Tobacco smoking by pregnant women has long been viewed as a public health risk because of smoking's adverse effects on the development of a fetus. Smoking during pregnancy is linked to numerous negative outcomes, including low birth ...
Tags: smoking, pregnant women, nicotine addiction, smoking during pregnancy
There's long been concern that certain drugs taken to control seizures might be unsafe for use by pregnant women, due to potential effects on the fetus. Now, new British research suggests that the drug levetiracetam does not pose a major ...
Tags: Weighs Safety, Epilepsy Drugs, Safety of Epilepsy Drugs in Pregnancy
A new study finds that the epilepsy drug levetiracetam appears not to be associated with thinking, movement and language problems for preschool children born to mothers who took the drug during pregnancy, although the drug valproate was ...
Tags: epilepsy drug, levetiracetam, preschool children health, pregnancy
A high presence of bacteria at the site where fetal membranes rupture may be the key to understanding why some pregnant women experience their "water breaking" prematurely, researchers at Duke Medicine report. The findings, published ...
Tags: pregnant women, fetal membranes rupture, water breaking
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: Officials Confirm First North American Death From H5N1 Bird Flu The first death in North America from H5N1 bird flu has been ...
Tags: Health Highlights, Health
A new review of existing research suggests a possible link between domestic violence and abortions. Led by Susan Bewley of Kings College London in the United Kingdom, the review was based on the findings of 74 studies that looked at ...
Tags: domestic violence, abortions, Susan Bewley, association
High levels of bacteria are associated with water breaking prematurely in pregnant women, a new study indicates. Researchers arrived at their findings by analyzing samples of amniotic sacs (fetal membranes) from 48 women after they gave ...
Women who breast-feed may have a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis later in life, new research suggests. Researchers analyzed data from more than 7,300 women, aged 50 and older, in China who completed questionnaires that asked ...
Tags: women health, breast-feed, rheumatoid arthritis, birth control pills
Pregnant women who have a bacterial infection that's diagnosed during hospitalization may be at greater risk of delivering a child with autism, a new study suggests. These infections -- usually of the genitals, urinary tract or amniotic ...
Tags: pregnant women, bacterial infection, autism, autism spectrum disorder
It's not possible to predict which viruses will predominate for the entire 2013-14 flu season, but so far pH1N1 is the most prevalent, U.S. officials say. In a notice to clinicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in ...
Tags: Health, Medicine, H1N1, Predominant Virus
Doctors often neglect to have a discussion with their teen patients about sexuality issues during their annual physical, a new study reveals. This results in missed opportunities to inform and counsel young people about ways to help ...
Tags: teen patients, sexuality issues, annual physical, teen health
Doctors are missing a prime opportunity to share information about sex with their teenage patients by failing to broach the subject during checkups, according to researchers at Duke Medicine. The study, published Dec. 30, 2013, in JAMA ...
Tags: sex, teenage patients, sexuality, doctors and teenage patients talk
Recent data shows that more than 500,000 women in the U.S. report drinking during pregnancy, with about 20 percent of this population admitting to binge drinking. Even one episode of heavy drinking can lead to the collection of birth ...
Tags: drinking during pregnancy, binge drinking, fetal alcohol syndrome
How can the tiny marmoset – a New World monkey – regularly successfully bear twins and sometimes triplets and quadruplets when much larger humans often face a difficult pregnancy and delivery? The answer, said researchers led ...
Tags: tiny marmoset, pregnancy, genetic changes, twin gestation
U.S. physicians bring up sex in 65 percent of annual visits with their teen patients, but the conversations average less than 36 seconds, researchers say. Lead author Stewart Alexander, an associate professor of medicine at Duke Medicine, ...