Posts Tagged ‘Pregnancy’

A new Stanford University study published in the current journal Obstetrics & Gynecology suggests that acupuncture during pregnancy may help with symptoms of depression. The small study followed 150 pregnant women with major depression who were randomly assigned to undergo either acupuncture specifically designed for depression, general acupuncture or Swedish massage. After eight weeks of treatment, nearly 66% of the women who underwent depression-specific acupuncture demonstrated a reduction in at least 50% of their symptoms, compared with just under half of the women treated with either massage or regular acupuncture.  [via TopNews]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

A new mobile information service announced today aims to provide any mother-to-be (who has a cell phone) with free text messages that will guide her throughout pregnancy and until her child’s first birthday. The service, called Text4baby, was announced in conjunction with all major US wireless carriers and is currently operational. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. The text4baby messages are not personalized, but the information in each message is relevant to the mother’s pregnancy timeline or the age of her child. The content will include a comprehensive variety of topics from the CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration, including tips on immunizations, nutrition, prenatal care, emotional well being, drugs and alcohol, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, mental health, birth defects prevention, car seat safety, exercise and fitness, developmental milestones, family violence, and more. [via Text4baby.org]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

A new study out of the University of California, Berkeley suggests that chemicals called PBDEs may be making it difficult for women to conceive. PBDEs are chemicals with flame-retardant properties that are found in household items. In fact, nearly all Americans (97%) have PBDEs at detectable levels in their blood. After studying 223 pregnant women and the length of time it took them to conceive, researchers found that those with high levels of PBDEs were up to 50% less likely to get pregnant in a given month compared to women with lower levels. Currently, the majority of what we know about the effects of BPDEs are from studies with mice. Thus, more data is needed before a direct association with human fertility can be made. The study is published in this month’s Environmental Health Perspectives. [via U.S. News]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

According to the World Health Organization the number of reported cases of H1N1 influenza has increased by at least 24,000 in just the past two weeks. And with the new H1N1 vaccine just recently being distributed to the public the CDC is reaffirming the current vaccination guidelines. The groups most at risk, and therefore should be vaccinated are:

Please note that the  H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine. The seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines may be administered on the same day.  [via CDC]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Historically, pregnant women have been one of the groups least likely to get the flu vaccine for a variety of reasons. Not surprisingly, their reluctance to take any medication during pregnancy is one of the reasons for the low vaccination rates. Additionally, the majority of obstetricians do not routinely vaccinate their patients due to costs involved and that it’s not part of routine obstetrician training. Therefore, the CDC and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology are urging obstetricians to partner with hospitals or drugstores to guarantee their patients a place to get the flu shot. A vaccine is a two-for-one deal during pregnancy. It can protect both mom and baby because the flu-fighting antibodies made by mom will cross the placenta to the fetus and can help protect the baby during its first few months of life. This is why health officials are working on increasing the number of vaccinated pregnant women this year, especially since pregnant women make up 6% of H1N1-confirmed deaths even though they account for only 1% of the population. [via NBC News]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

New research published in the obstetrics and gynecological journal BJOG shows that giving women sugarless chewing gum after cesarean section seemed to help them recover normal bowel function and shorten their time in the hospital. After abdominal surgeries intestinal function often become sluggish and may require a few days to return to normal. However, researchers say that chewing gum may help because the act of chewing sets off a nervous system response and release of digestive hormones which stimulate bowel activity. The cost and time savings should not be underestimated, especially in countries with limited health care resources. [via MSNBC]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Did you know that it is legal in most states of the union to shackle incarcerated women during childbirth? The American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology condemns this practice because they say it unnecessarily risks a woman’s health. Soon, New York will become the sixth state to ban this practice, along with California, Illinois, New Mexico, Texas and Vermont. It’s unclear how many inmates are affected by the practice. The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics said 4% of state inmates and 3% of federal inmates were pregnant in 2008 when they were first incarcerated. There is no data available to indicate how many women delivered babies in prison, or were restrained while doing so. [via The Boston Globe]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

An FDA press release this week announces the over-the-counter availability of “Plan B”, also known as the “morning after pill”, for women 17 years of age and older. The FDA will accept, and not appeal, a March 23, 2009 a federal court order that lifts the Bush administration’s restrictions limiting over-the-counter sales of Plan B to women 18 and older. Plan B is emergency contraception that will not interfere with an established pregnancy. It works by delaying ovulation, preventing fertilization and implantation of fertilized eggs. In medical terms, pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it can reduce a woman’s chances of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent.

Share your opinion.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

The British Medical Journal today published a revealing study on the risks of smoking during pregnancy. Women smokers who do not quit prior to 15 weeks of pregnancy are 3 times as likely to give birth prematurely. And if you are a long time smoker and think that quitting now won’t make a difference, think again. Women who stopped smoking during pregnancy, compared to nonsmokers, have the same rate of preterm birth. This goes to show that it’s never too late to quit.

Read more and share your opinion.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Folic acid, or folate, is a vitamin that is currently recommended to pregnant women to reduce the risk of congenital abnormalities in newborns. However, according to an article in the latest Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers have concerns that folic acid may actually increase the risk of respiratory illness in children. After studying more than 32,000 infants, researchers found that those with mothers who had taken folic acid supplements during the first three months of pregnancy had higher risk of wheezing and other respiratory complaints in the first 18 months. Scientists speculate that folic acid may cause airways to become inflammed. Further studies will be required before any change in recommendations is made. Until then, folic acid remains a recommended supplement during pregnancy.

Read more and share your opinion.

Tweet This Share on Facebook