prenatal care

14 Stories

Groundbreaking Surgery Removes Tumor From Fetus

Teratoma tumors affect only 1 out of 100K babies

(Newser) - Miami doctors made history with a first-of-its-kind operation in which they removed a dangerous tumor from the mouth of a fetus, reports the Miami Herald . A routine ultrasound at 17 weeks turned up a peach-size teratoma tumor growing on the fetus' mouth. Teratomas are benign but still dangerous, as they...

Prenatal Pill May Reduce Lesbianism

Ambiguous genitalia treatment raises alarms

(Newser) - A prenatal pill designed to prevent ambiguous genitalia in newborns may end up reducing lesbianism, triggering complaints from critics that the treatment is nothing more than medical engineering to manipulate sexual orientation. A few dozen pregnancies each year in the US result in babies with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which causes...

How to Stop Obesity, Starting Before Birth

Researchers find links to problems later from prenatal to 3 years old

(Newser) - A kid's path to fat camp may begin even before conception, and, as one doctor tells the Los Angeles Times , “during pregnancy and the first two years of life, mothers and their infants are seen by physicians more often than any other time. It's kind of a golden opportunity”...

US Newborns Get Smaller
 US Newborns Get Smaller  
Jan 22, 2010 2:38 PM CST

US Newborns Get Smaller

Mysterious drop most acute with mothers considered least at risk

(Newser) - The birth weight of the average full-term baby born in the US decreased by 1.83 ounces between 1990 and 2005. Researchers discovered the trend, which runs counter to received notions about increasing birth weight, after studying the records of 37 million newborns. Even more surprising, babies delivered by the...

Fetuses Form Memories: Study
 Fetuses Form Memories: Study 
Jul 16, 2009 10:55 AM CDT

Fetuses Form Memories: Study

At 30 weeks, have 10-minute memory

(Newser) - Fetuses can form memories, an important indicator of nervous-system maturation that may help doctors detect developmental problems, Dutch researchers say. Fetuses exposed to sound and vibration for 1 second every 30 seconds became accustomed to the stimuli, a process known as habituation. "Habituation is a form of learning,"...

Safer Down Syndrome Tests Give Birth to Ethics Fears

Procedures look safer, more accurate, but raise ethics concerns

(Newser) - New tests to detect Down syndrome early in pregnancy look highly promising to some experts—but they’re prompting new ethical and medical questions, the Washington Post reports. The procedures, to be publicly available in June, appear safer and more accurate than current options. But Down syndrome and anti-abortion activists...

Prenatal Screening Advances Create Agonizing Choices

Doctors may detect disease but struggle for details

(Newser) - Advances in prenatal screening have given parents-to-be a clearer window into the health of their unborn children—and the dramatic increase in information can lead to wrenching choices. Tests are now able to detect many genetic disorders—but they are not always reliable, or able to predict specific outcomes, the...

Palin's Critics Bitter Over Own Abortions

'Grief, shame, and guilt' spur attacks on Republican candidate

(Newser) - The attacks lobbed at Sarah Palin have less to do with the candidate herself and more with the shame, guilt, and grief of the post-abortion community, the co-founder of an anti-abortion group writes in the National Review. Kevin Burke says Palin inspires such vitriol because she chose to have a...

New Prenatal Gene Test Proves Safer

Checks mom's blood for defects without miscarriage risk

(Newser) - Scientists have developed a prenatal test for genetic defects much safer than the ones currently in use, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Methods like amniocentesis can spot chromosomal disorders like Down Syndrome, but involve inserting a needle into the uterus, which carries close to a 1-in-200 risk of miscarriage....

Baby Born 'Again' After Tumor Operation

Doctors perform surgery in after 4 months of pregnancy

(Newser) - A Texas baby is faring well after doctors pulled her from the womb, cut off a tumor, and put her back in to be born 4 weeks ago, CBS News reports. Doctors noticed Macie McCartney's tumor 4 months into pregnancy and identified it as fatal—so they pulled out her...

Morning Sickness May Help Protect Embryos

Ailment has evolutionary benefit, researchers say

(Newser) - Far from being a mere nuisance, morning sickness may actively protect embryos, LiveScience reports. Doctors have long recognized the association of morning sickness and a healthy pregnancy, but new research suggests the condition evolved to protect embryos from dangerous environmental factors.

Smaller Babies Become Hostile Adults: Study

Low weight at birth and childhood linked to more hostility later in life

(Newser) - New research has linked low birth weight and slow growth in childhood to increased levels of hostility in adults, Reuters reports. Researchers also discovered that the higher levels of aggression were linked to health trouble, including coronary problems, type 2 diabetes and earlier death. The levels of hostility appeared unconnected...

Dark Chocolate Fends Off Pregnancy Problems

Chemical helps prevent preeclampsia, study finds

(Newser) - Pregnant women who indulge in a daily treat of dark chocolate are cutting the risk of a serious complication, according to new research. Dark chocolate, rich in the chemical theobromine, helped prevent preeclampsia, a serious condition related to high blood pressure that affects up to 8% of pregnancies, the study...

Brits Will Pay Moms-to-Be to Eat for Two

Pregnant women in the UK will be given $240 to support a healthy diet

(Newser) - Starting 2009, all expecting moms in the UK will receive a lump sum of $240, intended to be spent on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables to help prevent low-birth-weight complications in newborn children. The "pregnancy grants" are part of Britain's new health secretary's plan to close the...

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