Health News

Early Arrival May Affect Mental Health
Babies born ahead of their time might need more than tiny clothes. They may also require parents to be more vigilant for signs of developing mental illness in their children.
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure & Adaptive Ability
Exactly how does prenatal alcohol exposure slow down a kid’s cognitive ability? Compared to normal kids, they seem to have a much tougher time with ‘higher order’ thought process.
Why Do Pregnant Women Light Up
Despite the disturbing images being added to cigarette packs and the Surgeon General's warnings against smoking while pregnant, some women are lighting up while pregnant anyway.
Born Into a Smoke-Free World
The effect of tobacco smoke on pregnant women and their developing babies is well-documented, but what if a baby were born into a community where no public smoking was allowed at all? The first study conducted in the U.S. to compare a city with a smoking ban to a city without one found that fewer pregnant women were smoking and fewer babies were being born early. Avoid cigarette smoke while pregnant. Robert Lee Page, II, a pharmacist in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Colorado's Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, led the study to inve...
Pregnant Moms' Narcotic Use Increasing
The use of opiate drugs among pregnant women has more than quadrupled from 2000 to 2009 - which has led to approximately one baby being born every hour with signs of drug withdrawal. The rate of babies born in 2009 with neonatal abstinence syndrome is approximately three times the rate in 2000, and the increase has had even greater impact because of increased costs associated with the condition, according to a recent study. Ask a therapist about drug addition programs. Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a complex condition in newborns that includes a range of problems resulting fro...
Smoking While Pregnant & Autism Not Linked
As the search continues for environmental factors that may contribute to the increasing autism cases, researchers are looking in every nook and cranny for possible associations.
Fetal Exposure to Meth & Emotional Instability
What the mother consumes, the fetus consumes. Study shows emotional problems later in life are common among young children whose mothers used methamphetamines while pregnant.
Alcohol While Pregnant is Worse Than Cocaine or Pot
Children exposed to as little as half an alcoholic drink a day in utero - even if they didn't have fetal alcohol syndrome - appeared to suffer in their achievement test scores.
Babies Born Healthier in Smoke-Free Land
Smoking is associated with a number of complications for babies in the womb, including early deliveries and underweight babies. Scotland's smoking ban made in dent in both of these.
Does Ecstasy Hurt Unborn Babies?
Using ecstasy is no way to escape the discomfort of pregnancy. The first study to look at its impact on babies reveals it can cause developmental delays that might spell trouble later.