Placenta
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Night, weekend delivery OK for babies with birth defects
Science Daily: Pregnancy and Childbirth News &bull Feb 10, 2012
The finding is good news for all parties -- moms, babies and healthcare teams -- and suggests that this high-risk population of women should deliver when their bodies are ready to deliver, regardless of the day or time. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center, found that infants with birth defects that were delivered at night or over the weekend fared just as well as those delivered on a weekday -- they stayed at the hospital for the same amount of time, were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at the same rate, and… Full Story »
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New prenatal genetic test is much more powerful at detecting fetal abnormalities
Science Daily: Pregnancy and Childbirth News &bull Feb 9, 2012
The results of the 4,000-plus-participant clinical study are being presented at the 32nd annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Dallas on Feb. 9, 2012. In women having routine prenatal diagnosis, CMA detected additional genetic abnormalities in about 1 out of every 70 fetal samples that had a normal karyotype. When a birth defect was imaged by ultrasound, CMA found additional important genetic information in 6 percent of cases. These… Full Story »
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Placenta Power
Fit Pregnancy: Blogs &bull Feb 9, 2012
It's not pretty, but it is very important and serves as grist for lore and ritual the world over: Some cultures bury it, some consider it the baby's sibling, some even eat it. Not only is the placenta the trading… Full Story »
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Children's Immune System at Risk from Common Chemicals
Pregnancy Weekly Blog &bull Jan 26, 2012
In case you weren't paranoid enough about common household items exposing your child to harmful chemicals, a new report will only add to that fear. A new study has found that perflourinated compounds (PFCs) can reduce the functioning of a… Full Story »
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Placenta Encapsulation
Families.com: Pregnancy Blog &bull Jan 8, 2012
I first heard about placenta encapsulation during the second trimester of my second pregnancy. One of my close friends had just had her third baby and she decided to have her placenta encapsulated for the first time. My friend testified… Full Story »
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Myths and truths of obesity and pregnancy
Science Daily: Pregnancy and Childbirth News &bull Dec 21, 2011
This and other startling statistics abound when obesity and pregnancy collide. Together, they present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby. In the December issue of the journal Seminars in Perinatology, maternal fetal medicine expert Loralei L. Thornburg, M.D., reviews many of the pregnancy-related changes and obstacles obese women may face before giving birth. The following myths and truths highlight some expected and some surprising issues to take into account before, during and after pregnancy. I treat obese patients all the time, and… Full Story »
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Balancing the womb: New research may explain premature births
Science Daily: Pregnancy and Childbirth News &bull Dec 21, 2011
The study by academics at the University of Bristol suggests a new mechanism by which the level of myosin phosphorylation is regulated in the pregnant uterus. The researchers, Dr Claire Hudson and Professor Andres Lopez Bernal in the School of Clinical Sciences and Dr Kate Heesom in the University Proteomics Facility and the School of Biochemistry, have discovered that phosphorylation of uterus proteins at specific amino acids have a key role in the regulation of uterine activity in labour. A… Full Story »
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Study Identifies Strategies to Reduce Maternity, Child Deaths (ContributorNetwork)
Yahoo! News: Parenting/Kids News &bull Dec 16, 2011
The World Health Organization released findings from a three-year study on interventions to prevent death in mothers during pregnancy and childbirth and also deaths in children under five. Here are study results and how they affect parents. According to the Partnership for… Full Story »
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Effect of physical activity intervention based on a pedometer on physical activity level and anthropometric measures after childbirth: a randomized controlled trial
BioMed Central: Pregnancy and Childbirth &bull Dec 16, 2011
Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are associated with weight gain in women, and retention of weight gained during pregnancy can lead to obesity in later life. Diet and physical activity are factors that can influence the loss of retained pregnancy weight… Full Story »
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Effects of chronic carbon monoxide exposure on fetal growth and development in mice.
BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth &bull Dec 14, 2011
Background: Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced endogenously, and can also be acquired from many exogenous sources: ie. cigarette smoking, automobile exhaust. Although toxic at high levels, low level production or exposure leads to normal physiologic functions: smooth muscle cell relaxation,… Full Story »
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Most common causes, risk factors for stillbirth
Science Daily: Pregnancy and Childbirth News &bull Dec 13, 2011
According to a study published in the Dec. 14, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the most common causes of stillbirth differ across racial and ethnic groups, with resulting implications for monitoring and prevention of this devastating pregnancy outcome. The researchers found that the most common causes of stillbirth were obstetric conditions, such as cervical insufficiency, placental abruption, or preterm labor, and abnormalities of the placenta. Other common causes included genetic or structural abnormalities of the fetus, umbilical cord abnormalities, infection, blood pressure disorders, and other maternal… Full Story »
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Study: Half of stillbirths result from bad pregnancies
MSNBC.com: Pregnancy &bull Dec 13, 2011
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy complications, such as a woman going into labor too soon, or abnormalities of the placenta, a new analysis of the causes of stillbirths finds. On the other hand, a woman's characteristics at the start of her pregnancy, such as her weight, blood sugar levels and smoking habits, did… Full Story »
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Stillbirth Mysteries Revealed in New Studies (LiveScience.com)
Yahoo! News: Parenting/Kids News &bull Dec 13, 2011
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy complications, such as a woman going into labor too soon, or abnormalities of the placenta, a new analysis of the causes of stillbirths finds. On the other hand, a woman's characteristics at the start of her pregnancy,… Full Story »
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Stillbirth Mysteries Revealed in New Studies
Yahoo! News: Pregnancy Search &bull Dec 13, 2011
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy complications, such as a woman going into labor too soon, or abnormalities of the placenta, a new analysis of the causes of stillbirths finds. On the other hand, a woman's characteristics at the start of her pregnancy,… Full Story »
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Placental, pregnancy conditions account for most stillbirths
Yahoo! News: Pregnancy Search &bull Dec 13, 2011
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy disorders and conditions affecting the placenta, according to results reported by a National Institutes of Health network established to find the causes of stillbirth as well as ways to prevent or reduce its… Full Story »
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Stillbirth often linked to placenta: US research
Yahoo! News: Pregnancy Search &bull Dec 13, 2011
A doctor conducts a scan on a pregnant woman. Stillbirth is often caused by pregnancy complications such as problems with the placenta or preterm labor, said US research published on Tuesday aiming to shed light on the causes and risks. Stillbirth is often caused by pregnancy… Full Story »
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Some Causes of Stillbirth May Be Avoidable: Studies (HealthDay)
Yahoo! News: Parenting/Kids News &bull Dec 13, 2011
TUESDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Stillbirth has long been a mysterious and devastating pregnancy complication. But two new studies are uncovering more about what causes stillbirth and the factors that may raise a woman's chances of having a stillbirth -- at least some of which are avoidable. Stillbirth, defined as a fetus that dies during the 20th week of gestation or later, occurs in about one in… Full Story »
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Stress in early pregnancy can lead to shorter pregnancies and fewer baby boys
Yahoo! News: Pregnancy Search &bull Dec 10, 2011
These are the conclusions of a study that investigated the effect on pregnant women of the stress caused by the 2005 Tarapaca earthquake in Chile. Although it has been known for a while that stress may affect the duration of pregnancy, until now, no study has looked at the impact of both the timing of the stress and the effect that stress might have on the ratio of male-to-female births. The research published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction on December 8, provides answers to these questions and also suggests that it is exposure to stress itself… Full Story »
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Federal Agencies Act to Remove hCG Weight Loss Products
WebMD: Women: Pregnancy &bull Dec 6, 2011Dec. 6, 2011 -- The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission today took joint action against several companies selling over-the-counter hCG products that falsely and illegally claim to promote weight loss. Labeled "homeopathic" by the seven companies who received the… Full Story »
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Mom-to-Be's Mental State May Affect Child's Development (HealthDay)
Yahoo! News: Parenting/Kids News &bull Nov 17, 2011
University of California, Irvine, researchers recruited pregnant women and tested them for depression before and after they gave birth. The women's babies were tested after birth to assess how well they were developing. Consistency in the mother's mental state appeared… Full Story »
