Health

Australian researchers put paid to “baby brain” myth

Australian researchers said on Friday they had debunked the myth that a womens ability to think was impaired by pregnancy and mothering a newborn — a condition commonly referred to as “baby brain”.

“We didnt find any difference between the women before and after pregnancy, or before and after motherhood, and there were no differences between the non-mothers and the mothers, and the pregnant women,” lead researcher Helen Christensen told AFP.

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Delivery mode not altered by pregnancy exercise

Women benefit from light-intensity resistance exercise during pregnancy and this type of physical activity is not apt to alter the way they deliver their baby, study findings hint.

Therefore, they compared delivery outcomes after supervised toning and resistance exercises for shoulders, arms, pelvis, and legs, plus toning and mobilization of associated joints, in 80 women during mid to late pregnancy, compared with 80 non-exercising peers.

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Decade of Decline in U.S. Teen Pregnancies Ends

After more than a decade of decline, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate increased 3 percent in 2006, which led to a 4 percent rise in teen births and a 1 percent increase in teen abortions, a new study shows.

However, all three trends reversed in 2006, said the report from the Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive health research, public education and policy.

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Folic acid in late pregnancy tied to child asthma

Young children whose mothers took folic acid supplements in late pregnancy may have an increased risk of developing asthma, a new study hints.

Researchers emphasize that it is too early to give pregnant women any specific advice based on the results.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, appear to be the first to link mothers use of folic acid in pregnancy to their childrens later asthma risk.

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US teen pregnancy rate up for first time since 1990: study

The US teen pregnancy rate rose in 2006 for the first time in 16 years, an report showed Tuesday, as experts speculated that the increase was due to abstinence-only sex education in schools.

Three-quarters of a million women younger than 20, or seven percent of the 15-19 age group, became pregnant in 2006, the report said.

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Decade of Decline in U.S. Teen Pregnancies Ends

After more than a decade of decline, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate increased 3 percent in 2006, which led to a 4 percent rise in teen births and a 1 percent increase in teen abortions, a new study shows.

However, all three trends reversed in 2006, said the report from the Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive health research, public education and policy.

Continue reading Decade of Decline in U.S. Teen Pregnancies Ends…

U.S. teen pregnancy rate up after 10-year decline

The U.S. teen pregnancy rate rose in 2006 for the first time in more than a decade, reversing a long slide, a U.S. think tank reported on Tuesday.

The United States has higher rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion than in other Western industrialized countries.

The overall teen pregnancy rate was up 3 percent in 2006, with a 4 percent rise in the rate of births and a 1 percent rise in the rate of abortions, according to the report by the Guttmacher Institute.

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Stillborn Case Linked to Bleeding Gums During Pregnancy

A new report shows the first documented link between fetal death and a mothers pregnancy-related gum disease.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy often lead to bleeding gums, with an estimated 75 percent of pregnant women experiencing the problem, the study authors noted. But, they explained, bleeding in the gums allows bacteria in the mouth to enter the bloodstream and potentially infect a fetus unless it is stopped by the immune system.

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Stillborn Case Linked to Bleeding Gums During Pregnancy

A new report shows the first documented link between fetal death and a mothers pregnancy-related gum disease.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy often lead to bleeding gums, with an estimated 75 percent of pregnant women experiencing the problem, the study authors noted. But, they explained, bleeding in the gums allows bacteria in the mouth to enter the bloodstream and potentially infect a fetus unless it is stopped by the immune system.

Continue reading Stillborn Case Linked to Bleeding Gums During Pregnancy…

Pot smoking during pregnancy may stunt fetal growth

Women who smoke marijuana during pregnancy may impair their babys growth and development in the womb, a new study suggests.

For the new study, researchers in the Netherlands followed more than 7,000 pregnant women, 3 percent of whom acknowledged smoking marijuana at least during early pregnancy. They found that babies born to marijuana users tended to weigh less and have smaller heads than other infants.

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