Health & Baby News & Features

The initiation of contraception before the first sexual experience rose from less than 10 percent in the 1970s to more than 25 percent in the 2000s. The rate of birth control initiation during the first sexual experience was about 40 percent.

Only two states had fertility rate above replacement levels.

There were no differences in food allergy diagnosis rates between infants born to women who made diet changes during pregnancy and those who did not, researchers have found.

Infants run a small risk of permanent kidney damage from the higher concentration of ibuprofen.

One U.S. fertility expert said the success in this case really could be a breakthrough.

Children with fetal alcohol syndrome face a range of lifelong problems including birth defects, growth problems, developmental delays, intellectual disability and behavioral disorders, all of which can require costly care.

In a statement released Thursday, the 14 leaders of the conference said it's irresponsible to attempt gene editing on eggs, sperm or embryos, except in lab research, because not enough is known yet about its risks or safety, the AP reported.

A national survey of pregnant women found that many fewer were smoking cigarettes and slightly fewer were drinking alcohol, but the percentage who used pot rose.

Instead of placing the sperm and eggs into incubators, they are put into a device called an INVOcell that's placed in the body for five days where the eggs are fertilized and early embryo development begins.

Women with a history of preeclampsia were 3.4 times more likely to suffer from vascular dementia later in life, researchers have found. This form of dementia is triggered by impaired blood flow in the brain.

Experts say there has long been concern that obstetrics has focused on babies’ well-being almost to the exclusion or certainly to the detriment of moms, and many hope and believe that tide is starting to turn.

Worldwide, births by C-section nearly doubled between 2000 and 2015, a new study has found.

In pregnant women, the flu shot protects equally during all three trimesters, and for those with health problems like asthma and diabetes, a new study finds. It also reduces hospitalizations for complications like pneumonia.

A new study of almost 6,000 women in Sweden found weight-loss surgery was tied to fewer cesarean sections, infections, tears, hemorrhages or post-term deliveries.

In a new study of 2,400 first-time moms, early pushing didn't increase the need for C-sections. It was also associated with lower odds of hemorrhage and infection.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on 4,440 children and 2,586 mothers. More specifically, they assessed how a mother's habit influenced the age at which her children started using the drug.

There's already a known link between celiac disease and type 1 diabetes -- approximately 10 percent of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease.

Since the 1980s, the number of multiple births has jumped from roughly 20 sets per 1,000 live births to almost 35 sets per 1,000 live births, a new study has found. A sizable proportion of multiple births are attributable simply to delaying childbearing, the author says.

Among women with elevated blood sugar during pregnancy, nearly 11 percent had type 2 diabetes 10 to 14 years after giving birth, and about 42 percent had pre-diabetes, the findings showed.

In the study, the researchers followed 736 pregnant women in Denmark who took either fish oil or olive oil supplements daily from week 24 of their pregnancy until one week after they gave birth.

The study of more than 220,000 pregnancies from 2009 through 2016 found overall use at 5.3% in the first trimester. That number spiked to 11.3% for pregnant women with severe nausea and vomiting. Just over 8% of the women with mild nausea and vomiting used pot while pregnant.

Researchers tested breast milk samples from 50 women who used marijuana either daily, weekly or occasionally, and detected THC -- the active component of the drug -- in 63 percent of the samples for up to six days after the mother's last reported use.

Even tiny levels of exposure to chlorpyrifos can damage babies' brains, research shows.

Women who chose to have their labor induced were less likely to need a C-section than women who let nature take its course, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. And there was no evidence labor induction carried any added risks for their babies.

The review of published studies provides important information for pregnant women and their doctors, said lead researcher Jane Warland, an associate professor at the University of South Australia.