Fertility & Pregnancy News

Baby Quest: Boy or Girl: You DecideReported February 06, 2008 LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People have been trying to play a role in determining the sex of their children for thousands of years. But whether your nursery is pink or blue has always been left up to chance ... until now. Not only is it possible to use science to choose the sex of your child -- … [Read more...]

Blocking Infections, Protecting New MomsReported December 30, 2009 MANHATTAN, N.Y. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- One in three expectant moms will deliver by C-section. The last thing a new mom needs is to worry about is surgical site infections. Now, there's something new to keep moms infection-free. Swapna Reddy and her husband are less than an hour away from one of the biggest … [Read more...]

Most moms report 'positive' birth experience Reported May 07, 2008 Slightly over half (54 per cent) of new Canadian mothers rate their labour and birth experience as "very positive," according to a new report from Statistics Canada. Of women who gave birth during a three-month window in 2006, another one-quarter (26 per cent) said the experience was somewhat positive, … [Read more...]

Dads Play Bigger Role in Fetus Development Reported June 16, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Fathers may contribute more to the conception and development of a fetus than previously thought. A recent study from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah, found the father's sperm delivers much more complex genetic material than once thought. Particular genes are … [Read more...]

Diet Linked to Sperm Abnormalities Reported March 20, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Eating green leafy vegetables, fruit and beans may be beneficial for men conscious of their reproductive health. Researchers have found an association between folate (a water soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in some vegetables, fruits and lentils) and levels of chromosomal sperm … [Read more...]

Poor Sleep in Late Pregnancy Tied to Tougher Labor NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - First-time mothers who get little sleep late in pregnancy may have a longer labor and higher odds of a cesarean section than women who are more well-rested, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among the 131 women they followed, those who … [Read more...]

Anti-Depressants Raise Respiratory Risks in NewbornsReported February 09, 2006 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research out of the University of California, San Diego reveals mothers who use common anti-depressants during pregnancy may be putting their offspring at risk for a serious respiratory disorder. This baby study shows … [Read more...]

Booze linked to higher risk of premature babies Reported January 26, 2009 WOMEN who drink heavily in the first three months of pregnancy are more likely to have a premature baby, research suggests. Experts found that women who were binge drinkers could also put their babies at risk even if they stopped drinking after the first three months. … [Read more...]

New procedure to spot viable IVF embryos Reported May 14, 2008 Fertility researchers have developed a new procedure to be used in IVF treatment that could "revolutionise" success rates within two years. When couples attend fertility clinics for IVF, eggs from the woman are fertilised with sperm and the resulting embryos allowed to develop in … [Read more...]

Baby Quest: Fertility FrontiersReported February 1, 2008 LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- You can't stop a woman's biological clock. But now, researchers can stop her eggs from aging, which makes having a biological child a reality for women in their forties and fifties. Researchers are also trying to make pregnancy possible for women without a uterus. By her … [Read more...]

Blocking the inflammatory response to bacteria may hold the key to healthier babies. Researchers working in a mouse model report good results from a strategy aimed at defusing key receptors in the placenta that trigger inflammation when they sense the presence of bacteria. Inflammation can then led to early labor and increased risk of death for the infant, who may be born … [Read more...]

'Giant' 17-Pound Baby Born in Brazil A 38-year-old diabetic Brazilian woman has given birth to a 17lb baby. Delivered by cesarean section, the newborn weighs the same as the average six-month old. Doctor's say the child is in good health despite the fact that he is receiving oxygen for breathing problems and a glucose IV to maintain a … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding Protects Tiny Intestines Reported July 03, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – An ingredient found in breast milk produced in the first few days after birth helps protect tiny intestines and get them ready for a lifetime of eating and drinking. British researchers discovered the effect of pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor – or PSTI – by first testing breast milk … [Read more...]

Mothers tout benefits of breastfeeding Reported September 14, 2008 In the 2008 Breastfeeding Challenge, Canada registered the highest number of participants raising awareness over the importance of breastfeeding. "Every baby has a right to eat, and every woman has the right to feed their baby," said Maryanne King, the lactation consultant for the Prince Albert Parkland … [Read more...]

Chemicals in Everyday Items Linked to InfertilityReported February 02, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A group of chemicals used in many everyday items may be linked to infertility in women, a new study finds. Researchers in Europe found women who had higher levels of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in their blood took longer to get pregnant than … [Read more...]

Stress During Pregnancy Determines the Gender of the Baby November 22, 2007 Stress throughout pregnancy renders women more likely to give birth to a girl child rather than a boy, according to a new study. This is the first study to link everyday stress to a baby’s sex. During the study, the researchers gathered information on stress levels of the … [Read more...]

Antibiotic Doesn't Prevent Preterm LaborReported December 02, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research has some experts ruling out bacterial infection as a primary cause of premature births. Azithromycin is an antibiotic currently used worldwide to treat infections such as syphilis, chlamydia and Ureaplasma urealyticum, a bacterial infection researchers believed to be a … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding frenzy disrespects mums   Reported September 11, 2009 ON billboards and beaches, in city offices, at shopping malls and cafes, bulbous breasts in uplift bras are everywhere.   Yet put a breast to its biological purpose and wait for the uproar. "I don't p..s in public," one particularly vulgar responder wrote on a … [Read more...]

Omega-3 supplements can protect pre-term infants from developmental disorders Reported January 16, 2009 Sydney, Australia, January 16: Omega-3-rich fish oil supplements can enlace breast milk, reducing the risk of developmental problems in prematurely-born babies to almost half, notes an Australian study. The study focused on numerous … [Read more...]

Baby Quest: Making Babies: No Men Needed!Reported February 4, 2008 MIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Frozen sperm, frozen embryos, in vitro fertilization -- the fertility revolution keeps moving forward. Researchers say the next big thing in fertility is to grow sperm in the lab. It's already being done in mice and it could be just around the corner for humans. Stephen … [Read more...]

Pregnant women advised to avoid MaxumReported May 27, 2009 Health Canada is advising expectant mothers and breastfeeding women not take the supplements Maxum Matragen or Maxum Multi-Vite. The vitamin-mineral supplements by Seroyal International Inc., have been only approved for the general public but lack the required cautionary statement on the label regarding pregnant … [Read more...]

Dangerous Prenatal Condition Linked to ExerciseReported January 1, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Recent study results that surprised researchers show pregnant women who exercise more than 30 minutes each day expose themselves to preeclampsia, a condition that can cause dangerous complications. Danish and Norwegian researchers looked at the medical data of more than 85,000 … [Read more...]

Dieting During Pregnancy Reported October 02, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Surprising findings from a new study reveal women who diet before they’re pregnant will actually gain more weight during pregnancy than those who do not diet. During pregnancy it’s important for mothers to gain weight to help nourish their child and help him develop properly. But too much weight gain … [Read more...]

Study Links Cell Phone Use to Behavioral Problems Reported May 28, 2008 New research is suggesting that the children of mothers who use cell phones while pregnant are more likely to develop behavioral problems. This, based on a study of 13,159 children in Denmark in the late 1990s. The research claims to show a link between use of handheld telephones … [Read more...]

Antidepressants During Pregnancy Puts Newborns at RiskReported October 12, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Exposure to a certain class of antidepressant medications during pregnancy may put a baby at risk for preterm birth, a low five-minute Apgar score (a measure of overall health of the baby) and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, according to a recent report. One … [Read more...]

Child neglect linked to feeding Reported January 27, 2009 Women who do not breastfeed their infants are nearly four times more likely to neglect and abuse their child, a study of Australian women has found. The analysis of about 6000 Queensland mothers and their children also discovered that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the less likely … [Read more...]

Pregnancy does not cloud the brain, says Australian study Reported October 12, 2008 SYDNEY - Pregnancy has long been blamed for addling women's minds but new work by Australian researchers finds this idea may be nothing more than an old wives' tale. A study by the Australian National University's centre for mental health research found that … [Read more...]

Baby’s Smile a Natural High Reported July 09, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) The happy smile of a baby does more than warm a mother’s heart. It literally makes her glow. Using magnetic resonance technology, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine were able to actually see key reward areas of a mother’s brain light up when she was shown pictures of her smiling baby. The reaction … [Read more...]

Night shift linked to late pregnancy loss 2004-12-23 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women who regularly work the night shift may have an increased risk of a miscarriage late in pregnancy or a stillbirth, a new study suggests. The study of more than 40,000 Danish women who worked during pregnancy found that those who … [Read more...]

Brush Your Way to a Healthy BabyReported April 03, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Could better dental hygiene lead to healthier babies?   Investigators who looked at bacteria in the stomach contents of newborns suggest that might be the case. Their research found two species of bacteria in the gastric aspirates (defined as stomach contents containing amniotic fluid swallowed … [Read more...]