Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at greater risk for common pregnancy complications — in addition to health risks from the virus — than pregnant women without COVID-19, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
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Food-based vitamin D during pregnancy reduces allergies in children
Higher intake of foods containing vitamin D during pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of development of allergies in children, according to researchers. But, this
Mammography screening for breast cancer needs individualized approach
The mammography dilemma — Complex benefits and harms of mammography require individualized approach – A comprehensive review of 50 year’s worth of international studies assessing the benefits and harms of mammography screening suggests that the benefits of the screening are often overestimated, while harms are underestimated.
Heart needs rhythm even before it has blood to pump
Baby hearts need rhythm to develop correctly – To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm even before they have blood to pump. “We have discovered that mechanical forces are important when making baby hearts,” said Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin, a Vanderbilt graduate student working with a team of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists and clinicians attempting to grow replacement heart valves from a patient’s own cells.
Offspring of obese mothers may be spared health problems
Obese mums may pass health risks on to grandchildren — Experts found the offspring of obese mothers may be spared health problems – Health problems linked to obesity, like heart disease and diabetes, could skip an entire generation. Researchers have found that the offspring of obese mothers may be spared health problems linked to obesity, while their own children then inherit them.
Bed sharing with parents increases SIDS risk
Bed sharing with parents increases risk of cot death fivefold — Rates of sudden infant death would plummet if parents avoided bed sharing, advise authors – Bed sharing with parents is linked to a fivefold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), even when the parents are non-smokers and the mother has not been drinking alcohol and does not use illegal drugs.
Early baby formula use helps mothers breastfeed longer
Early formula use helps some mothers breastfeed longer – Giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding, revealed by researchers at UC San Francisco, US.
Stress in life may increase stillbirth risk
Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, NIH network study finds – Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional, or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers. Stillbirth is the death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2006, there was one stillbirth for every 167 births External Web Site Policy.
Folic acid before conception lowers risk of autism in babies
Folic acid lowers risk of autism – Women who took folic acid supplements from four weeks before conception to eight weeks into pregnancy had a 40 per cent lower risk of giving birth to children with childhood autism (classic autism).
Cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold in US hospitals
U of M researchers find wide variation in cesarean delivery rates among US hospitals – Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. The latest study, appearing in Health Affairs, shows that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold across U.S. hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent.