impaired fetal growth – Exposure to traffic pollution could affect fetal development during pregnancy and lead to an increased chance of having a small baby.
Pregnant women who smoke, urged to give up before 15-week ‘deadline’. Spontaneous preterm birth and small for gestational age infants in women who cease smoking in early pregnancy: A prospective cohort study. – Women who stop smoking before week 15 of pregnancy cut their risk of spontaneous premature birth and having small babies to the same as non-smokers, according to research published on bmj.com today.
Low levels of vitamin B12 may increase risk for neural tube defects; Vegans, vegetarians may be at risk. – Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.
Adverse perinatal pregnancy outcomes is higher in public hospitals than in private hospitals, revealed by Australian researchers. – For women delivering a single baby at term in Australia, the prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes is higher in public hospitals than in private hospitals.
Home pregnancy tests can lead to better prenatal care, revealed by researchers. – The simple intervention of providing women who are having unprotected sex with a home pregnancy test could have a substantial impact on the health of potential newborns, according to a Michigan State University study.
Maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of a range of structural anomalies, although the absolute increase is likely to be small. – For women who are obese during pregnancy there is an associated increased risk of certain birth defects, such as spina bifida and neural tube defects, although the absolute increase in risk is likely to be small.
Exposure to perfluorinated chemicals may reduce women’s fertility – Researchers have found the first evidence that perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) ? chemicals that are widely used in everyday items such as food packaging, pesticides, clothing, upholstery, carpets and personal care products ? may be associated with infertility in women.
Smoking during pregnancy increases a child?s likelihood of developing cancer. – New research by the Cancer Institute NSW has provided the strongest indication yet that smoking during pregnancy increases a child’s likelihood of developing cancer.
