The United States hails itself as one of the world’s strongest leaders. And many other countries look to the U.S. when trying to turn their communist or poverty-stricken countries around. Yet America fails in so many areas where you would expect a “leader” country to excel. When compared to other developed countries, the maternity benefits in the U.S. are severely lacking.
Autism, a neurological condition that affects how individuals interact with the world around them, has been attributed to both genetic and environmental conditions. Now, the largest study on fetal growth and autism risks has found that both very large and very small babies are at a greater risk for the condition.
When looking at autism, there is still so very much to learn and understand. One of the most interesting, and often best method, in reaching that better understanding is through identical twins. With the exact same DNA, they offer an interesting look at how and why autism occurs, and what, if anything, can be done about it.
Ultrasound imaging has made it possible for doctors to more diagnose and monitor trouble pregnancies. But we’ve come a long way from the grainy, black-and white images. In recent years, we’ve seen three-dimensional imaging and better quality two-dimensional imaging. Now, GE is taking prenatal ultrasounds to new heights.
During her 20th week of pregnancy, Savannah Perry, learned that her daughter had a cyst on the left lung. After further examination, doctors determined that Lake wouldn’t be able to breathe once she was born.
If you live in a large to moderately-sized city, traffic is probably a part of daily life. But how often do you think about the pollution exposure caused by all that traffic? UCLA researchers thought of that pollution regularly while conducting a recent study that compared risks of cancer in children to their mother’s level of pollution exposure during pregnancy.
Though many pregnancy guides and professionals state that a delivery at 37 weeks is considered full term, more recent research has found that infants born this early have more issues than those born at 39 weeks. For example, infants born between 37 and 39 weeks are more likely to suffer from breathing problems, infections and be hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit.
During the last three months of pregnancy, a baby’s brain is busy at work. It’s developing neural pathways between nerves and preparing itself for entry into the world of sights, sounds, smells and touches. But scientists know very little about how this neural network assembles itself while in utero.
Scientists have known for quite some time that stress during pregnancy can have lasting, adverse effects on a developing fetus. And more recently, researchers have found that infants exposed to high levels of stress while in utero are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and other neurological disorders later in life. Though it is still unclear how this really happens, researchers from the Edinburgh University now believe they have discovered an enzyme that may counteract stress hormones and prevent these adverse effects altogether.
We’ve known for quite some time that smoking while pregnant can result in a number of health complications for the unborn child. Some studies have linked predictable issues like asthma and premature birth. However, there have been other studies that have linked less obvious issues to smoking during pregnancy – behavior issues, aggression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, just to name a few.
Even in developed countries, things can go wrong during delivery. In the case of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, the condition is caused by a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain. In developed countries, the complication is often caused by a knotted umbilical cord or a problem with the mother’s placenta during delivery.
For Jane Heffey, a 28-year-old nurse at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool, “everything had been perfect.” She had a house, a career that she was happy with, a partner she loved, a nine-month-old daughter, Niamh, and another baby on the way. But unbeknownst to Jane, cervical cancer was spreading throughout of her body.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system. Over the last few years, the number of diagnosed cases has increased. Experts now have reason to believe the rising numbers are the result of waning efficacy of the whooping cough vaccine.
