Pregnancy news and information

By BERNADETTE WAGNERWashington County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition held its annual strategic planning session to determine the organization's direction.I participated as the Washington County Board of Education liaison to the coalition. The purpose of the meeting was to redefine priorities and focus and resources in order to make the greatest impact on reducing teen pregnancy in Washington County.The meeting was facilitated by Anjie Doll, who reviewed relevant state and local statistics, led a discussion on the effectiveness of .... More »

Category: Teen Pregnancy  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Many misperceptions surround the subjects of conception and fertility, in large part due to the fact that these topics aren't generally discussed among friends and family, and many people don't even bring them up with their doctors. The following are some common myths about fertility and the facts that may surprise you.Myth: Getting pregnant is easy.Fact: While it may appear some women can get pregnant easily, the fact is one in eight couples in the United States will experience problems with fertility.Myth: Lots of women are waiting .... More »

Category: Getting Pregnant  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

NEW YORK - Thalia started to give birth to her new album while she was eight months pregnant with her daughter."I had had it," the singer said before a party last week in a nightclub to unveil her new work. "And the only thing I could think about were bikinis, suntan lotion, beer and the beach."So I began to think to myself, 'Hey! What was that song I liked last summer in Argentina? "Sangre Caliente" ("Hot blood")!' And when I went with my friends to (the Mexican beach resort of) Ixtapa, which one was it? That's right! The one by Juan .... More »

Category: Motherhood  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

By DJ YapMANILA, Philippines-Makati City is expanding its breastfeeding advocacy to 10 more barangays after successfully promoting the community-based program in eight barangays.City officials announced that the Makati Health Department (MHD) is now training health workers and volunteers in 10 additional barangays, thanks largely to a P400,000 grant from the World Health Organization.Dr. Ma. Lourdes Salud, city health officer and MHD chief, said the program was successfully implemented in Pembo, the pilot barangay, in 2005 and had sin .... More »

Category: Nutrition  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

CALUM MacDONALDCritics of the government's latest advice to mothers - to extend the period they breastfeed to two years to improve their baby's health - are calling it yet another example of the dictatorial nanny state.The current guidance from NHS Health Scotland is that babies should be breastfed for the first six months of their lives and that breast milk should not be complemented by any other food or drink.However, new advice from NHS Health Scotland, which will be issued to all pregnant women later in the year, states that babie .... More »

Category: Nutrition  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Katie BradfordTHE Federal Government has honoured an election commitment by providing $5 million to extend a 24-hour breastfeeding helpline.The service run by the Australian Breastfeeding Association currently runs 24 hours a day in all states and territories.It will now be toll-free and will ensure that breastfeeding mothers have support whenever they need it, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said."We know that for many mothers it's such an exciting and scary time in their lives, particularly new mothers," Ms Roxon said in Melbourne yest .... More »

Category: Nutrition  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Diabetes in men has a direct effect on fertility, a scientist told the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Dr. Con Mallidis from Queen's University, Belfast, UK, said that, despite the prevailing view that it had little effect on male reproductive function, the Belfast group had shown that diabetes caused DNA damage in sperm.The increase in the numbers of diabetics diagnosed at a young age has coincided with worldwide concerns over male fertility, he told the conference. "But this is no .... More »

Category: Infertility  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

By Yvonne MintzFrom the time they see two lines on the stick to the time they cradle their newborns, expectant moms are asked to give more blood and urine samples than seems reasonable.At least those who receive proper prenatal care are.A too-high number of women are not subject to such prodding, many times because they don’t know they are pregnant until well into the course of their pregnancy.The Alan Guttmacher Institute, which researches reproductive health, reports 16 percent of U.S. women receive inadequate prenatal care. Th .... More »

Category: Prenatal Health  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Amy and Tony Kepp are trying hard to make their family grow, but a few bumps along the way are slowing things down. "We had no problems getting pregnant, but there was no way that pregnancy was going to carry its normal course," said Kepp. "That's why we went and sought help and they've been guiding us on the right direction to go." Doctors at Carle Clinic in Urbana helped him and his wife understand the infertility problem that's often overlooked in men. New research shows they're partially responsible in fifty percent of all cases w .... More »

Category: Infertility  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

A new report on NHS maternity care has revealed divisions between midwives and obstetricians. One of the disputes, says Bridget O'Donnell, is over the best way to give birth. While midwives, and the government, advocate natural birth, many female obstetricians opt for a caesarean when they have their own children. Do they know something we don't?Bridget O'Donnell A newborn in a Manchester NHS maternity unit. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesFour years ago, Stephanie Sher had a decision to make. It was one many women face ev .... More »

Category: Getting Pregnant  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Diabetes and being over- or underweight can have a negative effect on male fertility.That's the conclusion of two reports to be presented July 9 at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology, in Barcelona, Spain.While semen samples from diabetics look normal under the microscope, a closer examination revealed DNA damage, Dr. Con Mallidis, of Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said in a news release issued by the conference sponsors."Sperm RNA was significantly altered, and many of th .... More »

Category: Infertility  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Kevin McKeeverAnkyloglossia, commonly known as tongue tied, is a birth defect in which the mucous membrane that connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth is too short, limiting tongue movement. Immediately after having a minor surgical procedure called frenulotomy, the tongue can often dramatically extend out of the mouth, which it could not do before. This can allow breastfeeding, help improve speech and promote proper tooth arch development in growing children.Dr. Donna T. Geddes, at the University of Western Au .... More »

Category: Nutrition  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

By Patrick AndersonThe president of the company that runs the Gloucester High School health center yesterday denied knowledge of any breaches of patient privacy in the reporting of the numbers of pregnant students at the school this year, and said he was unaware of any statistics released by the clinic related to student pregnancies.In a letter released yesterday responding to an inquiry by Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Northeast Health System President Stephen Laverty did not define what information was considered confidential and said he coul .... More »

Category: Prenatal Health  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Steven ReinbergAlthough heart attacks are rare among young women, becoming pregnant does double or triple a woman's risk, a new study finds."This is a unique phenomenon in the sense that these are young women who are not supposed to have [heart attacks]," said lead researcher Dr. Uri Elkayam, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.About 250 pregnant women in the United States each year suffer a heart attack, Elkayam said. However, mortality can be high in these cases, mainly because a diagnosis .... More »

Category: Pregnancy Problems  Tools: Email Story to a Friend

Although post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder, pregnancy alone does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of the most prevalent mental disorders.The report is found in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.Pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are said to be exceedingly vulnerable to psychiatric disorders, according to background information in the article.Psychiatric disorders in these groups of women have been linked to poor .... More »

Category: Pregnancy Problems  Tools: Email Story to a Friend