PREGNANT SMOKERS WITH ASTHMA HAVE INCREASED HEALTH RISKS Pregnant women with asthma who smoke have an increased risk for asthma symptoms and fetal growth abnormalities. Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina observed 2,210 pregnant women with asthma to determine the effect of active and passive household smoking on asthma severity and obstetric/neonatal outcomes...

The MTV reality show "16 and Pregnant" and its spin-off, "Teen Mom," both "are designed to deter adolescents from becoming mothers -- a relevant issue as teen pregnancy rates are up for the first time in more than a decade," Double X managing editor Jessica Grose writes in a Slate opinion piece...

A new US study suggests that acupuncture specifically designed for depression may reduce symptoms during pregnancy: although the study was small, the researchers say it is the first of its kind and hope that it raises awareness about depression in pregnancy and helps patients and doctors consider an alternative to antidepressants...

New research published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth notes some of the "serious short- and long-term health issues" associated with preterm births and identifies steps that can be taken to reduce the number of stillbirths and premature births worldwide, United Press International reports. Each year, 13 million babies are born preterm and there are 3...

I would like to introduce you to Mr Gordon Buchannan, he's a Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon at The London Rectal Clinic at 108 Harley Street and Imperial Hospitals, London. He has published papers on many aspects of colorectal surgery, in particular investigation of anorectal conditions and fistula-in-ano...

The Virginia Senate on Tuesday voted 26-8 to approve a bill (SB 18) that would create a specialty license plate with the message, "Trust Women. Respect Choice," and direct a portion of the revenue to the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, the Washington Post reports. The bill also would approve other specialty license plates (Helderman/Kunkle, Washington Post, 2/17)...

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing new public health guidance on dietary and physical activity interventions for weight management in pregnancy and after childbirth. Draft recommendations have been published on the NICE website today (18 February) for public consultation...

AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system which measures central blood pressures and arterial stiffness noninvasively, announced that a University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago study(1) has highlighted an important new inpatient use for SphygmoCor: monitoring the effects of drug therapy in hospitalized patients with preeclampsia, a...

Morning sickness, also known as nausea gravidarum, nausea/vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) , emesis gravidarum or pregnancy sickness is a condition that affects over 50% of all pregnant females. The woman feels nauseous, sometimes vomits and is often tired. Women who use hormonal contraception or HRT (hormone replacement therapy) may also have morning sickness symptoms...

A prospective study found that the use of sutures to close the skin after a caesarean delivery results in fewer wound complications than the use of staples, Reuters reports. Suzanne Basha and colleagues at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania led a prospective trial of 416 women giving birth via c-section who were randomly assigned to skin closure with either staples or sutures...