News and Features Related to Health & Pregnancy

Preemies Raise U.S. Infant Mortality Rate

Nov. 3, 2009 -- The high percentage of preterm babies is the main cause of the high infant mortality rate in the U.S., the CDC says in a new report. The U.S. “does a good job of saving babies when they are born preterm,” Marian F. MacDorman, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, t
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Progress in Quest for Group B Strep Vaccine

Oct. 30, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- Researchers are a step closer to developing a vaccine to protect pregnant women against a serious bacterial infection that is a leading cause of death and disability in newborns. The bug is called group B streptococcus, more commonly referred to as group B strep. Preg
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Artificial Insemination Works Better This Way

Oct. 30, 2009 -- Women undergoing artificial insemination who lie on their backs for 15 minutes after the procedure may increase their chances of getting pregnant, according to a new study. During the procedure, officially called intrauterine insemination, the male’s sperm is inseminated into the ut
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Cord Blood Stem Cells: Your Questions Answered

Stem cells are immature cells that can transform into other kinds of cells and reproduce themselves. Cord blood stem cells are collected in the umbilical cord at birth and can produce all of the blood cells in the body. Cord blood stem cells can be used to treat blood-related diseases, such as leuke
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Cord Blood Banking: A Wise Investment?

Peggy and Brett Willie’s son was just 7 years old when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Chemotherapy “dissolved” the stage 3 tumor, Peggy says, “but it’s hard to say what the future will bring.” So when she became pregnant with her third child two years ago, the couple stored his umbilical cord blood
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Obese Women Retain More Pregnancy Weight

Oct. 21, 2009 -- Gaining no weight during pregnancy or even losing a little weight may be healthier for obese women and their babies than gaining too much weight. In research made public today, the investigators from Kaiser Permanente confirmed that obese women who gain more weight than they should
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U.S. Pregnancy Rate Is Dropping

Oct. 14, 2009 -- The U.S. pregnancy rate dropped by 11% from 1990 to 2005, a new CDC report shows. According to that report, there were an estimated 6.4 million pregnancies in the U.S. in 2005, which works out to a rate of 103.2 pregnancies per 1,000 women ages 15-44, compared to a rate of 115.8 pre
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Get a Head Start on a Healthy Pregnancy

For women who want to rid their bodies and homes of toxins before pregnancy, there’s no shortage of dos and don’ts floating around. In fact, the list can seem overwhelming. So what are the best things you can do to stay healthy and make sure your children will be protected from environmental toxins
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6 Embarrassing Pregnancy Symptoms

The unofficial new-mommy archives are overflowing with tales of pregnancy symptoms no one ever expected: The pregnant obstetrician who threw up while examining a patient. The pregnant graphic designer who insisted her husband developed a horrific and nauseating body odor the minute she became pregna
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Aggression in Girls May Be Linked to BPA

Oct. 6, 2009 -- New research suggests a link between prenatal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and increased aggression in girls, but not boys, at age 2. The finding is far from conclusive, but the study is the first human trial to attempt to examine whether BPA exposure in the womb influe
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