Yes, according to a new study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, “Daily consumption of chocolate reduced the chances of miscarriage by a modest 20%.” The research was in fact more serious than that makes it sound, and shed light on the still-mysterious causes of lost pregnancies. The scientists found that women […]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has announced that pregnant women and those who plan to become so should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil if possible because of a risk of birth defects. They also cautioned against pregnant women taking a number of other related antidepressants, but said cases should be considered on
Several pieces of health news caught my eye today, so I’ve rolled them all into a single healthy treat: People may have overreacted to the link between children’s use of antidepressants and suicide, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Although an earlier FDA study showed that a very few people (about one
I’d never heard of Mason Andrews before reading of his death this past week, but without him, my son might not exist. No, he’s not our sperm donor—he’s the doctor who performed the first in vitro fertilization in the U. S. Although conservative activists tried to stop him from attempting the procedure, his privately funded
Preeclampsia is a sudden complication of pregnancy that can be deadly for both mother and baby. Researchers at the U. S. National Institutes of Health have announced new findings that offer hope for earlier detection and possibly a cure. They say women with preeclampsia have high levels of two blood proteins several months before they
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), a test for birth defects, carries the same risk as the more commonly used amniocentesis, a new study has shown. Doctors previously thought its risk to be greater. Women can undergo CVS about six weeks earlier than amniocentesis, at 10 to 12 weeks gestation, so these findings, if confirmed, will be
Last week, researchers announced the discovery of a genetic variant that may help identify women at higher risk of having premature births. This would allow doctors to take appropriate measures to minimize the risk. The scientists also found that African-American babies were three times more likely than those of European descent to carry this genetic
Last night on Workout, fitness trainer Jackie Warner explored the idea of harvesting and freezing her eggs. She and her girlfriend Mimi discussed the possibility of someday having a family, with Mimi carrying embryos created from Jackie’s eggs. It’s great to see a portrayal of lesbian procreation that doesn’t focus on “wacky escapades to obtain
Two recent studies offer further support for the benefits of breast milk. One, appearing in this month’s Pediatrics magazine, claims that babies who are breast-fed for more than three months are less likely to become bedwetters. Non-bedwetters had also been breastfed for an average of three months longer than bedwetters. The researchers caution, however, that
Blogging Baby points out a new study indicating that vaginal births after C-sections (VBACs), even after multiple C’s, are safer than had been thought. Uterine tears or ruptures from a vaginal birth were only slightly more frequent in women who had more than one Cesarean. The new study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynocology,
