Health News

Non-invasive Down Syndrome Test Is Accurate
For most women, prenatal screening is important. Prenatal screening enables doctors to detect diseases or conditions in a growing baby before it is born.
Young Teens More Likely to Have Vaginal Delivery
Parents, you can breathe a sigh of relief: teenage pregnancy is becoming less common in the U.S., which is good news because there are many risks associated with teen pregnancy.
Muscular Pregnant Women Have Healthier Placenta
Most women want a shapely, muscular body to enhance their looks. A new study reports that those firm, hard-won muscles also improve placental health in pregnant women.
Mom's Weight & Kids' Test Scores
Shedding pounds before getting pregnant can reduce a number of health risks - but it may also add a few points to your child's reading and math scores. A recent study has found a link between a mother's weight before pregnancy and their children's cognitive skills: obese women's children score lower on math and reading tests when they were 5 to 7 years old. Get to a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. Lead author Rika Tanda , a nursing doctoral candidate at Ohio State University, and colleagues wanted to investigate potential connections between a mother's pre-pregnancy ob...
Test Tube Babies Have More Defects
Advances in fertility medicine have been a blessing for parents who struggled to have children on their own. But one hitch has been a higher rate of birth defects among test tube babies. A large recent study has found an increased rate of birth defects among babies born through assisted reproduction, though different types of assisted reproduction had different higher rates of congenital problems. Discuss the risks of any fertility treatment with your doctor. Michael Davies, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute and School of Paediatrics ...
Reduce Serious Birth Defects
Adding folic acid to tortillas and other products can reduce the risk for birth defects, says a new petition recently filed with a federal agency.  A petition filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) argues that fortifying corn masa flour products with the B vitamin folic acid can help reduce serious birth defects of the brain and spine. The groups behind the petition believe that mandating folic acid fortification of the products will especially help prevent birth defects in one high-risk group: Hispanic babies. Since 1998, when the FDA started regulating folic a...
Better Nurses Produce Healthier Preemies
Every pregnant mom wants to receive quality care from doctors and nurses. According to a new study, delivering your baby at a hospital that’s recognized for nursing excellence can impact your baby’s health. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing studied more than 72,000 very low-birth-weight ( VLBW ) infants (less than 3.3 pounds at birth).   They found that that babies born at hospitals recognized for nursing excellence ( RNE ) were less likely to suffer certain complications, compared to babies at hospitals that haven’t been recognized for nursing...
Pregnancy After Breast Cancer
If you're planning to get pregnant, don't let a prior breast cancer diagnosis stop you. Pregnancy following breast cancer remission appears to be safe.
Nursing Moms Should not Avoid Cow's Milk
Nursing moms who avoid milk in hopes of reducing their babies’ risk for food allergies should think twice: A new study finds that it may increase your baby’s risk for food allergies.
A Closer Look at Breastfeeding Habits
Official medical recommendations are to breastfeed babies exclusively for a baby's first six months, but is this too lofty a goal for some women? What happens when reality meets idealism?